About Ben Jervey

BenJervey

Trying pretty hard

Location:

Brooklyn, NY (11217, USA)

Joined on:

11/30/06

Occupation:

Writer

Contact:

bjervey@gmail.com

• Rails...

  Authored by caspiel - 1 vote

• Mobility

  17 votes

  

  Train in Vain

  Europe and Asia have figured it out, so why is the American rail system still so unspeakably awful? GOOD hops aboard a transcontinental train to find out. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey

  011: Get Lost - Jun 13 2008

  Comments (6)

• Culture

  14 votes

  

  Looking at Sustainable Design That Doesn’t Suck

  A Brooklyn restaurant-cum-cultural center with an ethic of sustainability has become a social hub for the creative and diverse local community. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey and Jen Dessinger

  007: High Tech/Low Tech - Sep 24 2007

  Comments (5)

• Science

  4 votes

  

  Herbaceous Innovation

  In mine fields and at home, specially engineered plants are helping to keep us safe. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey

  006: Design Solutions - Aug 09 2007

  Comments (0)

• Environment

  7 votes

  

  The Market Is Heating Up

  Savvy speculators cash in as the world burns. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey

  004: Plan B - Apr 06 2007

  Comments (2)

• Sea of People

  Authored by Rudy Adler - 2 votes

• Environment

  9 votes

  

  Bags to Riches

  If you got paid for it, would you remember to recycle? The paradigm-shifting RecycleBank thinks you might. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey

  003: Media Issue - Feb 15 2007

  Comments (4)

• Living

  7 votes

  

  Chasing Zero

  In New York City, Ben Jervey spends a month reducing his ecological footprint, by any means necessary. — read more

  Contributors: Ben Jervey and Peter Arkle

  001: I (Heart) America - Nov 24 2006

  Comments (0)

• 2 votes

  Magazine

  Greenest Month Recap

  I wish I could say it was only technical troubles that've delayed this final posting of The Greenest Month. But, nope, I've spent the past 10 days on a Great Spotted Owl hunt out in BC. Alright, it actually was technical troubles (my own 'net ignorance and nothing on GOOD's side, I can assure you).

  So how did things wrap up? Inspired both by GOOD's weekly number crunching and the Harper's Index, I offer The Greenest Month-By the Numbers:Percentage above/below personal average monthly food budget: +6%
  Pounds gained/lost during TGM: -4
  Approximate miles cycled: 320
  Kilowatt hours consumed below apartment average: 60
  Pounds carbon emitted due to my activities (estimated): 333 1/3
  American average for one month: 3096 2/3
  Cost to offset my emissions: $5.87
  Portion of me suprised by this low number: 100%
  Number of trees the website Carbonfootprint.com suggests that I plant to offset my emissions: 1
  Average distance food traveled to reach my mouth: 120 miles
  Number of lapses that I considered major: 3
  Hours of sleep lost over such lapses: 0
  Number of TGM posts I'd envisioned before starting: 15-18
  Total posted: 11
  Percentage of TGM efforts that will likely survive the assignment's end: 70

  Notes: Carbon emissions were estimated using the websites Carbonfootprint.com, BP Global's Carbon Calculator, and SafeClimate.net.

  So there's a quick peek at TGM, by the numbers. Of course, a much more thorough evaluation will be carved in the premier issue of GOOD, which I won't even bother to instruct you to subscribe to, as I'm so confident in the fact that you already have.

  Previously: The Cleansing

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

  Comments (0)

  Posted on May 10, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

• 1 vote

  Magazine

  

  The Cleansing

  After my not-entirely-green indiscretions with the GOOD crew on Saturday night, I'm quickly rattling myself back on track for the final push. For the past couple of days I've eaten almost exclusively greens and apples from the local farmers market, filling the stomach out with some tremendous ciabatta (local grains, all organic) that I really wish I'd discovered a lot earlier this month.

  (By the way, that picture, courtesy of Jill at 50rx3, features both the jeans and the bike to be discussed. I'm trying hard to please those perfectionist authorities at GOOD who insist on images with every post. This is the best I can do.)

  I also decided to finally do some laundry. Was sort of forced to, actually. Aren't the underlayers always the determining factor? (So, yes, the last of an ample supply of boxers finally landed in the laundry bag.) In any case, my rather insufficient planning in this undertaking did put me in a less-than-comfortable position this morning. I'll explain.I decided to handwash in the sink, using some chem-free Dr. Bronners soaps that I'd rescued from nearly hitting the dumpster at the end of Earth Fair. Hand washing twenty-someodd pairs of boxers isn't exactly a hoot, but it's considerably easier logistically than trying to figure out how to hang them all to dry in a cramped shared apartment. But the boxers aren't really the story, cause they all dried by the morning. The dungarees, however, not so much. (And, yes, I think dungarees is a funny word-possibly even funnier than trousers.) I even hung them out the window, but damnit if that carhartt denim doesn't hold its moisture.

  To get to the point, this morning my pants were still wet. Now I realize that I could easily have found another pair of pants in my closet. But that's easier to realize now than at 7:30 in the morning after a paltry few hours of sleep. I figured they'd dry on the ride to work, especially considering the blazing speeds I can cruise on my backup bike. (Note: "backup bike" is actually much nicer and faster than "bad bike," which was recently stolen. "Bad bike," however, had more character in one loop of handlebar tape than "backup bike" has through its entire frame. Yeah, I'm still bitter.) I was right-the pants did dry. But not before chilling me to the core and possibly catalyzing a bout of pneumonia that'll likely set in just as I come into the clear from this ever-more-perilous experiment.

  (Pots of free-range, organic chicken soup can be hand delivered to my Brooklyn home any evening after 8pm.)

  Previously: Gather Round Greens

  Next: Greenest Month Recap

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

  Comments (0)

  Posted on April 26, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

• 1 vote

  Magazine

  

  Gather Round Greens

  Allow me to break the logical linearity of this blog and jump back a few days. (I promise I'm not aspiring to the creative chronology of the Latin American fictional masters. I'm just disorganized.) Last Wednesday, Kelly Cox of the NRDC and the Sustainable Style Federation threw the second Dinner & Drinks gathering-a monthly get together of "influential" folks from in and around "green" fields here in NYC. Both the evenings thus far have been held at The Plant, a relatively new restaurant in Dumbo that's proving that raw food can be high class. The informal "theme" of this D&D was the use of the internet and online communities to facilitate positive action w/r/t the environment. A night like this is kind of the perfect outlet for me during this Greenest Month. I get to eat some surprising good raw (excuse me, "living") food that-mostly-meets the standards I've set for my restrictive diet. I get to drink great local, biodynamic wine. And I get to rap with a bunch of interesting folks about these pertinent issues.

  Kelly does a tremendous job of pushing discussion, and of keeping everyone's wine glass from going dry. I sat next to Graham Hill of Treehugger, the seemingly reluctant poster boy of the moment for the current popularization and stylizing of environmentalism. Treehugger's obviously an important vehicle in this movement-Morgan, rightfully, references it frequently in this blog-and much of the discourse and debate that night danced around the issue of simply "entertaining" people online versus facilitating more action through the organizational power of the web.

  Conclusions? Not many. But the dialogue is ongoing, and that it's happening at all seems significant.

  Previously: Green Central Station

  Next: The Cleansing

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

  Comments (0)

  Posted on April 25, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

• 1 vote

  Magazine

  Green Central Station

  So I mentioned in passing last week's warm-up Earth Day event inside Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall. Well, this Friday and Saturday, Earth Day NY's seminal Earth Fair took over Vanderbilt Avenue-showcasing for New Yorkers a bundle of ideas, solutions, strategies, and products for a greener life. Too many businesses and organizations to run through them all here, but worthy of mention was certainly GOOD Magazine's presence. Fortunate table assignments put me right across the way from GOOD's reps, allowing for plenty of ambiguous charades and indiscreet verbal assaults. Of course, I made well certain to send the most-how should I say?-inquisitive attendees over their direction. I'd also collaborated with the GOOD gang to come up with a set of tips for easily greening your NYC life.

  Ben's Top Ten after the jump.Top Ten Ways To Easily Green Your NYC Life

  Change a Bulb: Replace all your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs) and save money (about $10/month per bulb switched) and energy.
  Eat Local and Organic: Pick up produce at your local Greenmarket or join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
  Chem-Free Clothes: Keep chemicals out of your clothes with eco-friendly dry cleaning services. One of our favorites is Green Apple Cleaners.
  Green Power!: Bring renewable energy into your home through ConEd Solutions or Sterling Planet
  No More Water Waste: Conserve water by installing faucet aerators and a low-flow showerhead, which can be picked up at just about any hardware store.
  Curtail Junk Mail: Take your name off of mass mailing lists and prevent all the junk mail from ever reaching your home.
  Gettin' Around Green: Use the subway and busses; ride a bike or walk.
  Recycling By Nature: Start composting in your kitchen or backyard–it's really simple and the processed compost is nutrient rich and great for your plants.
  One Man's Trash: Before you throw out anything, post on community reuse and exchange sites like Craigslist and Freecycle–there's always someone looking for everything in this town.
  Mix and Mingle: Sip or swill Brooklyn Brews (100% wind powered) at the monthly Green Drinks get-togethers--a very casual mix of green-minded folks from any and all fields.

  Previously: Let The GOOD Times Roll

  Next: Gather Round Greens

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 25, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Magazine

  Let The GOOD Times Roll

  So it's beginning to feel as if I only make these entries after I've broken my self-perscribed rules. Leave it to the bad influences at GOOD Magazine to throw the party at which I finally loosen this green belt and partake in the less-than-sustainable beverage. For a crowded open bar is no place for pints of Brooklyn Lager-rather prime time for whiskey straight. I've double checked, and Lynchburg, Tennessee definitely isn't in the 150 mile "local foods" radius I've set, and as hard as I've tried today, I haven't been able to dig up many positive articles about Jack Daniels' role as an environmental leader. Alas.The cab ride at night's end won't help my carbon calculations either, although it was split four ways-a small redemption.

  Still, for all the foibles, it was nice to get to better know so many folks in the GOOD extended family: from the ground troops of the LA office to my fellow Brooklyn-based blogger, Morgan, to the Publisher, Ben Goldhirsh (doing his best Jeff Sachs imitation perpetually sporting a backpack), to reps from various Choose GOOD charities like Lara Vu from UNICEF. Any missteps in TGM were well worth the time with all these fine folks.

  Fortunately, the GOOD party followed a couple of important days at the Earth Fair at Grand Central, further spreading the gospel of green through NYC. (The Earth Fair, and some other pertinent events of last week will be soon reported.) Perhaps this extra effort will spare me another karmic retribution-I really can't afford to lose another bike.

  Previously: The Bicycle Thief

  Next: Green Central Station

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 24, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Magazine

  The Bicycle Thief

  I've been robbed. Some sucker gone and made off with my wheels. I've learned in this town, though, that you can never get attached emotionally to a bicycle. So I'm taking it all rather well. I've also got a backup-a touring road bike that was once good enough for a cross-country trek. We'll see how she handles the perilous commute.

  On an entirely unrelated note, last week I was fortunate enough to see Gore's new global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. I actually gave a pithy pocket review of the flick for my good friend and neighbor Mark Caserta's 3R Blogging site. Check it out here.

  Previously: An Inconvenient Feast

  Next: Let The GOOD Times Roll

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

  Comments (0)

  Posted on April 21, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Magazine

  An Inconvenient Feast

  I flubbed up on Easter. Big time. But what's a half-Italian boy to do when confronted with plates of pizzagaina, antipasto, braciole, and homemade meatballs rolled by an authentic Italian Gramma? Said Gramma would be exceedingly upset if her most displaced grandchild passed on even one course. Call it my big sacrifice on her holiest of days. (Tough sacrifice, I know.)Back at the familial homestead for a few days. The house is big, old, and drafty-fortunately (for this cause) my father still refuses to turn the heat above 58, so I don't feel like there's too much wasted oil. My folks do a damn good job, actually, for a couple of folks on the outer fringes of Boston's 'burbs. (Wasn't always this way-our town used to feel a lot further in character than the hour's drive to Beantown. Tractors on Main Street, apple farms, couple thousand residents, neglected on most maps.) My old man drives a Prius, composts religiously, is like a dictator w/r/t the thermostat. And my Mom puts up with it-even has a taste for Fair Trade organic coffee and whole grains. Plus, they're moving to a smaller home, downtown in Newburyport, where they'll be able to (and are fired up to) walk and bike for most of their errands, and where the home itself will certainly demand considerably less energy.

  Part of this visit home is to figure out what to do with a bunch of old possessions-stuff that just won't make it to the next dojo. 23 years in that house and all of them piled up in my room. In true TGM fashion, I'm struggling to find logical ways of giving most of this stuff further life. Clothing donated, furniture freecycled, old posters (terrible stuff–Ren & Stimpie, Andre Rison, Three Stooges Golfing) might turn into decent wrapping paper, various sundries reassigned new duties. The baseball cards, however, are going straight under the bed in the new place. Some "stuff," some "clutter," is just too important to get too creative with.

  Previously: Getting Used To It

  Next: The Bicycle Thief

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 18, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Getting Used To It

  In order to catch up to the present and offer some more real-time accounts of what's going on, I'll go ahead and breeze through Week Two. Here's the dime store version--particularly interesting episodes may well be given their own post sometime soon. Expect them fast and furious from here on out.

  Week Two, in a (tiny) nutshell:
  I rode my bicycle incredible distances. I'm very familiar with the vendors at the Union Square Greenmarket. The compost bin in my kitchen remains unnoticed by my roommates. I met Al Gore at a screening of his global warming documentary–An Inconvenient Truth. I got caught in a very brief blizzard on my bike in Manhattan. On particularly sticky days, I change my shirt at work. I had lunch with Christy Harrison, an editor at the fantastic magazine Plenty. I tabled at the Earth Fair at Grand Central, where I was somewhat handcuffed by the illogical lack of recycling facilities for the glass bottles of organic yerba mate that were being pawned off for promotion. (Guilty: this stuff definitely wasn't produced anywhere near NYC, but how can one realistically say no to such tasty free beverages, particularly ones being hocked at an Earth Fair?) I took the subway four times, actually more than I typically average, and each time only for necessity. (Not that riding the subway is breaking any of these vague rules.) I drove an ancient, bucket-of-bolts, filthy Jeep Cherokee. That's right. It was required of me by my (paying) job at Solar One, and it certainly also helped in carting three 35 pound boxes of books to the aforementioned Earth Fair. I'm anticipating that the six-mile trip in this filth-spewing Jeep will go down as the "brownest" moment of my "greenest month."

  Realization: perfection in this experiment isn't possible.

  Previously: Wasting Away

  Next: An Inconvenient Feast

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 17, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Wasting Away

  While the most substantial changes to my lifestyle, I'm quickly realizing, involve food, there's certainly some other behavioral modification that takes a little getting used to. Take waste, for instance–never an obvious thing to consider too deeply, as our cities have done a pretty good job of removing it all from our consciousness by carting it out of town. Still, waste comes with a number of costs--economic, as NYC pays premium rates to other states like Pennsylvania and Ohio to take our trash; environmental, as lots of waste is burned, a terribly inefficient and highly polluting process; and even social, as eco-justice issues arise as waste transfer and processing plants, as well as actual landfills end up in only the economically challenged areas. On April 4th I was fortunate to see Tim Logan of the Zero Waste NYC campaign talk about all of these issues, and also offer suggestions on how to make your own a zero-waste life.I can't cut waste out entirely--that's already clear. But I have decided to save all the true waste that I generate (that which isn't recyclable, reusable, or compostable), and see what it totals (weight, volume, composition) at the end of the month. This idea was partially inspired by Katherine Hubbard, a Brooklyn artist that I recently caught word of (and who's name I'll try to track down and update herein), who is taking a picture of all the waste she generates every week for a year. This array will actually be featured in GOOD's premier issue. Yet another reason to PICK YOUR CAUSE and SUBSCRIBE NOW! (And, earnestly, they don't pay me to say things like that--in fact they probably cringe at reading it. But come on, donate to a great cause AND get a year of mags? No brainer.)

  So every day I'm carting around any waste I generate. And it's pretty remarkable how you'll learn to reuse some things if you've already got them in your possession. An obvious example: napkins. Even the devoutly green new East Village bakery, currently being called the Birdbath hands out a couple of napkins with every whole grain, organic, unprocessed and locally sourced muffin or scone. And this pales in comparison to the thick stacks given out with every coffee or bagel in less environmentally-sensitive outlets. I honestly don't think I'll ever buy napkins again for my NYC apartment. They're everywhere, begging for reuse.

  Less obvious inspirations for reuse: paper bags. Smaller, sandwich-sized paper bags--like those given out in any cafe or corner deli--make great envelopes. And recipients of such old-school correspondences think you're super creative.

  Soon, when I finally figure out this whole digital camera thing, I'll throw some pics on here that'll showcase these ideas some. Soon.

  Previously: And We're Off

  Next: Getting Used To It

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 12, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  And We're Off: April 1-April 3

  So this isn't quite as easy as I thought it might be. Then again, in certain ways it's not quite as hard. So despite the slight lag between the experience and the reporting, I'll break down my first "greenest week" and with it offer the first glance of this month-long exercise in extreme urban environmentalism.

  It's worth first mentioning, though, that I have struggled a bit in trying to figure out exactly what to report in this here space. Thinking that it'd be a terrible bore to give too lucid an account of all the daily activities (much of this project isn't so riviting), I'm going to try to project the general trends and hit some high- and lowlights. If folks seem keen on a more detailed disclosure, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Feedback encouraged through comments.As I'd been up in Massachusetts visiting my folks, on the initiation day of this greenest month I actually had to make my way back down to NYC. I expect that my travel this one day will be the largest source of carbon emissions throughout the whole process. Fortunately, last year my parents made the wise and conscientious investment in a Prius, which delivered me to Boston's South Station after a 40 mile drive or so. A drive, worth noting, that my mom was going to have to make anyways for some mom-type of weekend happening (a baby shower, perhaps?). From there, the perilious Fung Wah Bus carted me back to this Utopia of energy efficiency that is New York City.
  I refuse to feel guilty about the Flaming Lips concert I saw that Saturday night, despite their excessive use of balloons, confetti, and spotlights. Such communal gatherings are, in my book, essential to the urban allure, and realistically when dividing out the energy spent and waste generated by all the audience members, the impact is nearly negligible. That said, I'll be sure to account for it all, in my best estimation, when calculating the full impact of my month upon its conclusion.

  Everyone seems to wonder what I'm doing about food. Fortunately, NYC is blessed with a tremendous Greenmarket system and Union Square hosts a remarkably thorough one every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Sure it took a couple of slightly malnourished days to get into the habit of shopping for more than one meal, but I'm getting into the swing. The diet staples: fresh breads from locally-grown organic grains, New York State heirloom apples, select veggies, some quesadillas made with the locally grown beans, locally curdled cheese, and more whole grains.

  Caveat: I returned to some leftovers in the fridge--some Annie's mac & cheese and some less-than-ideal brownies. Surely it's better to rescue this stuff from the waste stream and turn the calories into fuel, isn't it?

  Rather than push this entry beyond the limits of reasonable blog word counts, I'll save the rest of the week for later.

  Previously: Ground Rules And Guidelines

  Next: Wasting Away

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 11, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Ground Rules And Guidelines

  So the pragmatists on the GOOD editorial board insisted on some ground rules to corral my otherwise sprawling ambitions. I can hardly fault them.

  So here's what I've come up with. Certainly there's some wiggle room built in, and I'm sure I'm neglecting something or other, but ideally I'll be holding to these rather strict statutes. (Feedback is encouraged and suggestions will, truthfully, be taken very seriously. So lay it on me.)

  Ultimate Goals of The Greenest Month: carbon neutrality, chemical-free, zero-waste.Rules to abide by:
  • Reduce electricity consumption to minimum feasible.
  • Use only electricity generated from renewable resources (when within my control).
  • Consume only organic food and beverages produced within 150 miles of NYC.
  • Use only chemical-free products for cleaning and personal care.
  • Eliminate automobile use.
  • Reduce water consumption through strict conservation measures.
  • Eliminate entirely landfill or incinerator-bound waste.
  • Calculate estimated carbon-emission and offset at experiment's summation with carbon offset purchase.

  And the methods to achieve these goals:
  • Utilize electricity conservation measures such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, switching off electronic power strips when not in use, etc.
  • Purchase renewable energy for apartment through the Con Ed grid.
  • Patronize local farmers markets, and support urban agriculture projects, or dine at restaurants that source organic ingredients locally.
  • "Brew" all-natural, eco-friendly household cleaning products.
  • Purchase only all-natural personal care products.
  • Transportation exclusively on bicycle or by foot (and, when conditions demand, mass transit.)
  • Progressive water conservation practices- i.e. reduced flow showerhead, faucet aerators, toilet flow reduction, water household plants with grey water, etc.
  • Compost, recycle, reuse, and reduce influx of true waste at the source.
  • Support local "eco-friendly" commercial businesses.
  • Purchase carbon-offset certificate after calculating total carbon emissions for month.

  The month will also feature a handful of special features, such as a wardrobe "greening" with eco-outfit extraordinaire Jill Danyelle of FiftyRx3, a freegan trash tour to salvage or reclaim good food that's been tossed by commercial businesses, a look into investment strategies for "greening" my (pithy) portfolio with Bruce Kahn of Smith Barney, and likely a few other odds and ends.

  Up Next: And We're Off
  Previously: A Head Start

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 6, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  A Head Start

  So I hinted at another twist in this Greenest Month endeavor. You see, for a couple of reasons, I've got a good head start on this thing. First: I live in New York City, and as David Owen's article Green Manhattan from the New Yorker last spring pointed out, NYC is one of the most energy efficient places in the world. Nowhere on earth are resources and energy so cozily shared. Thus New Yorkers, as a largely unconscious mass, are amongst the "greenest" beings in the country.

  Second: I work, at least part time, in a solar-powered building. So while most of these entries will first be handwritten on (scrap) paper under the soft glow of my compact fluorescent desk lamp (lit by wind farms in Fenner, New York, where I've purchased our apartment's electricity), they'll be dutifully punched into a computer that's being powered by nothing but the sun's rays. After punching out my timecard, of course. (Fear not, Solar One fulltime staff, I'm not taking you for a ride.)These two significant advantages do beg the question-would it then be possible for someone consciously attempting to live as low-impact a life as possible, and with such a formidable head start on the green masses, to be for one month the greenest person in New York City? In the country? In the world? Of course not (at least to the latter bit). Surely there are plenty of individuals, even communities, that have a totally negligible impact on the local and global environment. Many are of indigenous groups in various undeveloped lands with little or no electrical demands and a long-established practice for the production and collection of food that's executed on an ultra-local level, whose carbon footprints are smaller than Cinderella’s glass slipper. (Apologies for the stretched metaphor-I still have George Mason's tourney run on the brain.) So while there's no doubt that my impact will be larger than many out there, my unique circumstances of super-efficient urban setting and fortuitous place of employment do get you thinking. Where can my "greenest" month rank amongst the "greenest" lives lived around the world. Will probably be tough to accurately appraise, but an interesting query nonetheless.

  Up Next: Ground Rules And Guidelines
  Previously: Welcome To The Greenest Month

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

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  Posted on April 4, 2006 by - Ben Jervey

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  Welcome To The Greenest Month

  What exactly, you might be asking, is this so-called "Greenest Month"? And with good reason. For as this project--or, perhaps more accurately, this "experiment"--has developed, I've been asking myself the same thing. So have my editors at GOOD. And the art director. And my roommates. And my conservative uncle who's fast accusing me of being a communist.

  So I'll do my best in this introductory post (welcome, by the way, and thanks for coming) to sketch a rough picture of what this Greenest Month is, why I'm doing it, and how it might shape up. Here goes.Basically, I'm attempting to live the "greenest" month possible. What this means practically and logistically will be addressed in a post soon forthcoming-a sort of guidelines and ground rules. Essentially, for the month of April, I'll be sifting my urban lifestyle through a fine-grained ecological filter. Through this, I hope to create some commentary on a couple of different themes.

  First off, can an entirely "green" life be achieved here in New York City without severely compromising a normal lifestyle? Or is this severe compromise essential to living with as little environmental impact as is possible.

  Secondly, what can be learned through this process of "extreme" ecological living about the ultimate failings of the environmental movement historically? Now this is but to touch upon a much larger discussion, and I do hope (and expect) that it's one to be carried on throughout this thread.

  Finally, we'll hopefully have some revelations regarding the ultimate benefits and realities of doing all that is possible in aspiring to the Ultimate Greenest Life-as in, living to the eco-extreme-versus a more practical, replicable, and compromised approach toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

  This last bit is particularly important to me. You see, I have, quite literally, written the book on green living in New York City. (Apologies, any modesty had to be dropped for such an easy line.) But the approach invited in the book is one meant to resonate with any New Yorker who's at all interested in lowering their impact, without being preachy or didactic in tone. Sort of a utilitarian Everyman's take on green living. It interests me, then, to delve deeper into the differences between the extreme and the practical approaches to the greener life.

  There's another interesting twist too, regarding to what degree our superlative "greenest" can be stretched, but I'll hold for a subsequent post to weigh on that. (As will soon become obvious, the short submission isn't my long suit, and getting acclimated to this whole "blogging" atmosphere will take some restraint.)

  But before I go, I should offer for the record that my greenest month commenced on April 1st, and that there's already been plenty of mild inconvenience and moderate-to-heavy hunger. Details to follow.

  Up Next: A Head Start

  Ben Jervey is the author of The Big Green Apple

  Comments (0)

  Posted on April 4, 2006 by - Ben Jervey