Fresh Greens
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How to Keep Your Green New Year's Resolutions
Continue reading… 0 CommentsGreen New Year's resolutions (like these ones for the home, the office, and the food you eat - more to come), are like any other resolutions - great on paper, but sometimes hard to keep. One website will lend a hand - Pledgehammer wants to know what your resolutions are, but if you don't keep them, your "penalty" is a charity donation to an organization of your choosing.
Though many of the pledges on the site pertain to weight loss, a few people have gone public with their green resolutions, pledging not to use more than one plastic bag a month, donate something to charity each time they buy something new, recycle plastic bottles, and minimize their water use.
There's no way to check up on you if you haven't fulfilled your New Year's resolution, of course - the site works on the honor system. But if you don't remember to use your reusable bags, for example, you can donate to an organization that preserves rainforests. That way, even if you fail, a green organization succeeds.
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Green New Year's Resolutions: Food
Continue reading… 3 CommentsAs we spend the next few days thinking of ways to better ourselves in 2009, here are a few green resolutions to add to your list. Many of them will help you with your financial resolutions, as well, since going green can often save you money. Add your own resolutions in the comments below.
(More green resolutions: For the home, the office, transportation, fashion)
- Buy organic - but if you're worried about the expense, learn which foods to prioritize. Apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes and spinach are always better to buy organic. But bananas, kiwi, mangos, papaya, pineapples , asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, onions and peas are ok for you if they're conventionally grown, because the contain less pesticide residue.
- Cook at home, with healthful, organic ingredients. It's cheaper than eating out, and creates less waste.
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Green New Year's Resolutions: For the Office
Continue reading… 1 CommentAs we spend the next few days thinking of ways to better ourselves in 2009, here are a few green resolutions to add to your list. Many of them will help you with your financial resolutions, as well, since going green can often save you money. Add your own resolutions in the comments below.
(More green resolutions: For the home, your food, fashion, transportation)
- Don't print that document out unless you really have to. And if you do, use recycled paper. And when you're done with it, recycle it. Of course.
- Bike to work. You can even get tax credits for it. You can also save money that would go towards gas, car maintenance, and a gym membership. People who bike to work are often healthier than their gas-guzzling counterparts.
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Green New Year's Resolutions: For the Home
Continue reading… 6 CommentsAs we spend the next few days thinking of ways to better ourselves in 2009, here are a few green resolutions to add to your list. Many of them will help you with your financial resolutions, as well, since going green can often save you money. Add your own resolutions in the comments below.
(More green resolutions: For the office, your food, transportation, fashion)
- Save energy with simple steps like turning off lights and unplugging appliances. Plugged-in but unused appliances, such as phone chargers, are constantly sucking energy (hence the name "vampire power"), and unplugging them can help you save.
- Shut down your computer every night. The computer is one of the biggest energy hogs. You can also tinker with the energy-saving settings so that it goes into deep sleep.
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The Top 5 Environmental Newsmakers of 2008
Continue reading… 14 Comments2008 was a year when environmental news was perhaps more prevalent than any other - from green campaign promises to plastic bottle scares to the staycation - but some names were in the headlines much more frequently than others. Here are five of the most environmentally newsworthy people of the year, both good and bad. Who would be on your list?
Al Gore -- Fresh off the momentum from his recent Nobel prize, Gore continued to spread his climate-change message around the country and the world. He gave a speech in Washington this past July in which he challenged the U.S. to produce 100 percent of our electricity from renewable sources within the next 10 years. Gore also continued his work with the We Campaign, which had an aggressive marketing campaign throughout the election, and later met with President-elect Obama to discuss climate change. Some were disappointed he wasn't appointed to an environmental cabinet position, while others were relieved. But even though he won't be serving Obama directly, expect Gore to stay in the spotlight.
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Waste-Free, Low-Cost Ways to Wrap Your Presents
Continue reading… 4 CommentsMy childhood Christmases involved a lot of cleaning. What's more fun for a kid than tearing into a giant present, doing whatever it took to get the paper off and the box open as soon as possible? Afterwards, once our living room was blanketed in paper pieces, my dad would bring out a trash bag for us to scoop up all of the snowman and Santa-printed paper and throw it out.
A beautifully-wrapped gift is part of the magic of the holiday season, of course, but in tough times, it's hard to justify spending money on something as immediately disposable as wrapping paper, especially when you consider the environmental impact of the millions of tubes of paper sold each year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "the amount of household garbage in the United States generally increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, from 4 million tons to 5 million tons." Much of that waste is wrapping paper and shopping bags, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Tonight, I'll be wrapping gifts sans wrapping paper. There are plenty of ways to do this with recycled paper or objects you have around the house, all of which can make presents that are just as pretty as traditional gift wrap. Your wrapping can even be a part of your gift. Here are some tips:
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Toby Keith: Secret Environmentalist?
Continue reading… 1 CommentCountry singer Toby Keith - the infamous lyricist who composed the lines "We'll put a boot in your ass/it's the American way" cautions listeners not to write him off as an "ignorant redneck" in a recent interview with Esquire. He gives us good reason not to.
In January's "American Issue," Esquire editors repeat their monthly feature "What I've Learned," in which they gain sage advice from all sorts of notable Americans, with a person from each of the 50 states. Keith, who represents Oklahoma, offers as part of his wisdom, "If we need to save the planet, let's save it. " Surprising, and straight to the point - just like his songs.
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Automakers Keep the Environment in Mind to Prove Bailout Viability
Continue reading… 5 CommentsPresident Bush agreed today to bail out GM and Chrysler, but the companies only have the first quarter to prove that they are "viable." And if the plans the automakers presented to Congress are any indication, viable means green.
Here's what the companies have to say:
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Chevy Volt Plant Construction Delayed
Continue reading… 7 CommentsHot on the heels of news that China has beat American automakers to mass-producing a plug-in hybrid, GM announced that they would be delaying construction of a Flint, Mich. plant for the production of engines for the Chevrolet Cruze and the electric hybrid Volt. The delay is a result of GM reviewing their finances as the company waits for word from the White House about emergency relief funds, after being denied a bailout by Congress. The plant will cost $349 million to build.
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5 Things You Should Know about the FD3M, China's First Mass-Produced Electric Plug-in Car
Continue reading… 17 CommentsThis week, China's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car went to market, produced by relative newcomer BYD. The car costs about $22,000, and can run up to 60 miles on a battery charged by a normal electrical outlet. Here are a few things you should know about the F3DM:
1. It may beat American plug-ins to the market. The F3DM may come overseas as soon as 2010. The United States is currently examining the F3DM to see if it is up to standards for the market. If it checks out OK, it would narrowly beat the Volt - and cost almost half as much.
[More on Electric Cars: Everything You Need to Know about the Chevy Volt]
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Environmental Research Affected by Bernie Madoff's Alleged Crimes
Continue reading… 9 CommentsDaily Kos today declared Bernie Madoff public enemy No. 1 for progressives not only because of his alleged Ponzi Scheme swindling, but also because he will instantly result in a loss of funding for hundreds of progressive organizations - some of which were doing environmental work. Madoff controlled the funds of the JEHT Foundation, a major source of grants for organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the ACLU. According to a statement from President and CEO Robert Crane, the foundation will close its doors next month. Virtually all of its grants will be cancelled.
There were several organizations that were doing environmental work supported by the JEHT, and may be affected. They are:
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Cost-Cutting Leads to Green Funerals, Cremation
Continue reading… 0 CommentsCremation is greener than burial. Even though it takes quite a bit of energy to cremate a body, green experts agree that it's still better for the environment than the resources consumed to make coffins, and the toxic chemicals used for embalming. Traditional burial is still the most common choice for the deceased, but that may change in this economic climate - families who have been affected by the downturn are finding that cremation is a less costly way to say farewell to their loved ones. It's just another example of how the recession can unintentionally make us greener.
The Baltimore Sun found that funeral homes in the Maryland area have seen an increase in cremations in the past year, mirroring a national trend. The environment is not on the minds of the bereaved, though - it's all about cutting costs for the living:
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Year in (Somewhat Unsettling) Ideas 2008: Carbon Penance
Continue reading… 0 CommentsReading through the New York Times' annual Year in Ideas list, I was struck, as many others certainly were, by the idea of "Carbon Penance":
We all contribute to climate change, but none of us can individually be blamed for it. So we walk around with a free-floating sense of guilt that’s unlikely to be lifted by the purchase of wind-power credits or halogen bulbs. Annina Rüst, a Swiss-born artist-inventor, wanted to help relieve these anxieties by giving people a tangible reminder of their own energy use, as well as an outlet for the feelings of complicity, shame and powerlessness that surround the question of global warming.
So she built a translucent leg band that keeps track of your electricity consumption. When it detects, via a special power monitor, that electric current levels have exceeded a certain threshold, the wireless device slowly drives six stainless-steel thorns into the flesh of your leg.
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Green Gift Guide: For Philanthropists
Continue reading… 0 CommentsCaving to peer pressure (all the other green bloggers are doing it) and my love of online shopping, this week I'll feature ideas for green holiday shopping, for different recipients each day. The gifts will be green through and through, but not in a crunchy-granola-treehuggy way, and they won't break your budget. Today: Gifts for philanthropists.
Monday: Gifts for friends and coworkers
Some of the best philanthropic gifts are those that allow the recipient to decide for his or herself where to spend the money - not everyone has the same charitable inclinations as you. Many are available as e-gift cards, so there's no need to waste plastic. Here are a few places to find universal gift cards:
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Recycling Organization Confused For Adult Phone Service
Continue reading… 3 CommentsCompanies looking to recycle their cardboard through one organization got quite a surprise when they called a toll-free line printed on many boxes. Recent callers to the Corrugated Packaging Council's recycling information line were greeted with a pleasant "Hey there, sexy guy," and offered a variety of, well, eager conversationists. Who knew going green could be such a turn-on?
Turns out, the Corrugated Packaging Council's logo contained a 1-800 number that has since been phased out - and was then bought up by a phone sex line. The company is urging anyone who prints the old logo on boxes to scrape it off of their printing plates, but there have been a lot of confused callers in the meantime.
Blogger Dead Tree Edition thinks this might be a good thing:
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Green Gift Guide: For Kids
Continue reading… 0 CommentsCaving to peer pressure (all the other green bloggers are doing it) and my love of online shopping, this week I'll feature ideas for green holiday shopping, for different recipients each day. The gifts will be green through and through, but not in a crunchy-granola-treehuggy way, and they won't break your budget. Today: Gifts for kids.
Monday: Gifts for coworkers and friends
Friday: Gifts for philanthropists
Target's eco-friendly site features outdoor swings made of recycled tires in fanciful shapes - a horse, dragon and motorcycle, among others. (target.com, $79 - $129)
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Trees Have Rights Too: Yes or No? Discuss
Continue reading… 13 CommentsPresented without comment: Trees Have Rights Too
Today is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – we celebrate and call now for Planetary Rights.
We have chosen today’s date as the official date of our launch of the campaign’s website – welcome!
Just as the humanitarian crisis of the Second World War gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago in 1948, so now we have a planetary crisis that needs to be addressed with equal urgency. Now is the time to call for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights. Let today be a date to commence fighting for planetary rights.
Trees Have Rights Too is taking their petition to the United Nations today. Do trees have rights? Discuss amongst yourselves.
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Green Gift Guide: For Him
Continue reading… 3 CommentsCaving to peer pressure (all the other green bloggers are doing it) and my love of online shopping, this week I'll feature ideas for green holiday shopping, for different recipients each day. The gifts will be green through and through, but not in a crunchy-granola-treehuggy way, and they won't break your budget. Today: Gifts for him.
Monday: Gifts for friends and coworkers
Friday: Gifts for philanthropists
- A morning shave goes organic with soothing Burt's Bees gels and lotions in this travel grooming kit. (Burtsbees.com, $20)
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GM Apologizes in Auto Mag; Says They'll Do Better and Greener
Continue reading… 5 CommentsGM is really sorry that they're about to borrow as much as $18 billion from American taxpayers. And to prove it to us, the company has published a lengthy letter in Automotive News explaining its need for the money, and how it'll do better next time, if we would just please take it back and give it one more chance. Green plans were a part of the groveling.
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Kid Rock Attempts to Incite PETA War
Continue reading… 18 CommentsSinger Kid Rock, often seen in grandiose fur coats, has declared war on PETA.
"I want to go to war with PETA. My biggest extravagance is fur coats -- I've got every kind of animal in my wardrobe," he said, and dared activists to throw red paint on his furs.
Be careful what you wish for, Kid. It's probably not best to anger an organization that makes its own coffins.
Besides, if it weren't for the whole no-fur-coats-allowed thing, you'd think he'd be on board with a lot of what PETA does. Imagery in their ad campaigns seems to mimic his day-to-day life.
So, when he inevitably gets pelted with flour, will he deserve it?
