environmental

Support Green Charities by Buying or Selling on eBay

jplatt — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Looking for a way to support a green charity, but you don't have much cash on hand? Try selling something on eBay and donating the proceeds to the enviro-charity of your choice.

eBay's Giving Works program lets any seller choose to donate 10-100% of the proceeds of their sales to any of 14,000 charities.

Green charities registered for Giving Works include all of the biggies: the World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, Greenpeace, the NRDC and many others.

There are a few restrictions and details that sellers need to know before they list their items:

A donation of at least $5.00 is required if your listing sells (so no selling $1 items)
The donation will be collected from the payment method you put on file for donation payments (so you'll get what's left over if you donate less than 100% to charity)
You still need to pay listing fees to sell your items on Giving Works, but you'll get a 30% fee credit if your item sells
MissionFish, a registered nonprofit, collects and distributes your donation. According to eBay, they "retain a small portion of each donation to help cover their costs."
Your donation earns you a tax deduction, and you'll get all the necessary paperwork to support that deduction

You can also take advantage of this program as a buyer. Just search the Giving Works site, or search their database to find a charity that you want to support and the auctions that support the chairty of your choice.

eBay says this site helps to support non-profits while also living up to the old environmental credo of "reduce, reuse, recycle." Give it a tree and see how much you can donate as a result!

Share Your Ideas on the Environmental Defense Fund's Innovation Exchange

jplatt — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Does your company have a unique method of saving energy or acting in an eco-friendly manner? If you answered yes, then share your idea!

The Environmental Defense Fund has created a forum where you can do just that. The Innovation Exchange hosts a growing community where members can share their money- and climate-saving ideas, either by posting what has worked for them or asking questions from others who might have already solved the same problems.

The Innovation Exchange also hosts a treasure trove of information culled from the EDF's archives, including case studies, recommendations and online utilities, all sorted by environmental aspect (climate change, paper & packaging, etc.) or industry (such as healthcare or manufacturing).

Give the site a try. You may be surprised at what you find!

Offset Your Carbon Emissions While You Watch Green Videos

jplatt — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:38:01 -0400

YouTube isn't the only place to watch online videos. It also isn't the greenest. That honor probably goes to Go Green Tube, the newly launched video sharing site that focuses on environmental topics and puts its money where its microphone is.

With less than two months under its online belt, Go Green Tube already offers hundreds of videos in more than a dozen channels. Topics include how to be green, green computing, green music, organic foods, and solar power. Kids even get their own corner with material created just for them.

But even beyond the programming, Go Green Tube offers something different. For every video watched by registered users, Go Green Tube will offset one pound of carbon dioxide emissions through carbonfund.org. So far, this equals about 2,000 pounds of emissions -- not a huge amount, but one that's sure to grow quickly as people discover the site.

Give it a spin. You might like what you see.

A Greener Father's Day: Five Great Gift Ideas

jplatt — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:01:09 -0400

Let's face it, dads love gadgets. And with Father's Day around the corner, you know your dad or father-in-law is expecting something shiny and electronic from you.

So let's not disappoint. Here are five great green gadgets that would make perfect gifts for the dads in your life:

1. The SOLIO universal solar charger. This great device can charge your dad's cell phone, iPod (if he's hip enough), digital camera, or just about anything else. Solio devices start at $79.95 -- and they even have an eco-friendly gift-wrapping option!

2. The Watts Up? energy meter. Perfect for the do-it-yourself dad, these devices help to identify the energy vampires in your house. Give this gift, then watch your dad run around the whole house trying to make things more efficient!

3. ScanGuage II, the perfect automotive tool for a dad trying to cut down on his gasoline consumption.

4. An LED flashlight. Because come on, no dad can ever have enough flashlights. LEDs use even less power than CFLs, and they provide a great light for tiny and giant jobs.

5. A hand-powered lawn mower. Not only do these not use gas, and help save the planet, the exercise he gets will help cut down on that middle-age spread your dad is no doubt already building around his waist! (Just make sure he doesn't start inviting you over the mow the lawn for him!)

If none of these fit the bill for your dad, why not go the totally green route and make an environmental donation in his name. No products, no packaging, no shipping, and the money will do some good for the world. You can't go wrong with that.

Green Camera Comes with Green Promotion

jplatt — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

Are you in the market for a new digital camera? Would you like the greenest camera possible? Well, if that's the case, then Nikon and Ritz Camera would like to offer you a camera that offsets global warming gases.

Okay, the Nikon Coolpix S52 doesn't directly offset CO2, but thanks to a promotion between Nikon and Ritz, the purchase of an S52 comes with a donation to Carbonfund.org that will offset approximately one month of your carbon emissions.

According to Ritz, "Your purchase will fund the reforestation efforts of Carbonfund.org and through these efforts will offset 1.91 tons of carbon dioxide per camera sold during this promotion. This amount represents one month of the average American's carbon footprint based on U.S. Department of Energy data." The promotion aims to donate enough to eliminate 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment.

At current rates, that's about a $20 donation per camera, which ain't small change.

Like many their devices, the Coolpix S52 uses Nikon's Eco-Glass, an optical glass free of poisonous lead and arsenic, and it's manufactured with lead-free solder. Nikon also has a long-standing commitment to environmentally responsible packaging.

The Coolpix S52 is available from a number of different retailers, but Ritz Camera is the only place offering carbon offsets with purchase. It's also the only retailer offering an exclusive green-colored version of the camera, which is currently available for $199.99 with free shipping.

So, who's up for going out and taking some nature photos?

Act With Your Wallet: Do Business With Green Companies

jplatt — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

Every home and business in America relies on technology. But picking the right technology -- and the right technology provider -- can be a daunting challenge.

But if you're serious about acting green, it doesn't hurt to insist that the companies you do business also act in an environmentally responsible manner.

Sometimes that's easy. If a product is specifically marketed as "green," you have at least a few facts that you can use to help make your decision to buy it or not.

But sometimes the decision is harder, like when you're looking beyond an individual product to a company's entire environmental philosphy. Toward that end, here are just a few questions you can start to ask that can help you come up with an answer:

Do they use reclycled or recyclable materials?
Do they ship their products in an environmentally friendly manner?
Have they made any commitment to using renewable energy sources?
Can their electronic be recycled with a minimum of poisonous e-waste?
Are they involved in any causes, or do they donate to any environmental charities?

You can also rely on information that others have come up, such as these lists of "green companies":

Meanwhile, you can also look beyond your technology devices to find out if any company you buy products or services from is truly acting green. Think about your banks, grocery stores, local restaurants, etc., etc., etc.

Good information makes better green consumers. So start your research, and if you have any other criterial you use when selecting a green business partner, post a response here and let us know!

The Aroma of Green

jchatraw — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Ever since I was 11 years old, I've held daily showering as a high value. I came to that decision when I went to Disney World that summer and spent sweltering July days standing in line with people who didn't share that same value. But as I've re-evaluated my footprint on this planet, I've found myself asking those tough questions, like "Is showering daily really good for the earth?" Most people who come into daily contact with me would probably scream, "You showering is good for all of the earth's inhabitants."

Sometimes, it's healthy to consider such questions and how the daily habits of our culture have impacted the earth. In Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day, authors Brangien Davis and Katharine Wroth propose simple ways we can actually do something. It's fun, pithy and practical.

Here's a green nugget from the book ... and the answer to my all-consuming question about showering:

"Most people consider bathing a fairly crucial part of the daily routine. But for those who worry about global water resources gurgling down the drain, the mere prospect of washing up can be a downer. Very few bathers have the time, space, or stamina to limit water usage to barrel-collected rainwater heated in solar sacks. Which means many of you are left standing on the bathmat, shivering in your skivvies, wondering which wastes less water—a shower or a bath?

"The answer will vary depending on how long your showers are, how many gallons rain down from your showerhead each minute, how big your bathtub is, and how high you fill it when you soak. But tuck this into your robe pocket: a five-minute shower uses about a third as much water as a full bath. Whichever route you choose, there are simple things you can do to ensure your bathing experience is as water-friendly as a sea turtle:

Fix any leaks around the faucet or showerhead (even small trickles add up to gallons of water wasted per week)
Buy aerators for all of your faucets. these are mesh faucet ends that can cut the gallons-per-minute water usage by up to 40%. (They are easy to attach, but they may need occasional rising when clogged.)
Get a low-flow showerhead, easily installable by even a tepidly intrepid person. You'll cut your water usage from about 5 gallons a minute to 2.5 gallons a minute."

Want to Recycle Your Running Shoes?

kbutler — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

With the recent Los Angeles marathon, I started wondering – first, how do runners manage to run more than 20 miles and not die? (Okay, maybe that’s just me…) And second, when they do train for said killer marathons, what do they do with their worn-out running shoes? Luckily, the answer presented itself when I ran (so to speak) across a site called RecycledRunners.com. This site that offers the web’s first national shoe recycling and donation directory. It provides an awesome source of information for those interested in sparing their running shoes from a landfill burial. You can also buy a new pair of sneakers on the site’s retail partner, Zappos. Do you have a shoe donation program you want to get the word out on? The site has an easy way to add it to the directory. And best of all, each month RecycledRunners.com donates 50% of the proceeds of purchases made through Zappos to a featured Charity of the Month.

Founder Dorian Quispe, an experienced marathoner, started the site after an adventurous race in Peru called the Inca Trail marathon. After the race organizer suggested the runners bring their old shoes to donate to trail Sherpas, Quispe decided to take the idea global. A 2007 marathon in Switzerland further cinched the deal after Quispe was impressed at how very clean and environmentally conscious the Swiss were. (They make good chocolate, too!) As Quispe puts it, “After training and dedicating yourself to be a marathon runner, finding a green place for your shoes should be the easy part. Running is hard, giving is easy.”

Eco-Friendly Gardening

jchatraw — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With spring lurking in the air, it's time to get outside and start those gardens for the eco-addicts and plant lovers. These days, planting something green in your yard is just a good idea—plus, you just might discover the joy of nurturing plants and vegetables to full maturity.

Douglas Tallamy has written an insightful book entitled Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens that presents some great ideas on how to create an eco-friendly garden, even in the middle of the city.

Here's a green nugget from the book:

"We can no longer hope to coexist with other animals if we continue to wage war on their homes and food supplies. This simple tenet provides an imperative, particularly for the bird and butterfly lovers among us, to fight invasive aliens as if it really matters and to reevaluate our centuries-old love affair with alien ornamentals. ... Gardening with natives is no longer just a peripheral option favored by vegetarians and erstwhile hippies. It is an important part of a paradigm shift in our shaky relationship with the planet that sustains us—one that mainstream gardeners can no longer afford to ignore."

Happy gardening!

Green Design Gets Groovy

kbutler — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As I was checking out the latest issue of Popular Mechanics in my dentists’ office (not at all because the latest issue of People was taken up by a surly-looking woman with a swollen jaw) I came across an interesting entry. In their latest issue, Pop Mech (cuz that’s how it looks in my head) provides a list of the top smart green home designs out there. And let me tell you, there’s some cool stuff. As the article lays out green design: “The principles are simple: Use materials wisely, conserve water and energy, save money in the long term, and create surroundings that are safe and healthy.” From soybean sealings to rescued wood floors to green beer (and no, I’m talking a St. Patrick’s Day tradition), this is a list essential to anyone building a green building or doing a green remodel. Apparently while drunk, but that’s beside the point. Here are some of the goodies laid out for us:

Amazon Environmental accepts all types of water-based paints for reprocessing. Half are recycled into high-quality paints, and the rest are turned into specialty additives for cement. Cool!

Smith and Fog’s Bamboo Ply-Wood is “an emissions-free alternative to pressed-wood products containing glues with toxic formaldehyde.” That and they don’t cut down trees to use it. The trees will thank you for it – especially after a night of green beer.

Helio Volts’ solar cells are so thin they will eventually making it cost-effective for even windows and exterior cladding to become power sources. It’s easy renewable energy.

New Belgium Brewing in Colorado has devised a system from hops in to beer out for designed for greater green efficiency. Not sure how this fits into green design, but it sure sounds awesomely tasty.

Props to Popular Mechanics for compiling this must-have list for the green designer. Unless you don’t want “a house that can sell energy to the grid, a countertop made from glass that would otherwise go to a landfill, and a cable that wires sunlight through solid walls.” Clearly they mean, unless you are nuts!