Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Newsletter: The Obamas and Schwarzenegger: Mentors in Sustainability + Best Tips for a Green Wedding
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The White House: Taking the Trash Out…
...keeping organic waste in! The Obamas' garden has been the topic of conversation of many Americans. Now, here’s another topic to chat about during your lunch break: The White House is installing three compost bins in its garden!
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Monday, June 29, 2009
The White House: taking the trash out…
The White House: taking the trash out…
…keeping organic waste in!
By Joanie Bergeron Poudrier
For the past few months, the Obamas' garden has been the topic of conversation of many Americans. Now, here’s another topic to chat about during your lunch break: The White House is installing three compost bins in its garden! (Ecorazzi.com reported last week).
Why composting is such a good idea? If Michelle O wants her garden to be bigger and eco-friendlier next year, the best way to start is to make her own compost. For this year’s garden the family ordered a shipment of compost from New York celebrity chef Dan Barber. Compost is the most natural nutrient for a healthy garden, but if it needs to travel 227 miles to reach the garden, the benefits are not as good for the environment as if it was made on site.
Up to 30% of an average household's waste is organic and can be turned into compost. Imagine how many organic waste the White House can produce in a year? I have no exact numbers but it has to be loads! If the garden and kitchen staff do their job; those 3 composting bins could help divert 30% of organic waste from the landfill, which means 30% less garbage!
The First family is a good source of inspiration for every American, now it is our turn to do the same at home. Composting can be a little repulsive, (I agree!) but with some good tips, you’ll get the hang of it quickly, without getting your hands dirty.
Combine with your daily paper-plastic-glass recycling, and after only a few weeks of composting, you’ll be surprised with the small amount of garbage you'll need to take out each week. Instead of 1 garbage bag you’ll probably end up with half of one.
For good tips on how to start composting visit
Howtocompost.org and watch
the Sierra Club's
“How to compost in your backyard” video.
Source :
Ecorazzi.com
Photo Credit: This graphic was created by Roger Doiron in support of the Eat the View! campaign to replant an organic garden on the White House lawn. Visit
EatTheView.org
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Greenest governors of the USA : Did Schwarzenegger made the cut?
By Joanie Bergeron Poudrier I’ve always loved the type of articles with rankings such as; the top 10 ways to eat green or the top 50 best sustainable hotels in North America. But today, I stumble on a pretty interesting ranking:
Greenopia’s top 50 greenest governors.
Greenopia’s research team studied thoroughly the 50 United States governors «and compared their policies, transparency, and interest group ratings » before ranking them. «It was a monumental task» said Doug Mazeffa, Greenopia's director of research.
The idea at the back of this research was to show people which of the Governors are green and which aren’t, while highlighting which one have made the biggest
eco-faux pas.
My main question was, did Arnold “Governor” Schwarzenegger made the cut?
All I can say is that he didn’t end up #1 on Greenopia’s list, Governor Ritter from Colorado occupies this position, because of his many green accomplishments for the state of Colorado, such as:
-Colorado ranks numbers 6 and 11 in solar and wind energy generation respectively.
-Colorado is also aggressively pursuing new sites for solar and wind energy in order to further increase its renewable energy usage.
-Colorado is home to several biofuel plants. Some of these biofuels are better environmentally than others, the most impressive being a biomass plant that only uses trees that have been killed by beetle infestations.
-Governor Ritter is also trying to bring a large number of green jobs to Colorado through his New Energy Economy program.
-Colorado is in the process of creating a zero energy district in Fort Collins, and has a comprehensive carbon offset program through Carbon Fund.
-To read the full list of Governor Ritter’s green actions visit
Greenopia.com
Curious about knowing Governor Schwarzenegger’s ranking?
View the full ranking of the 50 greenest governors of the United States.
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Serve Sustainable Cuisine
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Weddings inspire and delight us, but these sacred events have grown into resource-sapping affairs. If you're wondering how to pull off your dream celebration without a huge carbon footprint and an empty bank account, refer to this week's tips to help you work some ecofriendly wedding magic.
Tip #3: Serve Sustainable Cuisine
Reduce your wedding's environmental impact by serving organic food and
wine. Ask your caterer about meals featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables that can be sourced from local farms. Some
caterers even specialize in ecofriendly cuisine or
vegan wedding cakes. Keep in mind that vegetarian dishes tend to be less expensive and
more ecofriendly than meat courses.
Share your tips: What are your suggestions for serving an ecofriendly wedding meal on a budget?
Photo Credit:
www.decadenceweddingcakes.com
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wedding season: is buying the best idea?
Wedding season!
Weddings are exciting, but can be pretty stressful when you need to get all dressed up for only one day. When are you going to have the chance to wear that bridesmaid dress again?
iLetYou.com is the place to find everything you are looking for, from wedding dresses, designer handbags and Armani suits to décor and table centerpieces.
iLetYou is all about finding and discovering great products to rent from the best rental stores.
It will cost you less to rent all those things than to buy them and you won’t need to worry about having to store it!
You get great stuff, save money, and reduce your footprint with rental. Why buy when you can rent?
For more info visit:
www.iLetYou.com
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Go Natural
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Weddings inspire and delight us, but these sacred events have grown into resource-sapping affairs. If you're wondering how to pull off your dream celebration without a huge carbon footprint and an empty bank account, refer to this week's tips to help you work some ecofriendly wedding magic.
Tip #2: Go Natural
Exotic floral arrangements are expensive and less kind to the earth than local wildflowers or potted plants. If roses are a must, opt for
sustainably grown,
organic blooms. When the party's over, send the flowers home with guests as favors or donate them to a hospital or nursing home. If your celebration is in an
outdoor location such as a national park, keep decorations simple to let attendees enjoy the beauty of nature.
Share your tips: What are your DIY decoration ideas?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Use Less Paper
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Weddings inspire and delight us, but these sacred events have grown into resource-sapping affairs. If you're wondering how to pull off your dream celebration without a huge carbon footprint and an empty bank account, refer to this week's tips to help you work some ecofriendly wedding magic.
Tip #1: Use less paper
Wedding invitations offer the perfect opportunity to send a green message.
Twisted Limb Paperworks and
Green Field Paper Companysell handmade, recycled paper as well as seed-embedded cards that guests can plant after the ceremony. Other paper-saving (and money-saving) options include
sending digital invites and
managing RSVPs online.
Set up a wedding Web site to provide paperless maps, hotel suggestions, and event schedules for your guests.
Share your tips: What are your ideas for saving paper while planning a wedding?
Photo Credits @lilduckduck.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
This Father’s Day: The greatest gifts do not always come in a box!
Father’s Day June 21st
The greatest gifts do not always come in a box!
When you celebrate a holiday, as our friends at the
Sierra Club would suggest «try to keep consumption to a minimum (experiences, lessons, or homemade items as gifts, are always the most memorable anyway), to choose simple and natural decorations, and to remember the charities closest to your heart.»
This Father’s Day find a little something that will make daddy happy while keeping an eye on the environment.
Here are some gift ideas for every dad type:
He’s more of a
handyman?
Buy him some
Ecofriendly paint made out of real milk, so next time he renovates he won't feel dizzy after a day of painting. Do you hate the strong smell of his old lawnmower? His neighbours will envy him with a new
electric-solar lawn mower. Who said the grass is always greener on the other side?
For
THE BBQ master
Why not decorate his cooking area with those
solar decorative lights for his BBQ nights out?
If you want dad to be even more ecofriendly while he cooks, have a look at this
Solar cooking oven, or those
Organic Herb Barbeque Lighters for his conventional barbeque.
For the king of the grill, the icing on the cake would be an
Organic hemp apron and this very original
recycled tire rubber coaster set, that will make all his buddy jealous. Or if he's not a material guy, invite him for a good meal at a local restaurant, or cook him an organic meal at home with his loved ones.
He’s more of an
adventure seeker?
Why don't you offer him a sportive getaway; kayaking, paragliding, rafting, bungy jumping or a night out camping in the nearest national park?
Look for Sierra Club
outdoor trips.
To top any camping trip the
Dynamo Solar Radio is the perfect picnic or camping mate, it charges with solar power or hand crank. FM/AM/WB radio. 1 minute of cranking gives a minimum of 29 minutes of radio time. 5 hours of sunlight gives a minimum of 30 minutes of radio time. When fully charged it gives you 7 hours of radio time. Dad is gonna love this and it retails at only 25.95 $
Is your dad a
Fashionista?
There are a lot of great ideas for him, like a
Green garmento an Eco-friendly 3-in-1 reusable garment bag that helps dad green his dry cleaning routine! With this bag he can carry his clothes to the cleaner easily and comfortably with the long straps or handles. But remind him to request that the clothes be returned in the same bag, without plastic. The Green Garmento carries up to 12 lbs and is machine washable in cold water.You can buy it online for 11.99 $
If he likes cool and original shoes buy him these
Gumshoe –organic cotton shoes from Simple Shoes made with certified organic cotton, recycled car tires and carpet padding.
Thanks to a lot of stitching, the Gumshoe is made with less than a thimble full of water-based adhesives, most shoes use 2 shot glasses worth of glue. You can buy them online for 60,00$
Finally if he’s the kind of
dad who already has everything...give him a pair of tickets for an outdoor concert to see his favourite band or get him a unique
coat rack made out of hockey sticks!
Happy Father’s Day to every dad out there!
Photo Credit:Gift Box by Mysterymoor on Flickr.com
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Green Pet Products
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Pets are such a source of joy; science has proven that having an animal companion provides many physical and psychological benefits. But America’s more than 160 million owned dogs and cats surely impact the environment. This week we’re sharing tips about how to reduce Fido’s and Fluffy’s environmental pawprints.
Tip #2: Green Pet Products
The U.S. pet-product industry rakes in $43 billion per year,
only $1 billion of which goes to ecofriendly items . Do your part to pump that number up by opting for
organic pet food (it may sound ritzy but it really does help the earth) and equipment and toys made by eco-minded manufacturers like
Scutte,
Molly Mutt, and
World’s Best Cat Litter; a
Google search reveals many more. But buying greener doesn’t mean you have to buy more quite the opposite. The best way to reduce waste is to buy less, so ask yourself whether your pet really needs the item you’re considering buying.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Pound It
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Pets are such a source of joy; science has proven that having an animal companion provides many physical and psychological benefits. But America’s more than 160 million owned dogs and cats surely impact the environment. This week we’re sharing tips about how to reduce Fido’s and Fluffy’s environmental pawprints.
Tip #1: Pound It
When you're looking for a furry friend to bring home, skip the pet stores and the breeders and head to the pounds and shelters. The commercial pet trade creates an excess of animals and more mouths to feed, which creates more waste when
millions are already in need of adoption.
Plus, the business of
selling animals can harm critical ecosystems like rainforests, from which 38 million animals are removed every year for the retail-pet industry.
Shelters stock an excellent selection of breeds (and mutts!) that need “recycling” into a new home, and
some shelters are even going green.
Photo Credit: heraldpost on Flickr.com
Thursday, June 11, 2009
5 Best Green Dating Websites
Is spring the season for love?
Whether that is true or not, one sure thing is that we all need it and crave it whatever the time of the year!
Here is an article that will help you
Find your perfect eco-match!
By our special contributor Laurie Sadowski from Ecoki.com
You’re into planting trees, combating change, and brewing organic Fair-Trade coffee a few times a day in your hand-driven coffee press. Searching for someone who feels the same way? Skip run of the mill dating sites and opt for a sustainable search with the eco-dating sites cropping up around the web. We’ve narrowed down the most popular ones, focusing on all things green.
♥
Green Passions
green-passions.com
This online dating and social networking community is the only
completely free one we could find, specifically focused on finding you the perfect eco-friendly single. In addition to sifting through the singles, you can also use their chat rooms, forums, and sign up for an email address.
They organize their applicants
by interest group, from animal activists to vegans, letting you find your “perfect match”. Looking for someone into alternative energy? So are 989 others. Do you want a partner keen on ending nuclear age? 290 people do, too. How about someone to join you on your eco-protests? Choose from 164 folks.
♥♥
Green Singles
greensingles.com
GreenSingles has been around nearly 25 years (we thought that was pretty impressive). They highlight those with interests in everything from environmental concerns to holistic living; organic food to local economies. Although sign up is free,
memberships cost anywhere from $12 to $72 - and if you did find your match, you can only really connect with a membership (browsing is basically the only free perk).
Alas! Perhaps it seems to be worth it. Their testimonials sound promising:
3/21/2009 - we’re getting married very soon
Hello, I am writing to share that I found my perfect match on your site! He is the man of my dreams and we’re getting married very soon. Thank you so much for creating this site, it worked!! ps: he is very happy too. JM
♥♥♥
Planet Earth Singles
planetearthsingles.com
The tagline: “Created by environmentalists, for environmentalists!” They claim that it is much easier to be in a relationship with someone who “generally lives a lifestyle that is mindful [to] our limited resources”. That being said, they decided to make the search easier for you. They offer a “unique” matchmaking system: you tell them what you want, and they are going to make it happen.
With them, you get a free trial membership but it soon becomes $14,95 a month. However, we have to say that what we really dig about this one is that 10% of proceeds donated to Greenpeace.
To discover more Green Dating websites read the
full article on
Ecoki.com-The Eco-Lifestyle Community!
Photo Credit Carlo-Nicora on Flickr.com
What to do when your watch no longer Tick Tock?
A Second Time, an Etsy seller from Calgary, Alberta makes fabulous jewelry pieces from old recycled items.
This seller's favorite basic material seems to be watches that can't fulfill their jobs anymore.
Each piece has been carefully assembled by hand with great attention paid to making the piece wearable so that you will be able to enjoy it for many years to come.
A Second Time's vision is to respect the environment and the craftsmanship of vintage watches.
They refer themselves as the “SPCA for Watches and Clocks”…by saving those that they can and give new life to the rest!
This one of a kind bracelet retails at 30.00 USD
To see more items from this seller visit
asecondtime's profile on Etsy.com
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Recycle Old Computers
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Computers help us work faster, find information, and connect with people. They also use energy and create waste. This week, we'll discuss ways to do the most good and minimize harm while using computers.
Thursday Tip: Recycle Old Computers
As technology continues to rapidly evolve,
e-waste is a growing concern. If your old monitor or laptop absolutely cannot be donated (more about that tomorrow), it's time to explore your recycling options. Consult the
EPA's list of recycling programs for electronics or visit the Consumer Electronics Association's Web site, which can help you
locate recycling centers by ZIP code. Before buying a new product,
find out if the manufacturer has a take-back program.
Appleand
Dell both recycle old computers with the purchase of a new model.
Share your tips:
Where do you recycle outdated technology?
Monday, June 08, 2009
Today’s Green Tip from the Sierra Club: Green Your Network
Today's Green Tip from the
Sierra Club !
Computers help us work faster, find information, and connect with people. They also use energy and create waste. This week, we'll discuss ways to do the most good and minimize harm while using computers.
Monday Tip: Green Your Network
A green lifestyle is easier to maintain if you have the support of a community. Go online to connect with the
Sierra Club's new social-networking site,
Climate Crossroads.
Use Climate Crossroads to
meet other green-minded people,
learn more about global warming,
publicize green events,
find recipes, or share
photos from a recent hike.
Share your tips: How do you connect with other environmentalists on the Internet?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Tomorrow we celebrate World Environment Day !
Tomorrow we will celebrate
World Environment Day (WED).
That special day commemorated each year on June 5th, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.
Do you have anything planned for that day?
If you don’t there are plenty of activities scheduled around the world for you to take part in such as planting trees gathering. Visit
UNEP website to see what’s going on in your area.
As for us, Alternative Channel will be at the
HOME premiere event in Montreal, where 2000 persons will be attending the screening of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s movie, presented in more than 50 countries to celebrate WED. Tomorrow we all have a date with the planet!
Synopsis
In 200.000 years on Earth humanity has upset the balance of the planet, established by nearly 4 billion years of evolution. The price to pay is high, but it's too late to be a pessimist: humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of spoliation of the Earth's riches and change its patterns of consumption.
By bringing us unique footage from over 50 countries, all seen from the air, by sharing with us his wonder and his concern, with this film Yann Arthus-Bertrand lays a foundation stone for the edifice that, together, we must rebuild.
Watch HOME
trailer now!
Legend:
Photo 1 Thermal water source from Grand Prismatic National Park in Yellowstone, Wyoming, United States
Photo 2 Canoes in the port of Mopti on the Niger River, Mali
