You think you live a green and eco-friendly lifestyle?  Try drinking your own urine!  Though you may enjoy drinking your own urine, it was news to us that it could be done and that three astronauts on the International Space Station actually did it.  Recycling urine to drinkable water is a huge feat.  Here’s  what went down.

Apparently a recycling system, installed last fall, can purify urine. For the people up in space, recycling is crucial.  Water is a costly item to transport from Earth.  When the crew members lifted their frothy mugs of urine-come-drinking water, the team in Houston all lifted their glasses at the same time to prove that you don’t have to hang out with Spock in order to drink you own urine.

There is so much talk about going green that it’s becomming like jazzercise in the 80’s.  Between the “green washing” of products and services, sustainability concerns, driving less and any number of other issues, talk of living greener can become overwhelming.  The good news is that there are a few simple things that we can all do in our daily lives that would make a difference.  Recycling your Smart Water bottle is not what I’m driving at.

I learned quickly that taking the tactic that some environmental enthusiasts/extremists espouse are more frequently alienating than they would like them to be, thus making their efforts counter productive.   Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  That’s easy to understand, but challenging to implement.

I have heard this phrase many times in life, but it wasn’t until I began spending more time with friends Ian Murray and Alexandra Paul that I began to fully experience what Gandhi’s quote meant.  Ian, coach to elite multi-sport athletes and celebrity A listers, and Alexandra, of Bay Watch and Who Killed the Electric Car fame, have chosen an earth friendly way of  life that few in LA would ever consider. In addition to many other green activities, they have been worm composting for a number of years.  They don’t broadcast it.  They simply do it.  They also have the beautiful flowers to show for it.

If they would have tried to “sell” me on the idea of worm composting or driving an electric car, I most likely would have resisted.  It’s human nature to resist.

I was at a party this past weekend where I ran into an ex-pro snowboarder buddy of mine.  He referred to my habit of carrying a small wooden chopstick with me to coffee shops to use as a non-disposable stirrer and how I would insist on a ceramic mug, rather than a paper cup.  We laughed and caught up then said our goodbyes.  I was so excited that he remembered and that he thought twice before utilizing a stirrer from Starbucks.  Gandhi was right!

For those of you that would like to make a difference in how you consume in today’s world, I’ve put together a quick list of 5 things you can do to make a difference that your friends and the earth will notice.

1. Carry a chopstick (buy a set, don’t use one from your Chinese takeout):  Use this instead of plastic or wood composite disposable stirrers.  The chopstick doesn’t remain wet for long at all after you use it to stir your coffee.   I keep one in my bag, with me when I cycle and 1 in my wife’s car.
2. Keep cotton bags in trunk:  Buy a few cotton bags from your local supermarket and keep them in your trunk.  I say the magic number is 3.  I personally love the expandable mesh bags that expand to hold 4x their volume.  Most stores will give you a discount if you bring your own bag.
3. Cup usage:  When in coffee shops use a ceramic mug when you are staying.  Why use a paper cup if you are going to sit down and drink the coffee there?  Bring your own travel coffee mug if you are going to take your coffee to go.  Most coffee shops will give you a 5-10 cent discount for bringing your own.
4. Ditch the produce bags:  Do you REALLY need to have 7 different plastic bags for your produce so that they can stay separated?  The excuse that it speeds up the checkout line is weak.  Let’s be honest, checkers are naturally slow at their job.   You placing produce into separate bags won’t make their job easier.
5. Run errands on bike or on foot once per week:  Try running simple errands on your bike.  Drop stuff off at the cleaners, go  to the post office, going to the supermarket, etc

There are any number of things one can do to make a difference that won’t require a lifestyle overhaul.  These are just a few that I do.  What small things do you do in your daily life to help yourself become greener?

I know the drill.  Your office is so cool because they let you wear aloha shirts on Friday.  News flash:  Your office just got pwned by The Box Office Project.  Constructed of 32 corrugated steel shipping containers, the Box Office Project in Rhode Island, USA is slated to be fully completed by early 2010.  It may forever change how we view our collective office existence.

You know that I love all things eco-friendly, green and anything that involves the reuse of shipping containers.  When I caught wind of this 3-story 10,000-sq/ft building designed by Peter Gill Case at Truth Box, Inc, I wanted to know the details.  What I wouldn’t give to have our offices housed in a container that had a rich history of shipping crappy plastic products from Pusan to Peru.

The inspiration for this green project was a combination of the Container City residences in London and the Keetowen Tempo Housing in Amsterdam.  The good news is that this gutsy project has already secured pre-leases for 4 units inside the complex.

The Box Office Project is about as eco-minded as it gets.  Tenants that are energy efficient may even get a price break if they remember to turn off the lights. Case plans to offer “green leases” that vary in price based on the amount of power tenants consume.  Sweet!

Case and his cronies claim that the Box Office Project is cheaper to build than new construction.  It will cost an estimated $1.8 million. On top of that, the building will also be more energy efficient, using 25% less energy than traditional/conventional structures.  They’ll achieve this by heating and cooling from decentralized air-to-air heat pumps.  And for the green thumbs out there, you’ll be happy to note that they will catch excess rainwater with the use of bioswales or “rain gardens” to feed plant life.

It’s official.  I love this commercial real estate project.  I suspect that Truth Box, along with its Canadian, British and Belgium peers, are set to be the forefathers of reusing industrial and global commerce equipment.  Job well done!