Candidates Try To Out-Green Each Other

Martha Coakley uses recycled paper in her Senate campaign. Stephen Pagliuca has a composter. Alan Khazei uses a hybrid car for his campaign. Michael Capuano claims he’s earned enough “green” points to drive a Humvee for the rest of his life and still come out on top.

Those were just a few of the green habits the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate boasted of during Tuesday’s environmental forum.

In addition to the recycled paper, Coakley said her campaign doesn’t drink bottled water and, at home, she recently put a composter in her backyard.

Pagliuca also touted his composter, noting that he recently found a giant vine growing out of it with 12 pumpkins. He said his home has radiant heat and his campaign tries to be paperless.

Khazei said the hybrid is just one part of his carbon-neutral campaign. At home, his 7-year-old daughter is the leading environmentalist. They recycle and try to be energy efficient, he said.

And as for Capuano’s bold Humvee claim, he was talking about the work he’s done in Congress to clean up the environment. He also said his family uses set-back thermometers and energy-efficient light bulbs.