Go Green | 
04 30th, 2010| 
Today is the final day to enter the Green Cleaner Giveaway. So if you haven't had a chance yet go ahead and enter to win. I have been using the Disinfectant for a week now and holy crap is it good.
Apr
30
April 30th's Tip
Fabric Softener: Standard fabric softener can be loaded with chemicals. Fabric softener sheets are the same, and they can leave a film on your clothes, making the colors appear ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
30
What happened on two coasts in the US the past two weeks speaks to our energy reality. The two coasts tell us where we are.
Both events illustrate the conundrum in which we find ourselves early in the 21st Century and very early in the transition from one primary fuel source to the next.
First the good news: Consent was given by US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Wednesday for Cape Wind, the long-stalled 468 MW wind farm project off the coast of Massachusetts. The project was held up by local interests concerned about the appearance of a line of 130 wind turbines located miles off the coast in the Horseshoe Shoal area of Nantucket Sound.
The second was the explosion, sinking, and subsequent leaking of a deep water oil facility last week, which by some estimates is now spewing 5,000 barrels (200,000 gallons) a day into the Gulf of Mexico from below the ocean floor. This spill is set to threaten the Gulf Coast, just five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated that region.
One of these events represents the future of our energy production: Cleaner, renewable, and with a free resource feed stock (the wind). The other represents a variation on the past: Dirty, dangerous, and dependent upon a dwindling feed stock (fossil fuels).
What people forget, however, whether celebrating the victory or decrying the disaster, is that we are not in a position to switch from the old to the new like a light switch in the kitchen.
We are very likely going to need the old to help foster the development of the new -- and our dependence upon the old isn't going away any time soon. Furthermore, because oil is running out, we are likely to see more risky and dangerous ventures to access what's left in the immediate future.
Extracting fossil fuels is a risky and dangerous business, as we've seen with this drilling disaster and last month's coal mine disaster in West Virginia. The sooner we can foster the transition off fossil fuels and to cleaner, renewable source the better off we will be.
But let's not forget where we are in that transition: we are just at the very beginning.
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Both events illustrate the conundrum in which we find ourselves early in the 21st Century and very early in the transition from one primary fuel source to the next.
First the good news: Consent was given by US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Wednesday for Cape Wind, the long-stalled 468 MW wind farm project off the coast of Massachusetts. The project was held up by local interests concerned about the appearance of a line of 130 wind turbines located miles off the coast in the Horseshoe Shoal area of Nantucket Sound.
The second was the explosion, sinking, and subsequent leaking of a deep water oil facility last week, which by some estimates is now spewing 5,000 barrels (200,000 gallons) a day into the Gulf of Mexico from below the ocean floor. This spill is set to threaten the Gulf Coast, just five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated that region.
One of these events represents the future of our energy production: Cleaner, renewable, and with a free resource feed stock (the wind). The other represents a variation on the past: Dirty, dangerous, and dependent upon a dwindling feed stock (fossil fuels).
What people forget, however, whether celebrating the victory or decrying the disaster, is that we are not in a position to switch from the old to the new like a light switch in the kitchen.
We are very likely going to need the old to help foster the development of the new -- and our dependence upon the old isn't going away any time soon. Furthermore, because oil is running out, we are likely to see more risky and dangerous ventures to access what's left in the immediate future.
Extracting fossil fuels is a risky and dangerous business, as we've seen with this drilling disaster and last month's coal mine disaster in West Virginia. The sooner we can foster the transition off fossil fuels and to cleaner, renewable source the better off we will be.
But let's not forget where we are in that transition: we are just at the very beginning.
Apr
29
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Soft.
With celebrity fans such ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
29
Let's face it organic food is not cheap. For some the economics of it all plays a massive part in whether they chose to eat organic or not. We have seen a spike in the cost of our groceries since we started buying organic. Do we buy everything organic? Nope. Sometimes we can't find it or sometimes it is just too expensive. I mean really if you have the option of paying $2/Pear or $0.30/Pear which are you going to pick?
We try to stick to buying organic when it makes sense. So for us that means the Dirty Dozen. These are the top 12 fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide usage. Here is a sneak peak at the new 2010 Guide. (the link to the website still has the 2009 Guide).Items that are on the Clean 15 we tend to not buy organic unless there is a really good sale on. For us this is just a way to make it affordable to buy organic where it counts.
Keep this list handy! Print this out and put it in your wallet, or put it in your BlackBerry or iphone or Droid or whatever as a memo.
Related Posts - Check them out
Apr
29
The New Era Of Zero-Emission Mobility Has Arrived
Want to hear something outstanding? After more than 115,000 Americans had gone on the Internet and registered their interest in the 2011 Nissan LEAF all electric car, last Tuesday (April 20), Nissan opened the reservation lines and in the first 65 hours 6,635 customers paid their $99 and [...]
Read the rest on my blog.
Read the rest on my blog.
Apr
28
With prom just around the corner, Ally Maize, eco teen and founder of the Green Youth Movement, wants to remind her peers that the big day is not just about the glitz and the glam - it's about going green!
The Green Youth Movement (GYM) is ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
28
Sometimes people ask me how I became the way that I did with regards to the environment. It is a good question because I have been this way for a very long time. I was "into" the environment long before it became the hip thing to do. Long before Al Gore documentaries, Earth Hour and green blogs. Back when cloth diapering was cool (before it became uncool then cool again) and we didn't know the dangers of plastics and GMO's.
What I mean is that I have always been an environmentalist. As a child it was just part of my upbringing. As an adult I chose to make it a bigger part of my life...my career...my passion.
My parents are probably the biggest factor that made me who I am today. As kids we spent a lot of time outdoors. We spent practically the whole summer camping somewhere up north. When we weren't camping we were hiking or learning about nature through Girl Guides. My dad made his own solar panels and put them on our roof over 25 years ago to heat the pool (correct me if my timing is wrong Mom). I don't think he did it for environmental reasons but because it just made sense when you consider the economics of trying to heat a pool vs your 3 children screaming because the water is too cold. But regardless they had a positive environmental impact!
We were never very wasteful. My mom made a lot of our clothes and if we got a rip in our jeans she would sew the coolest patch over it. We went to the library instead of buying books new, painted yellow fishes beside storm drains all over town, picked up garbage, planted trees.
When I was in highschool I took several envrironmental classes and fell in love with being in the "field". I always loved classes with a lab component but being out there in nature and running tests was a whole other level of awesome. When I got into an environmental program at University I was thrilled. I spent the next 4 years of my life surrounded by like minded people who wanted to make the world a better place. It was a combination of my junior thesis, senior thesis and a Green Business class that led me down the path towards my career. I could have gone into government, ENGO's, consulting but nope I decided that for me the best way to make change was within industry. And 10 years later here I am still doing what I love and still trying to make change from within industry instead of fighting against it.
What makes you an environmentalist? Have you always been this way or did something cause you to change your lifestyle?
Related Posts - Check them out
Apr
28
This post is in helpful response, to a request from Software Advice, a website that reviews retail point of sale software. They want to get rid of paper receipts. It is a peeve of mine, and I agree with the idea enthusiastically. So, they’ve asked members of the green community to weigh in by taking [...]
Apr
27
If you're trying to be green, or if you're just looking to save a few dollars on your water bill, having a rain barrel is a good idea for a gardener. Most plants love rainwater because it's free of additives like chlorine and softening agents. If you are in an area that's under water restrictions, collecting rainwater in a barrel is a good way to get around them, not to mention the water you can save from using one!
<img class="aligncenter size-full ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
26
Welcome to the April 26th, 2010 edition of All Things Eco.
Be sure to Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
26
My apologies for not getting this up yesterday, we went to the Earth Day celebration in St. Louis with a few friends.
The winners of the DIRT! The Movie giveaway have been randomly selected, thank you to everyone who entered! Our winners are comments #2, #54, and #67 - Anne, Kimmie, and Jacob LaFountaine. Congrats!
These winners will be emailed today, and will have 48 hours from the time of that email to respond with their contact info, or new winners will be randomly selected in their ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
26
For 2 years now we have been saying we need to get a rug for our family room. Everytime we go to find one we would get discouraged by the cost. Seriously are there people out there who pay $3000 for an area rug???? If so can we come live with you?
Yesterday we went to a local store and looked at just getting some carpet cut and edged to make an area rug. So much more affordable. We looked at samples and narrowed it down to our top 3 and got quotes for them. Oddly enough it turns out we picked rugs with recycled content in them. All 3 of them! I knew one did because it had big signs with info (and it was Dupont so they were specifically marketing the eco line of carpets) but I had no clue about the other 2. Guess I just have an eye for this sort of thing (or as Joe would say I was just lucky).
I was impressed that the price wasn't jacked up because it was a greener choice either. Well the Dupont was twice the price but that is more for the name than the environment I believe. I went into the process thinking that we couldn't afford to even think about green options and man was I wrong. My advice would be to go into any purchase with an open mind about the green options. You never know what you may find that fits your budget and your conscious.
In 7-10 business days this girl is going to be super excited to rub her toes in the nice warm carpet that has less of an impact on the environment then a regular carpet.
Related Posts - Check them out
Apr
25
What Have We Really Done In 41 Years
On Tuesday night April 20th, in the Gulf of Mexico, 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded.
Two days later on Thursday afternoon the blazing inferno of wreckage sank 5,000 feet to the bottom of the Gulf. 126 people were on board at the [...]
Read the rest on my blog.
Read the rest on my blog.
Apr
23
Here at thegreenskeptic.com we've been following the progress of cleantech in Israel for some time.
There are many reasons Israel has been an innovator, including, in part, because it has to be. Now, Sustainable World Capital's Shawn Lesser highlights the history of innovation, access to capital, scarce resources and other factors propelling cleantech today in Israel.
Read the full article here: 10 reasons Israel is a cleantech leader | Cleantech Group
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There are many reasons Israel has been an innovator, including, in part, because it has to be. Now, Sustainable World Capital's Shawn Lesser highlights the history of innovation, access to capital, scarce resources and other factors propelling cleantech today in Israel.
Israel, a global cleantech powerhouse, is now attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in cleantech investment every year.
The country gets more from its soil, water, air, and sunlight than most other nations on earth.
Why has such a small country been able to position itself a world leader in cleantech?
The answer, I believe, is a combination of many factors: its history, attitude of the people, ingenuity, and challenges to survival.
Read the full article here: 10 reasons Israel is a cleantech leader | Cleantech Group
Apr
23
So this giveaway didn't go as well as hoped, but you win some, you lose some.
I've got our 3 winners, and they are comments #2, 7, and 9 - Kevin Love, Erica C., and Lori Z. Congrats! I will be emailing them to let them know they've won, then the sponsor will email them their prizes.
Check out our Earth Day celebration while you're here, lots more giveaways! ... [visit site to read more]
© Focus Organic for 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Apr
23
So this giveaway didn't go as well as hoped, but you win some, you lose some.
I've got our 3 winners, and they are comments #2, 7, and 9 - Kevin Love, Erica C., and Lori Z. Congrats! I will be emailing them to let them know they've won, then the sponsor will email them their prizes.
Check out our Earth Day celebration while you're here, lots more giveaways! ... [visit site to read more]
© Focus Organic for 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Apr
22
Happy Earth Day to everyone! Happy 2nd Birthday to Focus Organic!
We've continued to grow over the last year, and continued to make new friends and gain new readers. Our blog carnival, all things ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
22
Americans buy almost 7 billion greeting cards each year - consider how many trees would be used in this card making process, and how much landfill space the unrecycled cards take up.
VerveCards.com is an ... [visit site to read more]
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Apr
22
For pet lovers, our cats and dogs can become as important to us as if they were our children. For eco pet lovers, buying organic and healthy toys, beds, and food for them is just second nature. An all organic <a ... [visit site to read more]
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