President Obama sees a green future for America

This article gives me hope.  At a time when so many jobs are being lost, wouldn't it be great if we could create some.  And I know the price of oil has plummetted because of the global recession, but it is not always going to be cheap.  Plus, global warming is not going to stop just because we are in a recession.   Carbon dioxide is still accumulating in the atmosphere.   Scientists said on Monday that it would take 1,000 years or more for climate changes already triggered to be reversed.   The results of their study are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Natural beauty with just one ingredient

Excerpted from Body + Soul magazine:

Sour cream: It can be used as a moisturizing face mask and gentle exfoliant.

Its lactic acid (an alpha-hydroxy acid) helps speed cell turnover, brightening dull complexions.  The natural fats restore skin’s moisture. 

Smooth 1-2 tablespoons of cool, full-fat sour cream in a thin layer over a clean face and neck with your fingertips.  Avoid your eye and lip area.  Remove the mask with a wet wash cloth after 7-10 minutes.  Then splash with warm water and pat dry.

Chamomile tea: It can be used as a calming compress. 

Chamomile is a natural anti-inflammatory, reducing redness and puffiness around the eyes.  It also soothes irritated complexions.

Place a clean washcloth in cool chamomile tea steeped to a golden yellow and let it soak. 

Apply it to the skin as a compress.  Rest on the area of puffiness for at least 10 minutes before rinsing and drying. 

Almond oil: It can be used as a hand moisturizer.

With its light texture and infusion of Vitamin E, almond oil quickly penetrates dry skin and protects hands and nails from environmental damage. 

Rub 1 teaspoon of oil into hands and cuticles, then place each hand in an old, clean sock and allow oil to penetrate for at least 5 minutes.  Wipe the excess oil off hands, but don’t rinse because the remaining oil will be absorbed over the next few minutes. 

Pineapple: It can be used as a foot rub. 

Bromelain, an enzyme present in the flesh of the pineapple, breaks down protein bonds and aids with the sloughing of dead skin cells.  It is especially good at softening the calloused skin on feet. 

Puree 1 cup of fresh pineapple in a blender or food processor until smooth.  With feet in a washbasin, massage the puree into soles, heels, and between toes.  After 7-10 minutes, rinse feet with warm water and dry. 

Kiwi: It can be used as a facial scrub. 

Its high Vitamin C levels fight free-radical damage and even out skin texture.  When scrubbed on the face, the seeds act as exfoliators, leaving skin smooth.

Peel and slice a ripe kiwi, and mash the flesh thoroughly with a fork.  With circular motions, work the paste onto damp, clean face, avoiding lip and eye areas.  After 30-60 seconds of scrubbing, rinse skin with warm water and pat dry.

Olive oil: It can be used as hair conditioner. 

Rich in Vitamin E and fatty acids, olive oil is great for moisturizing brittle and overstyled hair.

Comb several tablespoons of “light” olive oil through hair, working from roots to ends, before showering.  Then cover hair with a shower cap.  After showering for 5-7 minutes, remove the cap.  Shampoo, rinse, and condition as usual.      

Save money and energy with these electronics

• If you are considering buying a stereo, don't.  An MP3 player is a much greener choice.  A stereo uses 120 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, you'll spend $13.20, and using it will put 206 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  An MP3 player, however, has a much smaller footprint.  It will only use 6 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, cost you $0.66, and its use will put 10 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  
  
• If you are considering cable versus satellite, go with satellite service if it is available to you. Digital cable uses 239 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, will cost you $26.29, and puts 410 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Satellite, on the other hand, uses 124 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $13.64, and will put 213 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  
• A desktop computer uses 255 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $28.05, and emits 437 pounds of carbon dioxide.  A laptop, though, only uses 83 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $9.13, and emits 142 pounds of carbon dioxide.
• A cordless, landline phone uses 26 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $2.86, and emits 45 pounds of carbon dioxide.  A cellular phone uses 3 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $0.33, and emits 5 pounds of carbon dioxide.  
• If you are going to break down and get that giant TV that you've been eyeing for a long time, then get an LCD rather than a plasma TV.  The plasma TV, on average, uses 441 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $48.51, and emits 756 pounds of carbon dioxide. But an LCD only uses 77 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costs $8.47, and emits 132 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Remember to recycle all of your old electronics too.  Don't just throw them away!                

Fuji launches landfill-safe batteries at CES...not that you should throw batteries away at all

I guess Yahoo is on a green kick tonight.  Here is another bit of news I just came across.

Fuji launches landfill-safe batteries at CES

By Hank Green

Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 3:54pm PST

Related topics: Electronics, Recycling, Pollution

More from EcoGeek blog

You really should recycle your batteries. But let's be honest, at one point or another, we've all thrown them away, contributing to the toxic pollution of our ground water. And while I'm not going to throw EcoGeek's full weight behind any battery that isn't rechargeable, it is nice to see Fuji's new take on the battery.

The EnviroMax batteries contain no mercury, cadmium or PVC and they are encased in plastic instead of steel. In fact, Fuji claims that the batteries (while 100% recycleable) are safe for landfills. We're still waiting to see if they're awarded RoHS certification, but I imagine they will be.

But, once again, I encourage you all to use rechargeable batteries, and to dispose of them correctly at the end of their useful lives.

  

I just saw this on Yahoo News.  It is from Planet Green's web site.  I thought that I would pass it along.  

7 Ways to Get Rid of Unwanted CDs

Now that music has gone digital how can we responsibly get rid of our CDs?

By Josh Peterson
Los Angeles, CA, USA | Tue Jan 20 11:00:00 EST 2009

José Luis Gutiérrez/iStock

READ MORE ABOUT:
E-Waste | Recycling | Reduce Reuse Recycle |Technology | Waste Disposal 

Recently, a commenter asked how could he get rid of his old CDs? Luckily, Planet Green had an article about reusing CDs, but it didn't have an article about other ways to deal with them. Well, now it does.

Why is this Green?
By selling your unwanted CDs to resellers, you decrease demand for the CDs. Therefore, new copies of the Cds won't have to be produced as often and materials will be saved.

1. Sell them Online
   Like DVDs, you can sell CDs online.SecondSpin.com and CashForCDs are just two of the many online buyers available.


2. Trade/Sell Them at Your Local Record Store
   Make sure to call ahead before you traipse on down to the record store. If you have a bag full of Vanilla Ice, Insane Clown Posse, Ninety Eight Degrees, Kings X and Ratt, there is a good chance that they will not buy or trade these from you. Don't waste gas. Call ahead.


3. Donate them to Charity
   You can donate CDs to the troops. You can donate CDs to public libraries. You can donate CDs to children's hospitals. You can also donate to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Each of these places will provide you with a tax receipt.


4. Organize a CD Swap Party
   Invite your friends over to trade albums that they don't want any more.


5. Record Over Them
   If your disc is a CD-RW, you can record over the music that's on the disc as many times as you like. If your disc is a CD-R, you are kind of stuck with whatever is on the disc.

Part II: Dealing With Bad Recordings, Broken Discs, Un-tradable Discs and CD-Rs Containing Yanni


6. Recycle CDs
   The CD Recycling Center of America will take those CDs off of your hands and make sure that the materials get used again. Check out these further recycling tips from Treehugger's Eco-Geek.


7. Use a Pear to Erase a CD-R?
   One guy thinks that he can make a CD-R rewritable by soaking it in pear juice. He made a video. It seems like a long shot, but I don't have the time or materials (a pear) to try this right now, so I'll add it to this list in the hope that maybe there is some truth to this or that science can be advanced in some way by the video.

Where Can I Recycle _____________?

I just found an awesome web site for finding places to recycle stuff.  

LIME's Guide to Recycling

Also, check out my previous blog entry also called Where Can I Recycle ____________?

You know, it was just really bothering me that I had to throw away bread bags and the plastic wrapping that most toilet paper comes in. But LIME's guide says that Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and Wegman's Food Marts accepts ALL plastic bags, 1-7.

How a "green" sandwich led to green opportunities

A week ago I had a craving for a sandwich--but not just Subway or Potbelly's.  I wanted a really good sandwich, and I remembered this place I had eaten at a year ago called Hannah's Bretzel.  They are Chicago's first organic carry-out eatery, and they also serve everything in 100% biodegradable containers and cups, in addition to recycling in-store.  They also have a "green" policy that shows they really care about the environment and people's health too.  They have newspapers in-store, in addition to pamphlets and green magazines like Conscious Choice that are free.  Check out their web site instead and save some trees.    

I found something that I had never known about--the Winter 2008 Program Schedule for the Chicago Center for Green Technology. Green Tech U offers free classes in everything green, in addition to some classes given by the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance that cost $90.  But the best thing is that you can get a certificate from Green Tech U in one of the following subject areas: Architecture, Building & Construction Management, Engineering, Green Business, Green Home & Garden, and Interior Design.  I am getting a certificate in Green Business.  

My first class was yesterday.  It was called Introduction to Sustainable Business--Principles.  It was taught by Burt Klein, an executive at a green business called PortionPac and Peter Nicholson, President and Executive Director at Foresight Design Initiative.  It was really interesting, but I also realized that I am really informed when it comes to green business and sustainability.  

All of the newsletters that I get emailed to me help keep me informed.  I get three from GreenBiz.com.  One on green business, one on green design, and one on green tech.  I also get a newsletter from the Foresight Design Initiative called Chicago Sustainability Hub. Sign up for it here.  Staying informed and educated about all things green will not only make you a more desirable job applicant but a more informed consumer as well.                       

Eco News

From the January 2008 Conscious Choice magazine - 

In the living library, everyone is an open book.  Founded in Europe by Ronni Abergel, a Danish anti-violence activist, the Living Library stages events around the world and has just been introduced in the US.  "What we really need to do is give each person a chance to be seen and heard as an individual," explains Abergel.  And a library is the perfect, neutral place to start the dialogue.  "Readers" check out "books" by sitting down and talking to individuals whose lifestyles fall prey to preconceived notions-everyone from Buddhists to homeless people to police officers to vegans.

For Chicagoans, get over $8000 in local green savings with the 2008-2009 MeGoGreen Savings Guide for only $20.  It is Chicagoland's path to living green.

To-Go Ware for those people who want to get food to go without all the waste of styrofoam containers and plastic utensils.  They produce stainless steel food carriers, cotton carrier bags, ceramic cups, and a utensil set made of bamboo along with a 100% recycled plastic holder.  

The EcoUsable bottle is a BPA-free, non-leaching stainless steel water bottle that filters your water as you drink it.  They claim to remove 99.99% of pollutants as you drink.  

Boskke Sky Planters are low-maintenance, air-purifying plants that hang down from the ceiling and are self-watering, provided that you refill them once or twice per month.  They conserve water and floor space and are especially nice for people with little living space and/or people with pets.

From the January/February Body + Soul magazine - 

Instead of tossing all of those holiday cards, mail them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children.  The nonprofit uses donated greeting cards to create new card sets, and the proceeds help abused children.              

Eco News

From the December 2008 Body + Soul magazine -  

Three cities are elevating recycling to the next level - San Francisco, Minneapolis and Toronto all accept leftover food and yard clippings and turn them into compost.  

Two reusable bags that are not only collapsable for easy carrying, but they are also made from recycled materials.  CarryEco from TokyoBay and Trek Light tote.  The CarryEco is made from recycled plastic and the Trek Light tote is made from leftover hammock materials.  

Next time you need to ship something, instead of using styrofoam peanuts or any other environmentally-unfriendly packing material, consider these natural alternatives - 

edible peanuts in the shell, air-popped popcorn, tattered t-shirts or any worn-out fabric, and any hard candy in wrappers.  

University of Washington scientists tested six top-selling laundry products and air fresheners and determined that each product contained one or more chemicals that government agencies deemed toxic or hazardous (such as acetone, limonene, acetaldehyde, and 1,4-dioxane).  The study, which did not disclose the names of the products, also found that the chemicals were not listed on the labels. For a list of independently screened nontoxic household goods search for "cleaning products" at Co-op America's National Green Pages.        

Green web sites to check out

Funding Factory: Acting as a facilitator for schools and non-profits, encouraging them to collect empty printer cartridges and old mobile phones from parents and local businesses to raise funds from recycling.  

In ten years, more than 112,000 schools and non-profits are registered collection centers that have raised more than $20 million dollars.

Green For All: A national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

One Greener: a company that works with small to large companies, municipalities, and schools to develop citizenship and sustainability efforts around training and staff innovation. 

Green Biz: A great source for green business news.

Book Mooch: Give books away and get books you want.

Center for the New American Dream: they have found creative ways to get people to think about their buying habits.

Mr. Ellie Pooh: This paper is made from 100% recycled materials and manufactured using renewable energy.  The Sri-Lankan paper is toxin-free and uses only basic bonding agents along with water soluble dyes for coloring purposes.  It also offers the ideal pH for photography preservation.   

            

What exactly is green IT?

People use the term green IT so often now, it is assumed that there is a definition for it.  And the definition is widely known and accepted.  But is this really the case?  Green IT to one person could mean consolidating their servers, while green IT to someone else could mean recycling old computers and other IT equipment.  Certainly, the definition of green IT should include both of these, but also so much more.  Green IT is also known as green computing.  Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently and accounting for the triple bottom line.  It begins with the manufacturing of environmentally-responsible IT products like computers, servers, and printers.  It continues by implementing these products in conjunction with a policy that promotes energy-efficiency and the maximum use of these resources.  The loop closes with the proper recycling and disposal of all electronic waste generated.

Buying energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly IT equipment is now easier than ever before.  The Green Electronics Council has recently joined forces with EcoLogo, a well-known North American certification program managed by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.  The Green Electronics Council manages EPEAT or the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, which is an online tool that informs organizations of the environmental criteria of electronic products.  EcoLogo currently certifies thousands of products in dozens of categories.  This partnership will make it easier to certify and promote electronics that are energy-efficient, easily recyclable, and free of toxic chemicals.  In addition, the EPA’s Energy Star program rates electronics based on their energy-efficiency.  Greenpeace even puts out an annual report card on electronics manufacturers called .  It ranks companies based upon their policies concerning toxic chemicals, recycling, and climate change. 

There are several organizations you can join, as well, if you want to be among like-minded green company.  The Think Green Alliance is an organization that seeks to build a community of businesses and organizations that are like-minded in their commitment to providing environmentally-friendly and sustainable services, products, and goods.  The Green Grid is a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy-efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. 

To ensure the entire life cycle of your electronics are taken into account, there are two major guidelines, both European, to keep in mind.  The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive ensures that newly manufactured electronics contain acceptable levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.  The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive seeks to reduce the disposal of electronic waste through reuse, recycling, and recovery.  In order to ensure that your electronic waste is indeed getting properly recycled, be sure to look for environmentally-responsible recyclers who follow standards set forth by the Basel Action Network as part of its Computer TakeBack Campaign’s Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship.

Green IT is an important component for any organization trying to put their environmentally-friendly foot forward.  This is the year to move ahead with power management software, consolidating servers, and making those data centers more energy-efficient.  When companies move forward with those and other green initiatives, 2009 should prove to be a great year for green IT. 

Now that you got that new gadget for Christmas...

So Santa got you what you wanted this Christmas.  He got you the latest notebook, or the newest and most energy-efficient refrigerator. Before you kick those old electronics and/or appliances to the curb, check out these resources first.  

HP Consumer Buyback and Planet Partners Recycling Program

Best Buy Greener Together

Earth911

EPA's eCycling Program

Ebay's EZtradein.com

Gcycle

Remember, we only have one Earth.  Each decision we make can impact the planet in a positive way if we only stop to think before we throw away.  

Eco News

From the Nov./Dec. 2008 E: The Environmental Magazine - 

Save money on gas and reduce carbon emissions by carpooling. Some web sites with free resources to check out: 

Carpool CREW: Matches people based on many criteria.

DivideTheRide: People can organize carpool calendars with people they know.

eRideShare: Connects commuters traveling in the same direction.

If you are a Facebook addict, and many are, check out their Carpool application.

Real Christmas trees are actually better for the environment: Artificial trees are likely to be from China and contain both lead and PVC, and can even cause an allergic reaction.  Real pine trees are crops. When farmers cut down a tree, they plant a new one.  And if you can find a local tree farm that does not use chemical pesticides, so much the better.  After Christmas, recycle your tree or even plant it in a barrel for next year. 

From the November 2008 Body + Soul magazine -  

In 7,100 US communities, residents can no longer afford to ignore their eco-footprint.  The waste-reduction program known as Pay-As-You-Throw has helped to eliminate from 4.6 to 8.3 million tons of solid waste each year.  PAYT programs lead to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as well-up to 3.8 million metric tons of carbon equivalents annually-as a result of lower overall processing costs.  To find out more, visit the EPA's web site.  

Ways to reduce your solid waste: Recycle, Compost, Buy Used or Barter for things you need.

Something stinky lurking in those air fresheners: For the estimated 75% of American households using air fresheners, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that 12 out of 14 common air fresheners (including those marked "all natural" or "unscented") contained hormone-disrupting chemicals.  

For a more natural breath of fresh air, try opening your windows.  Or try an essential-oil spray you can make yourself by combining 30-40 drops of up to 3 different oils with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle and shake well before use.  

Stationery you can feel good writing home about:

Crane & Co. uses textile waste for its 100% cotton stationery and note cards. 

Smock uses sustainable bamboo paper printed with vegetable, low-VOC inks for its letterpress stationery.

Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company uses elephant dung to create stationery sets and notebooks.