Simplifying Recycling: The Missing Piece?Editor's note: Welcome to the first edition of Q&A, where Green Options writers answer your questions about greening the good life.

Got a question for our writers? Submit them here.

Question: One of the most disturbing realities of recycling is how hard it is to bring schools and commercial enterprises on board. When our daughters were in school they tried to get their middle school to recycle with very limited results and I know that they were not alone. As I proceed through everyday life I like you, see the lack of recycling opportunities all around–city parks, airports, schools, restaurants, shopping centers, and hospitals, to name just a few. At the small business where I work, I was excited to see in the shopping center we have a dumpster for "cardboard only" but in the daily trash all the bottles, paper, and styrofoam (remember, this is Tucson, where Rathje did his study) must make up for that effort. How can we ask people to recycle when it is made so difficult–people are just not likely to take their trash home to recycle from the outside… I know this is a problem everywhere. Is someone working on this very public aspect of recycling on a national level? So much has changed since the early seventies and recycling has moved from being a "counter culture" thing to being taught in schools to becoming economical so I know progress is being made. After reading your article yesterday in a daily report from www.schwartzreport.net, I was moved to go to your site and pose the question to you guys who are more in the know than the average person. Thanks for all you do. — Katya Peterson, Tuscon, AZ

Answer: For those of us who have made recycling part of our daily lives, we often forget that recycling beyond the home (or even at home) is difficult for the general population. As you mentioned, not everyone will haul his or her recyclables home from work everyday. Reverse vending machines in offices offer one incentive based solution, but the problem of simplifying recycling goes beyond office machinery. We do need to make recycling easier for people who are not moved by "green guilt" to make it a priority in their lives.

In my opinion, solutions have to occur locally, as the options vary greatly from community to community. For example, my mother does not recycle (except at my house), because she has not had "time" to go get the bins used by her curbside company. The truth is, it is not a priority for her, so she has not found the time. Solution: bring the bins to the people! The recycling truck that visits her neighborhood should deliver bins on their weekly trips. In addition, recycling pick up should be extended to offices, schools, gas stations, etc. to simplify the process. Many residents and businesses pay to have their trash picked up and hauled away. Recycling should go hand in hand with this process. Wouldn't it be great if every community had an ecobusiness running biodiesel trucks that picked up recycling?

Each community needs to come up with their own solutions for simplifying recycling, as the opportunities and infrastructure in place differ; however, communities can learn from one another. For example, RecycleBank of Philadelphia has developed a simple model in which consumers are rewarded for their recycling. It works like this: "Just place all recyclables in your RecycleBank container. Your RecycleBank recycling container has a barcode that is recorded by the recycling truck. The amount your home recycles is translated into RecycleBank Dollars that you can spend at participating stores." Some communites, such as Seattle, have enacted mandatory recycling ordinances, in which violaters can be fined or their trash may not be picked up if residents do not recycle.

Another simple model, suggested on sustainablog, is to charge people per pound of garbage they create while giving credit for recycling. This is essentially what occurs in the rural portions of Lane County, Oregon. Disposal charges are based on volume ($7 for three trash cans), with discounts given for recycling and covering your load with a tarp (to prevent roadside litter). The recyling discount is only $1, but the message is clear. You will pay for waste disposal based on the amount of garbage you create; recycling reduceNo Trash Cans Heres this amount. In fact, as Kelli wrote about in Green Myth Busting: Recycling, "we should be able to recycle as much as 80% of our what currently goes into our landfills. Half of landfill contents is good old paper–easily recyclable."

Furthermore, recyclable items are not trash, and we must change the mindset of those who think of it as such. It is hard to throw something into the garbage that you do not view as trash (imagine throwing a diamond ring away!). In fact, if the situation was reversed and waste disposal was more difficult than recycling, we would be discussing how to make waste disposal simpler. What if communities only offered curbside recycling, yet people had to haul their trash to the dump? I realize this is not a practical idea, but it demonstrates the point. For recycling to become fully mainstreamed into our culture, it must be as simple as throwing something into the millions of trash receptacles that surround us.

Recycling is the third and final step in reduce, reuse, recycle. To fully address the problem, we need to consider the overconsumerism of American culture. Americans like convenience, and disposable, cheap items offer such ease. By utilizing services such as Free Cycle, we can share the items we no longer need. If we can do a better job reducing and reusing, there will be less need for recycling and waste disposal.

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc.

You know about the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles right? I am sure that you have heard of them, if not seen them before in movies. Basically, what they are is a big much of petroleum and asphalt mixed with dirt and the like. Here is the wiki explanation: “The La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits) are a famous cluster of tar pits located in Hancock Park in the urban heart of Los Angeles, California, USA. Asphalt (colloquially termed tar) has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years, forming hundreds of sticky pools that trapped animals and plants which happened to enter. Over time, the asphalt fossilized the remains. The result is an incredibly rich collection of fossils dating from the last ice age.”

Alrighty then, why do we care? Easy: Scientists at UC Riverside have found living bacteria there which is capable of breaking down the petroleum deposits. Even in that harsh environment, live organisms have been found… which is pretty amazing by itself. Here is a quote from Jong-Shik Kim (on the left), a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Environmental Sciences, “We were surprised to find these bacteria because asphalt is an extreme and hostile environment for life to survive. It’s clear, however, that these living organisms can survive in heavy oil mixtures containing many highly toxic chemicals. Moreover, these bacteria survive with no water and little or no oxygen.”

According to the source article, “The bacteria and their enzymes have potential application for bioremediation (cleaning oil spills), medical treatments (new medicines), alternative energy (biofuels), enhanced oil recovery, and industrial applications (biochemicals and biotechnology).”

[Source: UC Riverside]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

I saw it for myself: President Bush directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the departments of energy, transportation, and agriculture to come up with a plan to cut global warming emissions by the year 2008. As for the details…well, they get pretty vague.

Bush spoke a lot about fuel consumption, again alluding to our nation’s addiction to oil, but never called for a specific increase in vehicle efficiency standards. He repeated his State of the Union proposal to replace 20 percent of the nation’s gasoline with alternative fuels in the next 10 years. He summed up his plan:

"When it comes to the environment and energy, the American people expect common sense, and they expect action.”

But apparently not too much action: The Washington Post reports that U.S. negotiators are attempting to weaken a climate change declaration set to be unveiled at next month’s G-8 summit of the world’s top industrial nations. Specifically, U.S. officials want to strike a sentence about energy efficiency,

“Therefore we will increase the energy efficiency of our economies so that energy consumption by 2020 will be at least 30 percent lower compared to a business-as-usual scenario”

and language to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Furthermore, the U.S. proposed striking an opening line that declares

“…tackling climate change is an imperative, not a choice. We firmly agree that resolute and concerted international action is urgently needed in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and sustain our common basis of living."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy are all pushing for a strong statement on global warming solutions.

The heads of the U.S. departments called on by President Bush to come up with a plan said a draft should be available by this fall. But will it be real action? While the President is calling for change, his representatives at the UN are doing everything they can to stall it. We know political rhetoric when we see it, Mr. Bush. Fool us once…

CNNMoney.com
Washington Post

Filed under: Etc., Hybrid

This morning in Times Square, Yahoo!, Matt Dillon and Global Green USA challenged American citizens to be green for their cities, with a prize of a fleet of hybrid taxis going to the “Greenest City In America.” The challenge takes place online, part of the new Yahoo! Green site and the “Be a Better Planet” program. New York City gets a bit of a bonus, maybe for hosting the kick-off: their own free hybrid taxi fleet from Yahoo! Pertinent details like how many vehicles and what types were not made clear, but from the photo I’d guess we’re talking about a couple of Ford Escape hybrids here.

In order to be a better planet, Yahoo! wants people across America to use various Yahoo! services (see the list after the jump) to talk up green living. This isn’t a long program; Yahoo! will declare a winner on June 8. Call it the Internet Age’s version of a long-term commitment. If the winning city doesn’t want the taxis, they can alternatively take an equivalent cash donation and dedicate it toward city greening projects.

[Source: Yahoo! Inc.]
(from the press release)

To participate in the “Be a Better Planet” promotion, users can do one or more of the following:

• Yahoo! Answers: Help save the planet by answering an environmental question and contributing to the growing body of knowledge and advice on Yahoo! Answers;
• Yahoo! oneSearch: Learn more about living a greener life by conducting a “green” mobile search on Yahoo! oneSearch, a new search service with results optimized for the mobile phone. Consumers can enter keywords such as “organic food,” “public transport,” “recycle center,” “bike,” and “ride share” to find relevant resources;
• Take the Green Pledge: Visit Yahoo! Green and commit to lowering their carbon diet by pledging such actions as changing light bulbs, taking public transportation, using reusable shopping bags, properly inflating tires, and recycling more.

Participants earn points with each green action, contributing to their hometown’s overall ranking, which will be visible nearly in real-time on an interactive national map. They will also receive a free energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), while supplies last.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Anna Hackman is the author and publisher of the blog Green Talk, which is based on her own experience of building and maintaining a house using many green materials, and wishing to connect with others to help turn the planet green, one conversation at a time. This post was originally published on May 9, 2007.

LightFair NYC this year was home to amazing light technology from energy efficiency featuring LED technology to the reduction of mercury content in the fluorescent bulbs. As an environmentalist, I was impressed by the advancement of technology in lighting energy efficiency but was scared at the same time that we as consumers may be short sighted in our quest for energy efficiency by ignoring the proper disposal of these bulbs.

The LED technology impressed me with its long life and lack of mercury content. In addition, Phillips and SLI lighting both featured low mercury content in their fluorescent bulbs. SLI lighting featured the most impressive environmental concern with all of their fluorescent bulbs containing low level of mercury and their bulb glass was free of lead.

During my discussion with Flemming Jensen, Vice President of Industrial/Commercial Sales at SLI Lighting about why the company was producing low mercury fluorescent bulbs and lead-free glass, he made me aware of our current disposal practices of fluorescent lighting. The world is pushing for more efficient lighting, but has not looked at the disposal of the compact fluorescent. Giants like Wal-Mart and Home Depot are offering lower-priced fluorescent bulbs to encourage consumers to save energy. It seems that no one has asked the question what about the disposal of these products after they no longer work.

In my area in New Jersey, I have to make an appointment and then drive about thirty minutes to dispose of my fluorescent bulbs at the County Municipal building, or wait twice a year to go to a designated location in my county to dispose of hazardous waste. Most consumers are not going to take the time to dispose of their bulbs correctly. It is too much of an inconvenience. They just throw them away. Fluorescent bulbs have mercury and lead in them, which is leaching into our soils and waterways from the landfills.

Although the world is taking notice that we need to stop global warming, there should be a simultaneous effort being made to require easily accessible places to dispose of the fluorescent lighting. The giants like Wal-Mart could easily exchange burnt-out fluorescent bulbs for new ones with a discount offered to encourage people to recycle.

Cities and counties could have more accessible place for people to drop off their bulbs like they drop off their newspapers and plastics. The only way for more easily accessible recycling to be achieved is for the consumers to demand it. In addition, we can demand that bulbs are made of low levels of mercury and lead free glass. We have the power in this world because we speak in the language of money. We have asked for more energy efficient technology; let’s now demand for our landfills to remain lead and mercury free.

Editor's note: In my own browsing this weekend, I came across LampRecycle.com, which publishes a list of companies that will take back CFLs and other "spent mercury containing lamps." LampRecycle.org is published by the National Electrical Manufacturer's Association.

Carnegie Mellon has some interesting research going on these days. Those who oppose hydrogen as a fuel source (electricity) have quite a few problems to hang their hats on. For one, where to get the hydrogen from? Yes, it is abundant, but it is tied up with other stuff… making things such as water. Much of the hydrogen currently in use is captured from natural gas, which is expensive and has dubious environmental benefits. Another problem is hydrogen storage. What do you do with the hydrogen once it has been captured? Lastly, fuel cells are very expensive and take a lot of research and development time. Carnegie Mellon is working on that last one right now. Check here for their press release

I know that I’ll take lots of flak for this, but at the risk of losing credibility with certain readers (you know who you are!), let me say I don’t mind this research into hydrogen. I still strongly believe that electric cars have the brightest future, and hydrogen fuel cells may work as a good range extender. Yes, I agree that plugging in your electric car is the best solution, and for most people, a range extender will almost never be necessary. But, when it is necessary, hydrogen fuel cells are a possible source for that extra electricity. How far will you need to travel? OK… put that much extra hydrogen in the tank. You’ll probably almost never need it!

What I am saying is this: Don’t be too quick to write off hydrogen. Remember, when batteries were in their infancy, they would never have worked for electric cars either. Imagine a car full of acid filled glass jars!

[Source: Carnegie Mellon]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

We're having great weather here in Maine today and it's a struggle to not pitch the laptop to the side and go play outside all day. An eco-entrepreneur's work is never done!

Here are a few of the great posts from last week on Green Options:

• First Ever Solar Crossing Of The Atlantic Ends In NYC
A catamaran equipped with solar panels has completed the first-ever solar transatlantic crossing. The Swiss team behind the feat, Transatlantic21, said the 14 meter boat produced 2,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy.

The boat traveled over 7,000 miles using the sun's energy to power an electric motor. Any surplus juice was stored in the on board batteries. The boat's skipper, Michael Thonney, declared that such an experiment proves alternatives exist and that nuclear power "is not the answer". From the article,

"This proves that in our modern society it is indeed possible to travel the world efficiently and still safeguard the environment,' said Michel Thonney. 'This has been a liberating journey and one which I believe will transform the way we approach travel on our oceans, seas and waterways."

• Lighter Footstep: A Giant List of Summer Cooling Tips
Editor's note: Summer's coming, and our friend Chris Baskind, editor at Lighter Footstep, has put together a monster list of tips for staying cool… the green way.

With summer officially around the corner and temperatures edging higher, the Lighter Footstep editors have put together a giant list of ways to keep your cool.

We'll start with a quick apology to our readers in the Southern Hemisphere: we know you're there. Bookmark this and read it again in six months — but you'll find some general energy tips here which work as well during the winter as they do all summer long.

• Tip o' the Day: Color Me Phthalate Free
Sandal wearing season is just around the corner and the toes will come out to play. If you're using a splash of color on your little piggies, make sure your nail polish is phthalate-free.

Many nail polishes contain the chemical dibutyl phthalate, a plasticizing ingredient used to increase flexibility. Phthalates (pronounced FAL-lates) are known endocrine disruptors, which means the chemical interferes with the hormone system affecting growth, development and maturation. The thing is, companies aren't required to list the presence of this chemical on products that contain it.

While it is not proven that such small quantities of phthalates found in things like nail polish can cause harm in humans, it also wouldn't hurt to stay away from them if you can.

• The Green Options Interview: Danny Seo
A TV show, successful book series, a new DVD … and that is just the beginning! "Danny Seo is living proof that you can save the world without sacrificing style.," according to Elle Magazine. Danny, 29, encourages America to live a greener lifestyle. His first lifestyle book Conscious Style Home (St. Martin's Press; 2001) chronicles his renovation of his parents' Green Hills, Pennsylvania home. Using easy-to-find eco-friendly materials, the beautifully photographed book received rave reviews in The New York Times, Elle, Food & Wine, Elle Decor, and USA Today, who raved "Say 'environment' to Danny Seo, and it's as if you've punched the word into the search engine Google: Out roars an avalanche of ideas and references that threatens to scramble your brain.'" His brand new books Simply Green Parties and Simply Green Giving showcases Danny's unique take and approach to stylish green living. Both books feature lush, colorful photography and clear, step-by-step instructions along with Danny's secret tips and how-to information on living the Simply Green way. As Editor-at-Large of Country Home magazine, Danny pens a monthly column for the magazine and produce feature stories for the magazine's 7.6 million readers. Each month, his "Fresh Thinking" column features clever and easy ideas to recycle anything into gorgeously chic home accessories with quick and easy tips that prove green living can be gorgeous living, too.

• Biofuels Will Not Solve Global Warming: IPCC's Report Sparks Protest
Last week's release of the IPCC's Summary for Policymakers on climate change mitigation sparked backlash from several environmental groups. In a joint press release, Biofuelwatch, Global Forest Coalition, Global Justice Ecology Project, and several others stated they are "deeply concerned" about the inclusion of "large-scale expansion of biofuels from monoculture", including Genetically Modified (GM) crops, as a specific recommendation for mitigating catastrophic climate change.

• Kids Need Fair Trade
Editor's note: We're also pleased to welcome Alicia Erickson to the writing team. Alicia, along with her husband Brady Swenson, will be covering Fair Trade issues for us. Alicia and Brady live in Lawrence, Kansas, where they own and operate Two Hands Worldshop.

Saturday May 12th is the third global World Fair Trade Day. This day of celebration is an opportunity to increase Fair Trade awareness and expand understanding of the benefits it provides to poor families, deteriorating cultures and the environment. It also happens to be just before Mother’s Day, which offers a great chance to give your mom a gift that is also a gift to mothers across the world.

This year World Fair Trade Day will focus on children, with the motto “Kids Need Fair Trade.” Children are deeply affected by unfair trade policies. They become trapped in the cycle of poverty with little to no access to healthcare or education. Children in poor households are forced to work simply to eat. The World Fair Trade Day website claims “Coffee, cocoa (chocolate), bananas, oranges and sugar are among the food sectors that most exploit child labour.” Most of these products have a Fair Trade alternative.

• Green Building Elements: Tankless Water Heaters
Next to bulding heating and cooling, water heaters are the largest energy consumers in most homes. But, with a conventional water heater, much of the energy is spent on keeping the heated water from cooling off while it sits, waiting to be used. Tankless water heaters don't have these standby losses, and can be a much more efficient choice in some circumstances.

Tankless water heaters have no hot water storage (hence tankless), but can quickly raise water temperature by as much as 50 degrees F (~30 degrees C). They can do this with a flow rate ranging from 4 gallons per minute (GPM) to as much as 9 GPM. Tankless heaters are also much smaller than conventional water tank heaters, which can be a consideration for smaller homes where space is at a premium.

• Joining the May 15th Gas Out? Really? Read On…
Editor's note: We're very pleased to welcome Max Lindberg to our writing team. The publisher of the Lindberg Report podcast, now a part of The Fuels Report, Max is a retired broadcast journalist. We're very happy to have his wealth of experience on the team! Stay tuned — once we get the technical kinks worked out, Max will be producing the first GO podcast series, "Greening the Golden Years."

So you're going to join the May 15th MySpace members Gas Out. Good for you! We need to show those greedy, and not necessarily nice, oil-rich countries in the Mideast that we don't like their attitudes and hit 'em where in counts: in the pocketbook.

What a great idea: 72-million MySpace members avoiding gas stations for one day. I didn't do the math ( too complicated for me!), but based on a fill-up costing between $20 and $30, the boycott would cost the Middle Eastern oil companies more than $2,000,000.000 in revenue. That's $2 Billion. Wow!

• Green Myth-Busting: Hemp is Marijuana
MYTH: The United States Government considers ALL strains of hemp as marijuana.

Facts: Partially true, although things are changing. For in its more than 8000 years of cultivation, hemp and it’s psychoactive drug Cannabis Sativa have been inextricably linked. The name marijuana is a recent moniker. It was first called K(a)N(a)B(a) (cannibas) in early Sumeria and in is referred to as hashish in the Middle East.

We’re not going to address the marijuana culture here and around the world in this article. Our focus is about hemp and it’s use as a biodegradable, highly versatile resource.

 

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Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy

The gang in Detroit aren’t the only carmakers who aren’t thrilled by the prospect of some new regulations that will affect emissions and fuel economy. The Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association recently released their opinions of the EU proposal to restrict CO2 emissions to 130g/km. The members of JAMA don’t think they can meet the requirements in the time-frame alloted. The combination of emissions, environmental and safety standards will make it hard to meet the new requirements.

New safety standards like the latest EuroNCAP crash tests, pedestrian safety requirements and others have increased the average weight of cars from Japanese manufacturers by 65 lbs between 1999 and 2005 and market forces for additional equipment have added another 155 lbs. The automakers have are pushing a more comprehensive approach the includes infrastructure improvements for better traffic flow, modified driving habits and technology improvements to make cars more efficient. The Japanese carmakers, particularly Nissan, are actively working on technology like vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communications to improve both safety and traffic flow.

[Source: JAMA]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Photo: Green OptionsBeneath the electronic lights and rolling LED displays in New York City's Times Square, Yahoo! announced their "Greenest City in America" Challenge today.

The concept behind the challenge is to get individuals to make a difference by taking small actions in their every day lives. Yahoo! co-founder David Filo said he wanted to tap into the half a billion Yahoo! users to encourage greener lifestyles.

People can participate at the Yahoo! Be a Better Planet site. For each action you take through a Yahoo! green site you'll rack up points for you and your city. The city with the most points by June 8 will receive a small fleet of hybrid taxis. Individual participants with enough points will get a free compact flourescent bulb (CFL). Photo: Green Options

Actor Matt Dillon said, "I'm concerned with many environmental threats facing us and I want to do my part at reducing global warming." He encouraged the use of motion sensored lights, and suggested a few things each person can do such as replacing incandescnet light bulbs with CFLs, turning off the lights in empty rooms, walking or taking public transportation and unplugging chargers from outlets.

Photo: Green Options: Global Green CEO, Matt Petersen (left); Matt Dillon, actor (center); David Filo, co-founder Yahoo! (right)Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA, stressed that when people take individual actions at home and at work, it will not only improve the lives of everyone but will send an important message to corporations and governments across the U.S. that Americans support the mayors climate protection agreement. The mayors climate protection agreement was initiated by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to get mayors of cities across the nation to come together to reduce municipal green house gas emissions in leiu of federal support.

The Greenest City in America challenge is just the latest effort by Yahoo! as they move toward greening their practices and operations. Earlier this year Yahoo! teamed up with the producers of An Inconvenient Truth to create an eco-info site 18seconds.org, and last month announced plans to take Yahoo! carbon neutral.

 

 

I’m certain they don’t. And, yes, there are now green dentists. Springwise takes note of Transcendentist, a Berkeley, CA, dental practice that keeps your teeth white the green way. According to their post,

Certified by the Alameda County Green Business Program, the office practices ecologically sustainable dentistry — from serving organic chamomile tea to using amalgam separator filters to prevent mercury entering the environment. (Transcendentist doesn’t use amalgam, but does remove old fillings.) Transcendentist also uses digital imaging instead of x-rays, which means less radiation for patients and employees, and no need for the chemicals that are used to process x-rays.

The eco approach extends to the rest of the office: non-toxic paint on the walls, chemical-free wool carpet and cloth headrest covers and bibs instead of paper disposables. Transcendentist was founded in 2003 by Fred and Ina Pockrass, with the aim of creating a calm and healing experience for clients. To this end, Transcendentist isn’t just environmentally friendly, but also incorporates elements of a spa. Every visit includes a foot massage, sound and color therapy are used to soothe patients, and the office even has its own line of essence-infused, natural body products.

While some will write this off as a hippy-dippy experiment, the practice is taking off: partners were told to expect 10-15 new patients a month. In reality, they’re getting 30, 40, even 60 in a few really good months. It’s been so successful, in fact, that the owners plan to roll out the concept as a licensed business model!

While the success of Transcendentist certainly points to the power of green marketing (especially when it’s the real deal), I’m guessing the efforts to create a calm, soothing environment also really contribute to the practice’s growth. An awful lot of people are still afraid to go to the dentist, and the assembly line approach I’ve seen in recent years (at least at the couple of practices I’ve used) isn’t likely to make patients look forward to that six-month cleaning. The Pockrasses aren’t just creating a greener dental office: they’re creating a better experience for their patients. Nothing quite like a foot massage to prepare you for the pick-and-water treatment.

Categories: dentist, green, sustainable, berkeley, california