More Hip Than Hippie #291 - How To Be Car-Free!

Cars are convenient, but they're not always worth the overall cost of ownership.

Cars. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Or can you? The Hipsters chat with Trystan Bass, Senior Editor at Yahoo! Green, who has never owned a car. How does she do it? (Planning, research and organization!) Also, Dori and Val deliver a Major Announcement.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Ay caramba! Chili Pepper Spicy Ale from Six Rivers Brewery brings the heat! A fine wheat ale made with a blend of real peppers, this brew is in a category all its own. Split the big-ass bottle with a friend and pair it with a plain chocolate. Dori: 4 hips; Val: 5 hips

Chocolate: Sometimes less really is more. E. Guittard single origin Tsaratana 61% Semisweet is a beautifully balanced bar that melts in your mouth. Dori: 5 hips Val: 5 hips.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Need to clean your cucumbers? Wash your walnuts? Scrub your squash? Try Organic Chico Produce & Nut Wash, a home-grown product making its debut with Greenfeet! A citric acid blend renders your food virtually germ-free without any chlorine. Mix up a batch from concentrate and wash your worries away.
• Placebook. Listener Rob turned us on to OhSoWe, a place where real neighbors can virtually interact to build a sense of community. It's like a 21st-century block party.

Hip News

• Meltdown. The European Union has devised a long-term plan for managing nuclear waste. Unfortunately, it involves shifting the waste to poorer nations.
• Pass on the gas. Washington state is building electric vehicle charging stations as part of an effort to create a West Coast Green Highway from Canada to Mexico.
• Bagging on plastic. The city of Portland, Oregon is the latest to ban plastic bags! Sign ChicoBag's petition to fight the lawsuit brought by the plastic bag industry.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Get the red out! To keep tomato-based sauces from staining your plastic containers, just coat the container with a light spritz of cooking spray.

How To Be Car-Free!

How does one manage to live in the suburbs without an automobile? Hipster Trystan Bass has done so for over twenty years. She utilizes carpools and public transit, telecommutes, and plans her decisions around transportation. Instead of making car payments, she indulges in the things she enjoys. Could you make the leap to a car-free life?

• It's never been easier to plan your life around the bus or subway schedule. Try the SMART-WAY public transit app.
• For out-of-the-way trips, rent a Zipcar.
• Find out if your town is easy to navigate on foot. Walk Score has done the legwork.
• Rather than lugging groceries around, try an online shopping and delivery service like Peapod.
• Studies find that shopping online is greener than traditional retail, in most cases.
• Subway commuters in South Korea use a virtual supermarket for shopping on the go!
• Greenfeet's new Eat & Drink category is filled with goodies that will be delivered to your doorstep.
• Can you stand to know what your car is really costing you? Try the TCO calculator.
• One thing Trystan likes to do with all that extra money: Travel!

Listener E-mails

We may be on hiatus, but we'd still love to hear from you! Ask a question, share a story or gloat about your green triumphs at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our blog!

• Donna in the UK has discovered the joys of hemp! She now loads up on goodies from the Hemp Shop. Anyone know a natural product to waterproof her backpack?
• Kathleen in California found evidence that flushing kitty litter is harmful to sea otters. Back in the box, Fluffy!
• Kelly in Washington gives her Nook that "book smell" with a cool leather cover from Oberon Designs, made in the USA.
• Ridley in Idaho has a Hipster Call to Action: Encourage Fed Ex Office stores to recycle paper, by contacting district and regional managers. Vote with your dollar!
• Jeff in Vermont has the scoop on InsectShield. Its active ingredient is Permethrin, a derivative of the daisy plant.
• Michelle in Pennsylvania recommends reading Chick Days by Jenna Woginrich. Another good chicken book is Joel Salatin's Pastured Poultry Profits. Have fun at the U2 concert!
• Karen in South Carolina is concerned about maggots in her compost. Just tighten the lid and keep the flies out.
• Lynda in Florida wonders if we still hate all canned beer. No, we've come to love a few. We also love your chickens, One and Two!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Switzerland Day or any day!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.

More Hip Than Hippie #290 - Fueling the Future

Looking thirty years into the future, fossil fuels will no longer be able to power our world. What is likely to replace them?

The Hipsters face a post-petroleum world with an overview of current energy sources and their future prospects. Also, Farmageddon comes to Chico!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: As fruity beers go, Abita Brewing Co.'s bland Strawberry Harvest Lager didn't offer much punch. Perhaps it pairs well with cheese, but it lacks the flavor to stand alone. Dori: 3 hips; Val: 4 hips

Chocolate: Tony in Chicago continues his reign as Our Favorite Listener with another winning dark chocolate bar. Kallari 75% Single Source Organic Chocolate is bold but not bitter, and big enough to share! Dori: 5 hips Val: 5 hips.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! She learned to swirl, sniff, slurp and swallow California Olive Ranch EVOO. Now she's carrying it at Greenfeet! Check out the Everyday EVOO, Select Artois and Select Oroville for a flavorful and nutritious kitchen staple.
• Can they make a tiara? Those jaunty metal caps are the crowning glory of any bottle of beer. Now, the Craft Beer Cap Hat Band lets you wear them atop your own crown.
• Just one more thing... Val's boyfriend Peter Falk passed away, and PETA saw fit to honor him for his animal rights activism. On another note, they also named 2011'a Sexiest Celeb Vegetarians (Columbo wasn't on the list).

Hip News

• A-fjordable healthcare? A Swedish study finds that pollutants are linked to diabetes. We find that Swedish studies are linked to Muppet impersonations.
• The future's so bright... Our local Butte Community College made history this month by going grid positive with solar energy. Maybe that's how alum Aaron Rodgers got that megawatt smile!

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

In the bin! Make it easy for your summertime guests to recycle. Set up clearly-marked outdoor bins in your yard and leave them in place all season.

Fueling the Future

Looking thirty years into the future, fossil fuels will no longer be able to power our world. What is likely to replace them? In the article Energy: the new thirty years war, world security expert Michael Klare sizes up the current prospects.

• The governor of New York is poised to lift a ban on fracking in the state.
• Flood waters have breached the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station in Nebraska.
• Coastal areas can tap the technology of wave energy.
• Several governments are interested in Malta's smart grid, implemented by IBM.
• The bottom line for us all: maximum energy efficiency, all the time. Do the work!

Listener E-mails

It doesn't take much energy to send us an email! Ask a question, share a story or just unlurk at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our blog!

• Lee Ann in Texas bought a fuel efficient car with the help of a program called AirCheck Texas, dedicated to getting gas-guzzlers off the road. She gave her new car an amazingly awesome name.
• Elizabeth in Minnesota wonders what to do with her compost during the frigid winter months. Let it freeze, and consider starting an indoor system too.
• Christine in Arizona accidentally bought a buff treated with Insect Shield. Ask for the MSDS and let us know what's in it!
• Sebastian in the Netherlands is thrilled that his employer, Capgemini, is encouraging green living. Could they be Hipsters?
• Alison in N. Carolina was one of several listeners to share the story of in.gredients, a zero-packaging grocery store in Austin. Neat-o indeed!
• Katie in Texas is taking green steps with her new Teenie Weenie Greenie, and learned that drinking Guinness encourages breast milk production. Slainte!
• Whitney in Colorado wrote a post about us in her blog, Trust Your Gut Nutrition. Mwah!
• Samantha in Missouri unlurked to share her green lifestyle changes. We love you and your beer-brewing hubby!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Bastille Day or any day!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.