Archive for December, 2009

Green Magazine Back In January

December 18th, 2009

Green Magazine will launch its second season on the Discovery Channel on January 7, 2010.

Produced by Worldwide Digital Communications, the television series features American ecology and energy conscious companies and organizations.

Green Magazine’s second season lineup will include four of America’s greenest companies and a Colorado State University recognized for its global and environmental sustainability. The companies are Dell; the Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) partnership; Johnson Controls and and Penn Manufacturing.

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How To Move Greener

December 16th, 2009

Flatrate MovingPhotos 2 079

Will you be moving soon and want to do it greener?  American company FlatRate Moving & Storage offers excellent tips to lower your next move’s environmental impact.

Here are the company’s tips:

Use Recycled Boxes. “Most professional movers offer lightly used cardboard boxes for free, you just need to ask.  Once moved in and unpacked, ask your movers if they will pick-up your boxes for someone else to reuse, if not be sure to recycle your boxes!”

Try Biodegradable Tape. “One of the most used and overlooked materials when moving is tape!  A quick Google search will turn up several environmentally friendly tape options.”

Move Fewer Things. “Holding a garage sale is a great way to get rid of unwanted things, while also making money to help offset the cost of a move.  For items you can’t sell dispose of them the right way – Recycle electronics, Donate unwanted clothes, Donate your pantry to a local food charity etc.”

» Read more: How To Move Greener

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New & Hot Green Gifts

December 15th, 2009

NigelsEcoStoreI LOVE big New & Hot Green Gifts

If you’re wondering what you’ll give to loved ones, UK online shop Nigel’s Eco Store has some great Christmas gift ideas.  Here are what’s new and hot in green gifts at Nigel’s Eco Store this Christmas:

  • For parents: I Love Recycling – Peter Blake limited edition tin plate £45 (above)
  • For him: Cork case for laptops £21.99
  • For her: Recycled wool Yellow Bobble Hat £13.99
  • For teens: special offer solio charger for phones £36.99
  • For kids: Pedalite safety light for cyclists £39.99
  • For babes: Eco Excavator solar powered toys £14.99
  • For the house: plantable heart shape Xmas decorations and gift tags £4.50
  • For the house: handpresso espresso coffee maker £83.99
  • For energy watchers: Radiator Boosters as seen on Dragon’s Den £19.99

For more online shopping, visit Nigel’s Eco Store.

Image courtesy of Nigel’s EcoStore

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100+ Sustainable Gift Ideas

December 14th, 2009

WorldVisionANIM Alpaca1 2 731x1024 100+ Sustainable Gift Ideas

Have you thought about sustainable gifts this Christmas?  You can find 100+ sustainable gifts worldwide in the 2009 World Vision Gift Catalog. The catalog features gifts “that truly make a difference for families in need – including gifts that encourage more sustainable living in communities around the world.”

One main World Vision initiative is rural, farming programs which invest in long-term agricultural development.  Related gifts include seeds and tools to assist farmers in their harvest and training community members in new agricultural techniques (crop rotation, drip irrigation, and planting trees).

» Read more: 100+ Sustainable Gift Ideas

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3 Green Stocking Stuffers

December 11th, 2009

Grassrootsstore2010 eco coil calendar large 3 Green Stocking Stuffers

What green stocking stuffers will you be giving away this Christmas?

Grassroots Environmental Products features a sparkling selection of green stocking stuffers in their 2009 Gift Guide of sustainable and stylish items created by eco-savvy designers and artisans.

Here are 3 green stocking stuffers:

Plantable Calendar (above) : “Start planting (or at least planning) your garden in January with this 12 page seed-embedded calendar.  Each month brings a unique Scandinavian-inspired design and wildflower seeds, inspiring the green thumb in everyone.”

Jute iPod Case: “Listening to your music just got more sustainable. Forget your traditional toxic plastic ipod case, now you can keep your ipod in this environmentally friendly jute case.  Complete with an adjustable Velcro strap for taking your music anywhere, this jute ipod case just upped your “green” cred.”

Widu Brushes: “Beauty queens everywhere can say hello to the green choice for hairbrushes. This sleek, coif-crafter is produced from forest-friendly wood sources and is coloured with non-toxic water resistant colours.”

For more green gift ideas, check out Grassroots online.

Image courtesy of Grassroots Environmental Products

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EarthCare Challenge Finalists Chosen

December 10th, 2009
freephoto1 water fall EarthCare Challenge Finalists Chosen

Six “eco-oblivious” Americans have been chosen as finalists in the Hickory Springs EarthCare Challenge.  They will now advance on a 45-day sustainable lifestyle makeover for a chance to win their own personal collection of earth-friendly home furnishings.

The finalists are:

Ray Bariso, a business manager from Warren, New Jersey.

My Bui, a kinesiology student at California State University.

Idona Cabrinha, a mother of two from Los Osos, California.

» Read more: EarthCare Challenge Finalists Chosen

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Calling All Eco-Fashionistas

December 9th, 2009

Eco Fashionista1-2

If you’re into eco-fashion, then you’ll want to check out new site Eco Fashionista from Australia.

Created by Alex Hume, Eco Fashionista is an online eco fashion boutique, featuring green and chic clothing, accessories and gifts.  The store stocks eclectic clothing and accessories by labels including Ciel, Cylk, Good Society, Minna, Sublet, Canopy Verde, Beyond Skin, Loup Charmant, Ashley Watson Recycled Leather and Fifi Bijoux.

Says Hume:

“Eco Fashionista is all about chic, bespoke pieces. For the site, I have chosen ranges which couple style with strong sustainability credentials. The designers I work with are proving that fashion can be green and sustainable.”

All high-end and bespoke pieces featured are marked according to their eco-credentials.  For example, the terms used include organic, natural,  recycled, fairly made, vintage/remnant, eco-conscious production, locally sourced, artisan made and hand/custom made.

Image courtesy of Eco Fashionista

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How To Green Your Christmas

December 8th, 2009

How can you green your Christmas and reduce your carbon footprint this holiday season?

Wake Forest University Director of Sustainability Dedee DeLongpre Johnston offers these excellent green Christmas tips:

Use sustainable gift-wrap.  “Consider saving and re-using holiday wrapping paper just as your grandmother once did. Or wrap your gifts in pretty fabric that can be used for other purposes.”

Decorate with energy-efficient lighting. “While many people still use standard incandescent holiday bulbs, decorative LED lights are now available in a variety of holiday shapes and colors. In addition to having a much longer lifespan than standard lights, LEDs also reduce fire risks because they stay cool to the touch.”

Give consumable gifts. “Most of us don’t need any more stuff, or as DeLongpre Johnston points out, we’re all “stuffed out.” So consider giving the gift of services instead, or goods that can be consumed. Some ideas include massages, pedicures, tickets to sporting events, gift certificates for restaurants and other similar pampering treats. Other options would be to give consumable gifts that keep on giving all year long like a membership to a Wine of the Month Club or a monthly delivery of seasonal fruits grown locally.”

» Read more: How To Green Your Christmas

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Inside COP15 Launches

December 7th, 2009

COP15 LOGO B M Inside COP15 Launches

Are you following COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009?

Then you might want to check out the online video blog Inside Cop15 aimed at keeping the pressure on world leaders at the Copenhagen climate change summit.

World conservation organisation WWF  has partnered with Green TV and Greenfilm to create the live and on-demand online video service which will operate round the clock for the two weeks of the talks.

The blog covers breaking news stories, comment and analysis, side events, demonstrations, cultural happenings and alternative summits.  Inside COP15 will also be creating some on-demand video podcasts daily and a live-streamed talk show each evening.

Says WWF’s Martin Atkin, Executive Producer of Inside COP15:

“The whole point is to allow people all over the world to feel as if they too can participate in the Copenhagen climate change talks. The eyes of the world will be on Copenhagen, expecting a global deal on climate change, and there is a massive demand to be part of that process. We will be covering everything from the latest developments in the negotiations to what the food is like in the convention centre – and everything in between. These talks are a serious business, but there’s plenty of room to have fun as well. We’ll be avoiding the grey men in grey suits talking in jargon – we aim to be accessible and authoritative, informal and informative.”

Image above courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

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Track My Eco-Fashion

December 4th, 2009

AnvilKnitwear490B Light Blue OM product Track My Eco FashionAnvil Knitwear has launched an interactive website that chronicles  the journey and environmental impact of a t-shirt, from cotton-seed to consumer.

The TrackMyT.com site specifically tracks t-shirts for youth ages two to 12.  It  allows users to explore cotton farms, a gin and spinners and Anvil’s textile mill, cut and sew plants, and distribution facility.  To access this information, they input a unique tracking number printed on their shirt.

Designed for kids and adults, the site features surprise pop-up messages and graphics and lesson plans for teachers that focus on the environmental, historical and social aspects of manufacturing, buying and owning a t-shirt.

TrackMyT.com is a response to the recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which this year required manufacturers of children’s products to provide labels allowing consumers to trace the product’s history.

» Read more: Track My Eco-Fashion

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