John Platt
John R. Platt is a journalist, humorist, activist and publicist
specializing in environmental issues, entrepreneurship and technology. He founded Extinction Blog, the world's first news source devoted entirely to endangered species, which is now published by Plenty Magazine. He has written for Kyoto Planet, Today's Engineer, Experience.com, and numerous other publishers. He can be found online at http://www.johnrplatt.com
Blog
Carry the Power of the Sun on Your Back Jul 22, 2008
New Solar Backpack Offers Inexpensive Charging for Portable Devices
Do you carry a lot of portable devices with you? Well now you can charge them on the go with the new solar backpack from gadget4all.com. While solar backpacks aren't new, this latest model is priced at just $48 -- less... more
New Lenovo Laptop Earns PC Magazine's GreenTech Seal of Approval Jul 18, 2008
ThinkPad X200 Uses Just 14 Watts When Idle
I'm in the market for a new laptop, but as a responsible buyer, I want to make sure I pick a computer that uses as little energy as possible and which has been manufactured using environmentally responsible methods. The new Lenovo... more
Save Energy by Installing Motion-Sensitive Lighting Jul 17, 2008
Okay, you've installed CFL light bulbs in your house to save energy, but what's the next step for saving energy and saving money? How about installing motion sensors to automatically turn some of your lights on and off? Motion sensors are... more
Create a WWF Web Page to Help Spread Your Environmental Message Jul 15, 2008
Free Panda Pages Highlight Your Green Passions
Looking for a way to talk about your environmental passions online, and maybe raise some money in the process? The World Wildlife Fund has a new program called Panda Pages to help you do just that. With just a few... more
How to Recycle Your Old Cell Phone Jul 11, 2008
Keep Those Toxic Devices Out of Landfills
According to recent reports, there are more than 3 billion cell phone subscriptions worldwide. That's a lot of phones, and a lot of toxic waste when those little devices aren't disposed of properly. In the U.S. alone, less than 10%... more
Five Green-Tech Ways to Use Less Paper Jul 10, 2008
Let's Make the "Paperless Office" a Reality
Are you using too much paper in your job? According to reduce.org, the average office worker uses a shocking 10,000 pages of per ever year. Averaged out to 200 work days, that's 50 sheets of paper every single day! But... more
Save Water with a Smart Sprinkler Jul 8, 2008
Cyber-Rain Uses 30-70% Less Water
Got lawn? If so, then you've probably started watering it already this season. But have you given much thought to your water bills, and how much water you are using? One way to reduce your water consumption is with a new... more
Greener Business Cards a Click Away Jul 4, 2008
Moo Offers Recycled-Paper Business Cards with Your Images
If you're an artist, photographer or crafter, Moo.com now offers a new way to order business cards -- using your own designs -- on recycled paper. Like all of Moo's printing products, you can upload your own images or let Moo... more
Greenpeace grades the greenest electronics Jul 3, 2008
Sony Ericsson phones top the list; Nintendo and Microsoft at the bottom
For the eighth time in the last two years, Greenpeace has ranked electronics manufactuers according to their policies and manufacturing procedures to come up with a list of the "greenest" electronics makers. Companies were ranked on their efforts to reduce e-waste... more
High gas prices + greenhouse gases = time for an electric mower Jul 1, 2008
Five options to green your lawn-mowing
With summer in full swing, your lawn growing longer by the minute, and gas prices going sky-high, it might be time to get finally rid of your old, gas-guzzling mowers. Still not convinced? A recent EPA study might help make... more
These are great tips.
Also, http://www.conservatree.com has a handy little footer you can add to your emails, encouraging people NOT to print the email. Several levels, but there's a free version that works great.
Chris H.
www.premiereglobal.com
The non-profit advocacy group let me know about their excellent video, "The Secret Life of Cell Phones." Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkbpiL9UsY8
Not Green Enough For My Book.
At Bizcard, (a real socially responsible Web-To-Print service not just a bunch of greenwash PR) we believe in putting back what we take from the environment. Every step we take can leave a cleaner, safer world for our children. We do this by using the best quality most environmentally friendly materials available. Our water-based inks prevent us from dumping harmful chemicals into our water table and provide high quality printing at almost no cost to the environment. We take advantage of the fact all paper is a renewable resource and is recyclable. By providing our customers with only high quality recycled paper products we strongly believe that we take far less from the earth than any of our competitors. In addition to these measures, Bizcard has gone one step further by partnering with the American Forest Foundation to plant a tree for every order we receive.
The trees we plant will help to rebuild ecosystems that have been damaged by deforestation, wildfire and urban growth. Our goal is a 200:1 ratio of trees we use to trees we plant. This means that for every tree we use to produce Bizcard products, we will plant at least 200 more trees.
We chose American Forests as our primary partner for green initiatives because of their long history of environmental stewardship. They are the Nation’s longest running nonprofit conservation organization, and they have been rebuilding damaged ecosystems for nearly twenty years. For more information go to www.Americanforests.org
To top it off we have Free eco friendly printed products for you to try and our regular tree saving prices start at $19.95 for 250 full color business cards. Check out www.bizcard.com and save money and the world.
I would like to get your attention to the fact that DCP-PRINT, the online print shop, is using Recycled - Paper for its printed materials too. Thanks.
My job title is: Online Business Development Manager of an Online print shop named: DCP-PRINT (Digital Color Production) and our website is: http://www.dcp-print.com
I love the movement to greener mowing but people need to take it to major companies to offer more electric mower. None of the major companies have electric options which is really sad. Read http://www.lawnmowersworld.com for some electric lawn mower options.
"...plastic bags (when left alone) will breed, especially if left in dark areas."
One of the funniest lines I have ever read! EVER!
I've written about "The Son of the Saint" a few times in recent years. He's a real hero and helping to change attitudes in Mexico.
What an ingenious idea!
I always charge my phone overnight. I never gave it a second thought. Great article, I think I'll change my charging habits.
Thanks for the recommendation. I've seen "Dumped" on the TV schedule on BBC America, but didn't know what it was about. I'll check out this week's episode!
And -- thanks for reading!