Comments for The Footprint

Comment on What’s Fresh Now? ~ January 2008 by Miranda

Miranda — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:38:04 +0000

This is exactly how I make my bread. It is wonderful - perfect every time. I highly recommend it!

Comment on What’s Fresh Now? ~ November/December 2007 by Ray Schmitz

Ray Schmitz — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:44:43 +0000

The organic vegies from Caledonia are in a new package, but still the best bargain and taste I have found. Get them in the freezer at the good food store, they also have Alaskan Halibut, I don’t trust Chinese etc. fish.

Comment on November/December 2007 by Ray Schmitz

Ray Schmitz — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:24:26 +0000

I suspect all of us are familiar with the “sold his soul” music, the mysterious stranger who offers to make you the best banjo/violin player in return for guess what. Well listening to an interview with the CEO of Walmart this week on NPR I was left with the impression that this could be happening.
The company that we all love to hate for its social and business practices is going green in a big way. Their sales of over a million compact florescent lights, updated energy plans for stores, energy efficient trucks and other steps may be just the surface. His discussion of greening a major paper manufacturer, something that an advocate was quoted as saying was impossible, by simply refusing to stock their products is a good example.
As he said, when you are the worlds largest retailer doors are open that are normally closed. He did decline a couple tough questions, for example how many of their new stores or remodels with actually be carbon neutral, his response was that the market will determine how quickly that happens.
A recent visit to the local store did not give me any great confidence in what was happening, but then I could not see the packaging steps that he says suppliers were making to reduce waste.
I suspect that time will tell how serious this is, but I still have this overtone of sulfur that lingers around the radio.

Comment on The Life of Jeans by Patricia A.

Patricia A. — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 14:03:15 +0000

Dear Madison,

Interesting information,and very impressive research.I was thinking that one thing we could do is to share some of the clothes that we really don’t use and just sits in our closets, with more unfortunate folks. Every six months or so we could go through our closets and give away what we haven’t been using, to places like the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, or someone we personally know that is in need. This would help conserve some energy,save water, keep pesticides off the land and help some people out.

Keep up the god work

Patricia

Comment on Walking School Buses by MEA

MEA — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:35:52 +0000

Hi, Emmy.

We are close enough to be walkers for the elementry school, but becuase we have no sidewalks, we have what we call the “school walk”. Three families, and the grown up take turns. In our case it works out well because of adult work schedules, having to get younger or old children to other places on certain days, etc.

Comment on Rethink Shopping by Brian Hokanson

Brian Hokanson — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:22:12 +0000

I think the biggest question really is this one:

2) Do I need or want the item?

Most of the time our use of the word “need” really equals “want.” It’s important that after asking, “Do I really need it?” to again ask “Do I REALLY need it?” over and over. Often times on the sixth or seventh or twentieth repetition, the answer becomes No, I don’t.

It’s also a whole lot easier to not spend the time trying to discern which products/brands/designs are a little more green (read: a smidgen less destructive), and instead simply stop buying crap.

Comment on What’s For Lunch? by suzanne greenleaf

suzanne greenleaf — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:00:00 +0000

How interesting! Suzanne

Comment on Rethink Shopping by suzanne greenleaf

suzanne greenleaf — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:55:58 +0000

This article provides good food for thought. I have one thing to add. Buy used when you can. Since I have adopted the attitude of buying good used items, I have been amazed at what I can save. The items I buy stay out of a land fill and because I am buying items that already exist precious resouces are not used in producing another new item. Many excellent resources for buying previously used goods exist in Rochester and more are surfacing all the time. Simply consult the yellow pages.

Comment on Rethink Shopping by Ray Schmitz

Ray Schmitz — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:29:25 +0000

Good article, oiur trash consists almost exclusively of packing, the only problem is that the recent articles are featuring Target and Walmart as green buyers, including demanding cardboard rather than PVC packaging. Life is complicated.

Comment on Water War? by Ray Schmitz

Ray Schmitz — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:23:38 +0000

Thank you to the Franciscans for sponsoring the seminar on bottled water and corporate abuse of water, thanks to the the Post Bulletin for excellent coverage of the program, thank you to the Olmsted Medical Group for not using bottled water, and thank you to the Mayo Clinic for rethinking their usage of 737,737 bottles. Remember that each bottle uses natural resources, in 2004 some 1.5 million barrels of oil which could have fueled 100,000 cars for a year or 190,000 homes. The actual water used to produce that 20oz bottle is variously estimated to be as high as 110 ounces depending on the distance transported, Fiji water seems to be the worst for logical reasons. The North Pacific Gyre, an area of water in the ocean caused by the rotation of ocean currents is estimated to contain 3 million tons of plastic waste, posing risks to birds, fish and other creatures.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, at it’s recently concluded meeting, voted to study the impact of bottled water on municipal waste and municipal water utilities. Thank you Mayor Brede, and why not follow Salt Lake City and San Francisco by banning the use in city facilities, Commissioner Biers, don’t be a late arrival on this.

By the way, remember when the stories on the meetings of world leaders in business or government featured a photo of them at the big conference table with crystal pitchers and glasses of water, now they all have those cheesy plastic bottles with paper covering the labels. How the mighty have fallen.

Ray Schmitz
1508 28th St SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507 288 3948