Earth Cinema Circle is a new DVD club that sends out a bi-monthly green themed DVD. Each disc comes packed with some of the most compelling films selected from among hundreds originally screened at environmental film festivals around the world.
No Gloom and Doom Here
Each DVD includes four fun and inspiring films introduced by eco-star Ed Begley Jr. The March/April edition spanned over three hours and included the feature-length Garbage Warrior chronicling the quirky Micheal Reynolds who creates earthship homes out of garbage that are entirely self-sufficient. Also included on the disc were three shorter selections ranging in topic from flip flop recycling to the incredible ecology of an African fig tree.
Some environmental films can be too heavy-handed, pessimistic or worst of all, boring. I was happily surprised to be entertained from start to finish by this wonderful collection. I’m not even normally a huge nature film buff but I can honestly say the incredibly complex and interconnected life of the fig tree had me riveted from start to finish.
Reel Green
In order to live up to the high environmental standards set by these excellent films, ECC has taken steps to ensure their packaging and carbon footprint are as green as possible. The liner notes, envelope and DVD case are all made from 100% recycled fiber, contain no plastic and are printed with soy-based inks. Additionally, Earth Cinema Circle puts a percentage of membership fees toward Conservation Fund’s Go Zero tree planting carbon offset program.
A Great Green DVD Deal
Joining the Earth Cinema Circle will set you back about $23 including shipping per DVD. When you sign up you’ll begin receiving, and being charged for, one disc every two months. Best of all, there’s no commitment and you can cancel at any time.
With Earth Day coming up, a membership to Earth Cinema Circle would make a great gift for someone you’re trying to nudge toward sustainability - or even a nice treat for yourself. I enjoyed my review copy of this month’s disc so much that I think I’ll go ahead and sign myself up for a paid membership. Here’s how I rated them:
I’m finally doing this review in part to assuage my guilt. GT’s was one of the first companies kind enough to send me product for review and in return for their kindness I mistakenly left an entire case of their Kombucha out for several months to spoil. I felt doubly guilty when I went to Whole Foods to pick up a bottle of their Gingerberry flavor to review and saw how expensive it is, $4 a bottle! Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that claims to detoxify the liver, increase blood flow to the brain, stimulate the immune system and even cause mild euphoria. This may be explained in part thanks to the trace amounts of alcohol and caffeine in the brew.
After spending more than I really think any (mostly) non-alcoholic beverage should cost, my wife and I cracked the bottle. Now I know this stuff has health properties verging on the mystical, and I know a legion of kombucha devotees will come down hard on me in the comments but this stuff tastes pretty darned bad. That said, I’ll admit that while there’s nothing appetizing sounding about a fizzy drink with an odor reminiscent of feet and a flavor approaching salad dressing, I can see how it could be an oddly addictive acquired taste for some. Tina Fey provides a great description here about four minutes in:
GT’s Kombucha is organic, which scores it some green points, and it may be worth a try for those brave souls who just aren’t satisfied with mainstream beverage choices. Those with a thirst for adventure and a reduced carbon footprint can even make kombucha at home - but I’ll be sticking with my un-fermented iced tea for the time being. Here’s how I rated the funky elixir:
It’s hard to believe they’re even allowed to make paper towels from virgin wood but some companies do. Seventh Generation’s unbleached hypo-allergenic towels are free of dyes, inks and fragrances but best of all they’re 100% recycled. Better yet, they’ve made from 90% post-consumer fiber. Sure they’re brown, but who really cares when their entire life cycle consists of going from the roll to some spaghetti sauce to the garbage.
We’ve done without paper towels for years in our household and these sponges we reviewed last week could help you go paper-free in the kitchen too. If you’ve just gotta have your paper towels though (like if you have kids for example) these are an excellent green option. Here’s how I rated them:
Cartier, the renowned French jeweller, is now outfitting their display cabinets with Lamina’s SoL MR16 LEDs which use just 8 Watts of power to produce the same light as a 20W halogen. See if these eco-friendly bulbs are right for you in our video review:
As you can see Lamina’s bulbs improve on some of the issues we had with previous LEDs reviewedhere but still come with a high initial cost. They will pay for themselves over time, but many will want to wait for the price to come down in coming years. Here’s how I rated them:
Newman’s Own Organics Royal Tea, available in green or black, is value-priced and pesticide-free, I only wish it were fair trade too. Sure you save a few cents but fair trade products really aren’t much more expensive than their commodity cousins. Take the plunge and go fair trade Mr Newman!
That said, Royal Tea is a soothing and flavorful tea experience. It may not trump looseleaf teas but it certainly stands up to other bagged products. The bags are individually wrapped for freshness, but this ads to the waste factor. My suggestion is to buy smaller quantities of bulk tea so that you never have it long enough for it to go stale.
This organic tea tastes great but it isn’t as green as I would have hoped. Priced at $3.99 for 100 bags at least it’s inexpensive. Here’s how I rated it:
Nutritious, delicious organic Clif Bars have been around since long before it was trendy to be green. They’ve even been around since before we started watching our trans-fat intake, but thankfully contain none.
Made from all natural ingredients, I was a little surprised a certified organic product only contains 70% organic ingredients. There isn’t anything artificial or unhealthy about the other 30% but it would be nice to go 100% green.
That said Clif Bars are hearty, filling and great tasting for the most part - my favorite is the Blueberry Crisp. Available for about a buck each, they’re not a bad deal either. Here’s how I rated them:
Those ubiquitous little yellow and green Polyurethane sponges will be around long after you return to the earth from whence you came. Twist is trying to change all that with their sponges made from natural ingredients that biodegrade in just 7 weeks!
Made from cellulose and cotton, Twist sponges are a great alternative to oil-derived products. All are 100% biodegradable and packaged in minimal non-platic packaging that have fun cutouts printed on the back. The company says 99.97% of it’s waste is reused in production and they even provide educational support to the community in Mexico where the sponges are produced.
I tried the scrubby Loofah Sponge #50 ($4.99 for two), the Euro Sponge #10 ($1.99) and the Euro Sponge Cloth #20 ($3.99 for three). All performed well and the Euro sponges are even dishwasher safe and boil-able for disinfection. While these prices may seem high, it’s not so bad when you consider the company’s claim that the pack of Euro Sponge Cloths will outlast 17 rolls of paper towel.
These sponges seem like a great step toward reducing paper consumption in the kitchen but I do have a few misgivings about how eco-conscious the company is. Their cellulose is tree-based and while it comes from sustainably managed tree farms in Norway, I feel there must be faster growing domestic crops that could be used instead. I also didn’t notice any indication that the packaging contained any post-consumer recycled materials - and why couldn’t the sponges themselves be made from recycled fiber?
Despite not trying quite hard enough in the green department, Twist sponges are a move in the right direction. Here’s how I rated them:
Like One Laptop per Child, the BOGO solar powered flashlight lets you score yourself a neat green gadget while providing a second one for free distribution by non-profits in the developing world. Find out how it works and what it costs in our video review:
I love my BOGO solar flashlight and the donation angle just sweetens the deal. Here’s how I rated it:
Soap nuts, a natural source of the detergent saponin, are the basis for this innovative eco-friendly laundry cleanser. Cleanut, from German company AlmaWin, is the first laundry detergent to use soap nut extract along with a number of other natural ingredients listed right on the package.
The dermatologist approved formula (ideal for sensitive skin) is also certified green by Eco Garantie. The liquid is ultra-concentrated to cut down on shipping and packaging t0o, a single ounce of the powerful natural soap is all it takes.
I thought Cleanut worked just as well as chemical detergents and the light soapy scent was easy on the nostrils. It cleaned well in cold water (which we use for everything) and it’s also approved for use in high-efficiency (HE) machines. As for the price, it costs $0.38 / load on Amazon, which is about 10 cents more per load than Tide. Despite costing a few cents more, I think a gentle, natural detergent is worth it - I just wish it weren’t shipped all the way from Germany. Here’s how I rated AlmaWin Cleanut:
The Pharox LED bulb from Lemnis Lighting represents yet another small step toward providing a mercury-free, fully recyclable alternative to current CFLs while further improving energy efficiency. So, what’s the downside?
The Pharox is the best LED bulb I’ve seen, and while it addresses some of the issues we’ve had with other bulbs reviewed here, it still has a couple of hurdles to overcome before being ready for prime-time: power and price. Like other LEDs the Pharox contains no mercury and lasts up to 50,000 hours or 35 years of regular use. Many LEDs today provide highly directed light (almost like a flashlight). The Pharox distinguishes itself with the beautiful soft white light it shines in all directions. The quality of light, omni-directionality and incandescent-style form-factor would make it an ideal replacement for most household applications if only it were brighter and didn’t cost so much.
The Pharox is a 40 watt incandescent replacement bulb (230 lumens) that uses a meager 4 watts of power. That’s about 1/3 the energy required for a 40w equivalent CFL but at about $60 per bulb at retail, you pay a lot for that increase in efficiency (although calculations we did for our last LED review showed even expensive bulbs pay for themselves over time). Then there’s the issue of power, most people use 60-100w equivalent bulbs throughout their homes, and you’ll have to decide for yourself if a low-output bulb like this works for you, but for me 40w equivalent just isn’t enough light for most applications.
Overall, I really liked the quality of light output by the Pharox as well as its convenient shape, but the high initial cost and low light output will keep me from swapping out my CFLs just yet. Here’s how I rated these LEDs:
