Archive for May, 2009

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Yard Waste Is Green and Useful Thursday, May 28th, 2009 What do you do with your yard waste (i.e. grass, weeds, small branches, leaves and plant clippings)?  Do you compost?  Do you bag it for curbside pickup? Rentech, a Realto, California company will take your organic waste and put it to good use—productive renewable energy use.  Rentech plans to work with green waste hauling contractors to collect this woody green organic waste and manufacture it into a new fuel “which burns cleanly in engines that use diesel fuel.” There is also a partnership in Naperville, Illinois, between City of Naperville, Packer Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory and the College of DuPage that is working on collecting yard clippings to produce renewable energy.   A “green depot” will be set up to manufacture the organic waste into a useful renewable fuel.  Naperville City Councilman, Robert Fiesler explains, “At first, the depot would be used mostly to generate electricity to fuel plug-in hybrid vehicles or supplement the city’s municipal electric system.” For detailed information on these upcoming innovative projects, visit these sites: Rentech Inc. Earth 911 Chicago Tribune Contact your local waste collectors to see if you can implement a yard waste renewable energy program.  Now that would be a fantastic Earth Promise! Tags: Argonne national Laboratory, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, compost, conservation, cycle, cyclist, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, entrepreneur, environment, environmental, exploration, Fiesler, global warming, green, green changes, green depot, green interviews, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, land conservation, Naperville, nature, nature conservancy, nature conservation, Packer Engineering, renewable energy, sustainable, yard waste Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Environmental Journey is Underway Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 Nathan is on the road.  On May 10, 2009, Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, Nathan Winters hopped on his bike to unite his love of nature with his love of exploration hoping to draw attention to support the conservation of land and nature.   Belfast, Maine was his launching point and he’ll finish across the continent in Seattle. “I will be embarking on a 4,000 mile bike ride across America to raise support and awareness to the importance of land and nature conservation. My goal is to Raise $50,000 for the Nature Conservancy and educate my followers on the importance of living a more sustainable lifestyle.” In March, I stumbled across the Follow Nathan website and blogged about his adventurous eco-mission.  Earth Promise  was even lucky enough to interview Nathan before he embarked on his ride. Being an avid cyclist and eco-conscious person myself, I found Nathan’s idea nothing less than inspiring.  Now I keep up with his whereabouts via facebook  and twitter  .  Thanks to his main sponsor, Greenopolis it is simple and fun to live vicariously through Nathan.  Greenopolis explains, “We’ll be following Nathan every mile of his route, with a map to track his progress, daily blogs, photos and video reports of the people he meets and the places he visits along the way! He’ll be spotlighting recycling, reuse, conservation and all the ways everyday folks across North America are transforming waste to resources in their own unique ways.” Be sure to donate to keep Nathan’s environmental awareness ride going and to help support the Nature Conservancy. Tags: 21 in 21, bicycle, bike, bike ride, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, conservation, cycle, cyclist, donate, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, entrepreneur, environment, environmental, exploration, Follow Nathan, follownathan, global warming, green, green changes, green interviews, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, interview, interviews, journey, land conservation, Nathan Winters, nature, nature conservancy, nature conservation, North America, preservation, ride across america, sustainable, trees Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Sunscreen Decisions Friday, May 22nd, 2009 I envy those people who have fair, smooth, sun blotch-free complexions.  Being that I live in Florida, I’ve been using sunscreen (almost) everyday—for years.  I’m used to lathering on the lotion each time I go to the beach, am out by the pool, or knowing that I’ll be outdoors for an extended period of time.  What about on a daily basis when I’m out and about running errands?  I’ve always used it for my face and wear a big floppy hat that my girls are not thrilled that I don in their presence. What about the rest of my skin that is exposed walking to and from the car, when I get the mail, or just being outside long enough to water my plants?  I’m always up for trying chemical-free sunscreens.  One that I’ve tried for myself and my daughters is Aubrey’s Natural Sun SPF 25 Green Tea Protective Sunscreen .  It was recommended by a friend last summer.  My girls are quite picky when it comes to sunscreen, especially the scent.  I personally didn’t mind the smell, but for them, they disliked it immensely!  Also, it doesn’t spread very well, leaving a slight white hue on our faces and bodies.  Since I am very active and need a truly effective sweat-resistant lotion, Aubrey’s Natural Sun, does hold up to that part of its claim.  Best of all, I never get a burn or tan lines after cycling for over three hours in the intense Florida sun.  When I typed in Aubrey’s Natural Sun SPF 25 Green Tea Protective Sunscreen, into the Cosmetic Data Base , I was surprised to learn that this particular lotion is considered “moderately hazardous.”  Yikes! My blogging comrade, Stefani, who blogs for various eco-sites, recently wrote an informative blog entitled, Sunscreen Wars – The Battle Over SPF.  Stefani writes:  Last week, the New York Times ran a piece about the new sunscreen “big guns”** being released by major brands this summer. And if I can be so bold to say, “OMG! and WTH!” about the SPFs (sun protection factor) these companies think they can create. Neutrogena’s new sunscreen has an SPF of 100?? Is this a marketing ploy or a serious play on scaring the beans out of people regarding skin care? Be sure to read the remainder of Stefani’s post at Filter For Good. It is really difficult to know what sunscreen (or any product for that matter) is considered “safe” these days.  I personally trust the Environmental Working Group’s, Skin Deep Cosmetic Database .  There will always be people who find the EWG as scaremongers, but I suppose in the end you have to do your own research and make an educated decision. If you are not a member already, be sure to join the Earth Promise  family and start making your promises today! Tags: Aubrey Organics, carbon footprint, change, changes, chemical-free, children, climate change, Cosmetic Database, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, eco-sites, education, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, Environmental Working Group, Florida, global warming, green, green changes, green effect, green hour, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, outdoors, Skin Deep, sun, sunscreen, suntan lotion, sweat-resistant Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

It’s All In The Design Thursday, May 21st, 2009 After a full school year of starting up the Environmental movement at my daughters’ elementary school, I must say it wasn’t so bad.  We had some bumps in the road, but overall I think the school has definitely shown its true “green” color.  The biggest mission was the logistics of the recycling:  how the students would carry the classroom bins to the end dumpsters; making sure the students and faculty understood what can and cannot go into the recycling bins, etc. The bi-weekly pick-up worked out well:  the after-care students emptied each classroom paper and plastic (only water bottles) bins into larger rolling bins.  The trouble began at the school events, i.e. carnivals, bingo nights.   Placing the large recycling bins throughout the courtyard along with colorful instructional signs placed above the bins, people still tossed their garbage (paper plates, food, etc) into recycling bins.  With the large chasing arrows adorned on the side, the bins surprisingly turned into regular trash cans.  This ruined the contents for recycling.  We thought these large bins were completely obvious; but we were wrong.  Short of having “recycling police” stationed at each recycling bin, we decided for the next large school event to change the design.  We duct taped the bins closed and drilled large holes (just the right size for water bottles and soda cans) into the sides and top.  Viola!  Problem solved!  The recycling at the final Family Fun Night at the school was a huge success.  According to Tree Hugger, People fail to recycle for a number of reasons, including misinformation and forgetfulness; however, it is also a design problem. My coauthor Michelle Verges and I were talking over the phone about why everyone says they recycle, but if you look around, there is a lot of recyclable material in trash cans. We then went around looking through different kinds of recycling bins and trash cans, examining their contents. We began noticing a pattern: Regardless of the receptacle’s label, recycling bins with little holes in the lids contained recyclables and almost nothing else, while those that lacked those holes were basically used as trash cans. So we carried out a study having recycling bins in one building either with or without the hole, and found that the presence of the hole increased the recycling rate by 34%, which is an enormous increase. What do the recycling bins look like around the world?  Are their designs more successful?  Tree Hugger  has a great slideshow taking us on a virtual eco-trip around the world.  Here you can see the other types of recycling bins used.  Each picture is accompanied by a design-value comment. Design is a huge factor when it comes to recycling more efficiently.  Obviously, educating your audience is just as important.  Please leave a comment, as we’d love to read about your ideas on how to entice people to recycle more effectively. Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, children, climate change, conservation, design, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, global warming, green, green changes, green effect, green hour, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, outdoors, recycling, recycling bins, tree hugger, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

New Green Mileage Standards Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 New automobile emissions standards are on the right track.  President Obama is serious when it comes to fighting our global warming dilemma, creating new eco-related jobs and reducing our ongoing dependence on foreign oil.  By 2016, all auto makers are required to make new cars and trucks get 30 percent better mileage.  It will be a gradual phasing in process with the 2011 new automobile models.  Initially, it will cost the consumers a bit more per vehicle, but these “new regulations will save a total of nearly 2 billion barrels of oil from 2011 to 2016,” and will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions tremendously. For more information, check out these news sites: MSNBC.com LATimes.com TheHill.com With President Obama’s emissions promise, what types of Earth Promises will you make? Tags: 2016, 30 percent, Al Gore, auto makers, automobiles, Barack Obama, car, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, economy, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, global warming, government, green, green changes, green future, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, green-collar jobs, greener economy, greenhouse gases, oil, President Obama, save money, sustainable economy, truck, vehicles, White House Council on Environmental Quality Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

A Green Hour Every Day For Our Kids Monday, May 18th, 2009 The importance of play for kindergarten children is not a new concept.  We often read and hear about how our children are nature deficient.  An article on this issue caught my attention last week in the New York Time Magazine section.  One of many comments in a letter to the editor this weekend enlightens readers about a program the National Wildlife Federation has started: “Peggy Orenstein suggests teachers allow kids in kindergarten to toss out their pencils and simply play, but Orenstein should have added the word “outside.” Sixty percent of kids ages 2 to 5 do not have daily access to outdoor play. What’s equally damaging is that those kids who do play outside are now so restricted by all sorts of rules, such as permits required for even a pickup baseball game, that they really can’t go far or do much. In 1970 the average 10-year-old wandered 10 times as far on his or her own as a 10-year-old today, which, of course, encourages self-reliance, independent thinking, engagement with nature, unsupervised socialization and more. The National Wildlife Federation has started a program called Green Hour, which presses for free play outside one hour each day while children are at school. So toss out the pencils and send the kids outside.” What a perfect Earth Promise: provide your children (and yourself, too) with a Green Hour each day.  Unfortunately, with the pressure of test scores, many schools are unable to afford a whole hour of outdoor, unstructured play.  How sad.  No doubt, parents need to make an effort to voice their opinions about this lack of outdoor, unstructured play, but in the meantime, it is our responsibility as parents/guardians to give the gift of the great outdoors to our children.  My husband and I often talk about how disturbing it is that we are uncomfortable allowing our 10 year old to roam free on her bike exploring.  Those solo journeys were empowering.  They left me with great memories and a sense of self responsibility. We want and need to give our daughters this Green Hour of creativity and growth. The Green Hour website offers inspirational ideas to get your kids moving outdoors.   There is a Community Corner that provides families with the opportunity to share their backyard experiences.  Green Hour’s theory is straightforward— provide an hour of daily, unstructured playtime outdoors. Studies have shown that children play outdoors are healthier, have lower stress levels, and have better respect for themselves and the environment. Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, children, climate change, conservation, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, global warming, green, green changes, green effect, green hour, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, National Wildlife Federation, new york times, outdoors Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Big Green Dreams=Big Green Bucks Friday, May 15th, 2009 We all have big dreams.  But do you have big green dreams?  Green Effect, launched by Sun Chips and National Geographic, is looking for inspiring environmental ideas that can ecologically revamp your community.  Five winners (individual or group) will win a $20,000 grant to be used to implement the winning idea. There still is time to submit your idea: the deadline is June 8, 2009. In a 100-250 word essay, explain how and whatyou would use the $20,000 to greenify your community. The online application recommends addressing each one of the following points: 1. How is it a small step that could make a big difference? 2. How will it impact your community? 3. How will it help the environment? 4. Explain your plan to implement your idea and use the prize funds  (Hint: They recommend pictures and video!) For more information, visit, Greeneffect.com . While you are in the creating frame of mind, submit your green ideas as promises on the Make an Earth Promise page. Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, conservation, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, environmental movement, global warming, grant, green, green changes, green effect, green impact, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, National Geographic, Sun Chips Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Reduce and Reuse: It Helps Our Environment Thursday, May 14th, 2009 Stuff.  Possessions.  Things. We all have way too much of it.  Especially if you have children or if you are one to hold onto things for sentimental reasons.  (You know who you are!) There may be a psychological underlying reason why you hold onto your stuff, but no matter what the reason is, there are ways to help reduce and reuse it. Here are some ideas to reduce and reuse: Birthday party favors.  When my girls come home from birthday parties, the flood of plastic trinkets and useless odds and ends end up where?  In the trash, then ultimately in the landfill or cluttering up bedroom desks. This year, for my six year-old’s party favor, I let the kids take home their own plant.  Not one pined for the predictable bag of candy and trinkets.  The joy on their faces (and their parent’s) was priceless!  Organization books—Clutter Control: Tips and Crafts to Organize Your Bedroom, Backpack, Locker, Life by American Girl Editors.  My “almost 10 year old” was drawn instantly to this book in the store.  She is actually saving the clever ideas to work on de-cluttering her room this summer. Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life  is a well-reviewed organization book which offers advice that includes the  “realistic, messy, all-important steps in between.” EcoSalon’s blog, How to: 10 Tips for a Successful Clothing Swap, reminds me of my college days.  This is such a fabulous way to get rid of the things you no longer need or wear and get some new threads. E How offers great suggestions on how to reuse everyday items in lieu of continually tossing them into the recycling bin. A blogger on Blogher.com that I came across wrote, Reduce Clutter by Going Paper Free . Be sure to read her efficient, ecologically-aware ideas. If you haven’t watched the video already, this is a big MUST…the Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard .  Yes, it’s 20 minutes, but it’s is captivating and worth every minute of your time!  Teaching you environmental and social issues without being too preachy, Annie Leonard forces you look and really think about the stuff you have in your life. I love George Carlin.  This 1986 standup routine  about “stuff ” should bring a smile to your face.  Keep in mind, it is George Carlin, so be wary if your children are around! I envy my friends who do not have piles around their homes.  I always wonder where their stuff is?  Is it because they have more cabinets or drawers?  Or have they moved so many times, they have come to realize that less is more manageable?  My goal is to master the art of reducing and reusing. Do you have any innovative ideas on how to reduce and reuse?  We’d love to read about it.  Leave a comment so that everyone can take advantage and help our environment. Tags: budgets, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, conservation, digital cameras, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, environment, environmental, environmental issues, George Carlin, global warming, green, green changes, green future, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, greener economy, grocery bags, mother earth, organic, phones, recycling, reduce, reuse, reusing, save money, stuff, sustainable economy, waste Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Fundraising With Green In Mind Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 Although school is coming to an end, this is the ideal time to organize school fundraisers for the 2009-2010 school-year.   Think about the first few months of school:  your children come home with the ubiquitous overpriced candles, gift wrap, cookie dough catalogues to raise much needed funds for their schools.  Do you, then, feel obligated to bring these glossy catalogues to your co-workers and neighbors, begging them to buy unnecessary goods that they neither need nor want on your child’s behalf?  There is nothing wrong with trying to raise monies for your child’s school.  With today’s paltry public school budgets, how else can we give to schools without trashing the planet?  How large of a footprint have we left over the years from these school fundraisers?  Start now for the next school year– make an effort to sell products that have an environmental purpose.  Some easy, no-brainer eco-fundraisers are: Box Tops For Education is an uncomplicated way to raise big dollars for your school.  Simply cut out the coupons on hundreds of products. Terracycle helps eliminate waste. Schools can register on the TerraCycle site to become a member of various “brigades.” One such brigade is the Capri Sun & Honest Kids Drink Pouch Brigade.  This allows you to help keep our landfills free from drink pouches (and many other products) and in turn, TerraCycle will “upcycle” these used (and then thoroughly cleaned, of course!) into unique fashion bags, totes and pencil cases.  TerraCycle will donate $.02 for every drink pouch, cookie wrapper, yogurt container to the non-profit organization or school of our choice. Eco-phones  collects electronic waste. They not only accept cell phones, but ink cartridges, laptop/notebook computers, digital cameras, digital picture frames, and iPods. You can download the current pricelist  to see the amazing payouts.  No cost to participate and you are provided with marketing tools. Reuse This Bag  is a great educational site offering to create custom bags to sell for fundraisers.  You can order grocery bags, wine totes, as well as insulated grocery bags that are all made out of recycled polypropylene.  There is a minimum order of 500 bags. Smencils are scented pencils made from rolled sheets of newspaper in lieu of trees.  Their motto says it all: “Saving trees….one pencils at a time.” And now, their freshness containers are made from corn-based biodegradable plastic!! If your school would like to take on a larger green fundraising commitment, one such fundraising company is Greenraising.  You can help your school raise money as well as offer environmental awareness by selling eco-friendly and fairly traded products. Some of the products are Sigg water bottles, lead-free lunch boxes, reusable bags and biodegradable cleaning products.  25% of all website sales and 40% of all catalog sales go directly to your school (or non-profit organization.) Many schools have already started recycling programs, grow vegetable and butterfly gardens, and are conscious of using and consuming less.  Eco-fundraising fits nicely into this agenda. What a fabulous way to support your local school while reinforcing a positive message to both students and parents who are trying to lessen their carbon footprint.  The key is to be mindful of what and how we consume.  Don’t allow your PTA to be stuck in its bad habits! What kinds of changes have you made?  Sign up on Earth Promise and create your own list of promises that will make a difference! Tags: Box Tops, budgets, Capri Sun, carbon footprint, cell phones, change, changes, climate change, conservation, digital cameras, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, education, energy, environment, environmental, environmental issues, global warming, green, green changes, green future, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, greener economy, grocery bags, Honest Kids, ink cartridges, iPods, laptop computers, mother earth, organic, pencils, phones, PTA, public school, recycling, reuse, reusing, save money, school fundraiers, Sigg, smencils, sustainable economy, Terracycle, waste Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Our Green Hero Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 President Obama has chosen the ideal person to fight both poverty and pollution at the same time–Van Jones. Van Jones is presently the special advisor on Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.  Other credentials under his belt are: Time Magazine’s 2008 Environmental Hero; Global Green USA “Community Environmental Leadership Award 2008,” and the New York Times Bestselling author of, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems (Harper One 2008), which is endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, Tom Daschle and Al Gore.  Not bad. Jones is helping to shift our country towards a greener economy by making blue-collar green jobs more readily available.  Actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio, interviewed Van Jones for the 2009 Time Magazine’s Heros & Icons.  Jones says, “You can think about a green-collar job as a blue-collar job that’s been upgraded, or up-skilled, to better respect the environment.  (Also) these jobs not only contribute directly to preserving and enhancing environmental quality but also provide either family-supporting wages or a career ladder to move low-income workers into higher-skilled occupations.”  He is well known for his optimistic view of solving both our economic and environmental problems simultaneously.  It’s reassuring to have Jones on Obama’s team.  He is undeniably committed to making a sustainable economy part of our long term economic growth agenda. For recent articles about our tireless, green, social advocate, visit these links below: NPR’s website has a few articles about Jones that are worthy of reading: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103456763 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103358189  Green For All is an organization founded by Van Jones Listen to Van Jones’s opening statement at the SC Stimulus Hearing Start making your Earth Promises today! Tags: Al Gore, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, compost, compost bin, composting, conservation, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, economy, education, energy, energy efficient, environment, environmental, environmental issues, global warming, government, green, green changes, green future, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, green-collar jobs, greener economy, Leonardo DiCaprio, mother earth, Nancy Pelosi, organic, poverty, recycling, reusing, save money, sustainable economy, Tom Daschle, Van Jones, waste, White House Council on Environmental Quality Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

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