Posts Tagged ‘green effect’

Disney’s Got The Power Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 “Help Save the planet, one drop at a time!  Just imagine what we can do, send it on….” These inspirational words and lyrics are the quintessential mantra from Disney these days.  A small scale, tweeners Band-Aid-esque group (remember, We are the World?) has been formed, called, Disney Friends for Change: Project Green.  Their environmental message, via song (Send It On) is the eco-zeitgeist.  Disney knows what it’s doing.  They have the ideal captive audience using their most popular talents.  Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez are the star power behind this green initiative.  Using all media forms to invite young people to make a difference, Disney Friends For Change can be seen and heard on Disney Channel, XD, Radio Disney Channel and Disney.com. So what is this tweener’s green initiative all about?  It is a new program that encourages kids to pledge to change their daily habits to help the environment.  It’s quite simple: you go to the site , register and make pledges (or promises) to make our earth a better place.  Hey, if these hip youngsters are doing it, why not you?!  At least that is Disney’s thought process.  The pledges to choose from are under specified headings: climate, water, waste, and habitat.  After making your initial “pledges,” kids can  then “Send it on” (to other friends to spread the word.)  Disney’s Worldwide Conservation Fund receives 100% of the proceeds when people purchase  the song, Send It On through iTunes. As well as learning bits of environmental information and tracking their pledges, kids can have a voice by deciding how Disney will donate one million dollars to charitable environmental projects.  So far to date as a result of their votes: • $100,000 will help protect arctic wildlife, including polar bears, from the effects of climate change (to be implemented by Wildlife Conservation Society). • $50,000 will be contributed to the Children’s Forest in Los Angeles, where kids can help plant new trees (to be implemented by San Bernardino National Forest Association). • $50,000 will help protect endangered tropical forests in the Philippines (to be implemented by Birdlife International and its partner, Haribon). • $25,000 will be donated to help end deforestation and introduce fuel efficient stoves to protect local habitats in Rwanda (to be implemented by CHF International). • $25,000 will go towards helping end the deforestation in Central Mexico’s Oyamel forest (to be implemented by ECOLIFE Foundation). • $10,000 will help replant trees in wildfire-damaged Florida state forests (to be implemented by Arbor Day Foundation). If spreading environmental stewardship utilizing top talents helps the planet, then Disney’s doing a good job. Come to Earth Promise, a grown-up version, to make your promises (pledges)!!! Tags: carbon footprint, change, changes, children, climate change, conservation, Demi Lovato, design, disney, Disney Friends for Change, 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, habits, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, outdoors, pledge, recycling, recycling bins, Selena Gomez, tree hugger, water bottles Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

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 »

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 »