Don’t be thrown off by the title - this is an actual idea presented at the recent U.N. conference on climate change in Nairobi, by a Nobel Prize winner nonetheless! Paul J. Crutzen and senior U.S. government climatologist Tom Wigley introduced the idea as a sort-of joke, hoping to startle policymakers, showing that this could be our fate. Of course, their good intentions were twisted, and a closed-door high-level workshop at NASA’s Ames Research Center took place not long after the conference, delving into the possibility of a pollution-based “shade.”

Crutzen and Wigley’s idea in particular calls for a cloud made of sulfur.

However, a sulfur cloud could also cause unforeseen health problems. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution such as sulfur kills about 2 million people each year. Furthermore, some people have severe allergies to sulfur-containing compounds such as sulfur dioxide. Wigley agrees with Crutzen’s idea. He used a computer-generated model to determine that an estimated five million tons of sulfur injected into the atmosphere yearly would lower the temperature by 0.9 degrees. Wigley believes after further testing for safety and efficacy, this method could be used until carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are reduced. Sulfur dioxide would be used because it reflects solar radiation from entering the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, keeps heat from escaping. (Clip courtesy of DailyTech)

On a very elementary level, there is something drastically wrong with this idea. Though the concept of curing like with like is effective in other areas, such as homeopathy, using it to try to fix the complex and extensively ruined environment on our planet is out of line. The idea of using a pollution cloud to cool the planet is an unhealthy, short-term solution that would please the big corporations, but come to harm everyone and everything else on our Earth. The down and dirty fact is that humans have a hard time adjusting to change, and the idea of reducing pollution to save the planet is “too extreme” for many. Instead, they want to just keep things going the way they are, or even increase our destructive ways to solve the problem … um, is it just me, or is there no logic in that idea at all?

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is the last time we hear of this horrible idea. Just because burning oil to heat our homes and drive our inefficient cars is what we have been doing for years doesn’t mean it is the “right” or “safe” way to function as human beings.

(Photo courtesy of charlietyack)

Next time: Green-colored magazine covers are “death on the newsstand”

You can stop laughing anytime - I’m serious. Thanks to a recent installment of EcoTalk radio, I’ve learned some new things about this big box store. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to rush out and start shopping at Home Depot, but they do deserve some credit for the efforts that they are putting forth to bring planet-friendly products to the average consumer, eco-concerned or not (though everyone should be). Most impressive for me was the fact that when any activist group or eco-organization mounted an attack on their company, HD would simply call and invite them to come and talk about their concerns. Wow, duh; what a concept! From that part of the interview alone, other businesses could learn a lot. I’d love to hear about KFC and PETA having a chat, or Greenpeace and Exxon. What are these major eco-evils worried about? That the green activists are going to throw hemp and granola at them? Come on - grow some balls and sit down with your “enemies”; they are intelligent and all they really want to do is help facilitate change. Don’t hide from you problems, pretending they aren’t there; that only makes your company look even worse to investors and consumers.

The upcoming Duke University/Home Deport project called Smart Home is a pretty nifty concept, though I can’t help but be reminded of the movie Bio-Dome (am I the only person that saw that?). Thankfully, there will be no TV cameras (a la reality TV), but the students that will be living in the building will have their energy uses monitored to test new technology and find new ways to make our energy output more efficient. Yeah, this is a big promo opportunity, but live testing is also one of the most dependable when it comes to new eco-technologies; if HD can bring big attention to more capable and conscious energy usage, I’m all for it.

Selling solar panels is another big step in the right direction for Home Depot. Though their customers  had expressed curiosity about them, the sales demand wasn’t very high. Despite this, HP (partnering with BP) now sells home solar panels in CA, NY and NJ. “We looked at this and said, ‘no one is in a better position than Home Depot, with 2,000 plus stores, to bring this type of product to the consumer’,” said Ron Jarvis, Home Depot’s Vice President of Environmental Innovation (a position created just one month ago). Two weeks from now, there will be an internal meeting to help determine which of their stores would benefit most from having solar panels installed on the roofs; now that is being pro-active, or as Betsy Rosenberg said, “nothing like walking the talk.”

Rosenberg also brings up the fact that some of the most basic eco-home products, such as low-VOC paint, are still not available in most stores. From the sound of it, Home Depot is on top of that issue as well, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast yourself.

Next time, I’ll be talking about how to save the world with pollution (again, not joking).

The San Francisco Craft Mafia that I founded is having their first trunk show this weekend in downtown SF. If you live in the Bay Area, then you better be there; otherwise, consider yourself a “marked” (wo)man!

As founder, I have little to do with the day-to-day functions of the group (due to my schedule), so all the credit must go to the great members of the SFCM; rock on folks!

If you are in the market for a new high-energy protein drink, makes sure to avoid Fuelosophy. Being sold on the shelves of select Whole Foods markets this month, this line is introduced by a small company we all just happen to know about already: PepsiCo. Most big business, trying to break into the “natural foods” market full of skeptical buyers, simply buy up smaller brands that have already grained a substantial following. In this case, Pepsi is taking the opposite approach and has created a completely separate brand, with no noticeable ties to its parent company and little to no marketing.

Two weeks ago, Whole Foods stock had its biggest drop ever, thanks to stores like Wal-Mart beginning to sell more organic and “natural” foods and products. Most of the brands that WF carried when it first began were small, family-owned ones. These folks didn’t have the money for advertising, but by being sold at Whole Foods, it said the company could be trusted and was worth paying a bit more for. Big conglomerates like Pepsi are just looking to “cash in” on this market and care very little about the actual health of their “target audience”, let alone that of the people who grow and process their items in foreign countries. By selling at “natural” grocery stores, they know they can charge more for their items, getting more folks addicted to their sugar-infused and overtly-processed goods, along with increasing their profits for their money-hungry shareholders.

Has Pepsi had a change of heart? Is Whole Foods just looking to expand its profits in any way possible? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: do your research before you spend your hard-earned money on, well, anything!

Photographer :: Duane Lucas-Harper
Models (left to right) :: Myself, Kenneth, and Marina
MUA :: Monique Ford
Hair :: Andrew aka Duke
Wardrobe Styling :: Hellyn Mersereau

Shot for SOMA magazine, though they decided not to use these