EarthMoment

Yes it’s America’s birthday again, so go shoot off some horribly loud pyrotechnics, cover everything in American flags and stuff your face with burgers and dogs.  But while you’re filling up your belly with the BBQ classics you can feel a little better about shooting off those fireworks when you’re eating off a biodegradable plate.  Check out locations for recyled paper-plates or for biodegradable plates.  Eat in style and conscientiousness. 

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Try out some eco-dinnerware for your 4^th of July BBQ!

Bring it

Find biodegradable plates by Bagasse by visiting here, www.branchhome.com

Not so guilty pleasure

Don’t want to use throw-aways then use actually dishes that you can reuse!

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/21913627/EBONY-ELEGANCE-16PC-DINNERWARE

My cell phone plan is up and I’m looking for a change so I’ve been shopping around the different cellular phone companies. I prefer to go by word-of-mouth but it seems like everyone has very different opinions about each cell phone provider. I’m left to my own devices but I just got word that this company joined EarthMoment.com, they’re called CREDO Mobile. To my surprise, I learned they are a cell phone provider. Keeping in touch with your friends and family can also keep you in tune with the environment, justice, equality and politics. CREDO Mobile works in a very similar way that EarthMoment does, with every call you make 1% of your charges automatically go to groups like Planned Parenthood, Rainforest Action Network, Human Rights Watch, The ACLU, Organic Farming Research Foundation, GreenPeace, FairVote, Amnesty International and more - at no cost to you. So once again just by doing what you do you’re giving back. Thus far, CREDO Mobile has donated $56 million to progressive nonprofits. CREDO Mobile explains their mission best; “turning ordinary action into extraordinary change.”

GET INTO IT

Why not?

I’m on board and you should be too! As they say “make a difference every time you talk!”

Bring it

Learn more about their plans, phones, beliefs and the progressive nonprofit organizations they support by visiting here, http://www.earthmoment.com/company/
offerRedirect.do?offerId=1674.

Not so guilty pleasure

Get a slick new phone and a guilt-free conscious!

http://www.earthmoment.com/company/
offerRedirect.do?offerId=1674.

Don’t you just love pushing the little rewind button on your DVR or TiVO remote after someone says “what’d they just say?” while watching a television show? Well it’s not as great as we’d like to think it is. You’re actually using some of the highest amounts of energy out of any TV accessory when you have a DVR or TiVO. Oh and you’re wasting a bunch of money on your energy bill each year for that too. Yes I love those oh-s0-handy DVRs too but let’s play a little comparison game here; the average annual energy use a DVD player uses is 13 kilowatt hours while a DVR/TiVO uses 363 kilowatt hours. And here’s the part that will really get ya; that evens out to an annual cost of about $1.42 for the DVD player and $39.71 for the DVR/TiVO. But here’s one cool electronic that actually uses less energy and costs less than it’s alternative; a laptop is wise choice for your computer needs. A desktop uses 255 kilowatt hours while a laptop uses only 83, and the annual cost of desktop is $27.90 while a laptop is only $9.08.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Use this as an excuse to replace your old hefty desktop with a new laptop.

Not so guilty pleasure

Here’s a nice cheap DVD player!

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/
8880744/JVC-XV-N650B-DVD-Player

So you want to go organic but can’t afford to go all the way? Well here’s a list of the foods that you are the most important to buy organic (because of their non-organic alternatives that have such high levels of pesticides, chemicals, hormones, additives and all that fun stuff!).

Meat – high usage of hormones to speed growth and antibiotics and pesticides.

Milk – because of pesticides and chemicals

Fruits – these fruits; apples, peaches, strawberries, grapes and tomatoes have delicate skin that pesticides can seep through.

Vegetables – these vegetables; celery, sweet bell peppers and lettuce have thin to no protective skin and rate as some of the highest contaminated food products. Also potatoes not only are high for pesticides but also for fungicides that added to the soil.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Make sure you’re buying your favorite foods the safest way you can.

Bring it

Learn more about what foods are safer organic or what their alternatives are if you can’t find organic options, http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116891484181777282-DAQv
GZvYk0fl98iJ14oVPWONusU_20080115.html.

Not so guilty pleasure

Start your own organic garden with the help of this book!

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/
21548721/Organic-Gardening

Premiering today is the first all green TV network. It’s called Planet Green and has a bevy of hosts I’m sure you’ve all seen before. There’s a block of shows set to start tonight and Planet Green has got everybody from Emeril hosting his own green cooking show to Adrian Grenier from Entourage (the boy’s version of the show Sex and the City) hosting an eco lifestyle makeover series called Alter Eco to Daniel Sieberg, a CBS News correspondent co-hosting G Word with MTV’s SuChin Pak, an informative show on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and they’ve even got rapper Ludacris and rocker bad-boy Tommy Lee in BattleGround Earth. Visit http://planetgreen.channelfinder.net/ to find out what channel Planet Green is in your area. I hope you’re as interested as I am to see how these shows turn out.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Maybe sitting in front of the TV will end up benefiting the earth, why don’t you try it and plop yourself in front of the tube tonight to watch Planet Green.

Bring it

Learn more about this TV network and read about other ways you can live more “green” by visiting their site, http://planetgreen.discovery.com/

Not so guilty pleasure

Maybe this network will be so great that it will make you watch TV again.

Toshiba LCD HDTV – Refurbished

By the way, LCD TV’s use less power than their alternative and this particular TV is refurbished so you’re re-purposing a recycled TV.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/9343763/Toshiba
-42HL196-42-Inch-1080p-LCD-HDTV-Refurbished

We’ve all heard “buyer beware” but it seems with the whole green movement, buyers need to keep an even sharper eye on claims that companies are making about their so-called green products. If a product says it’s eco-friendly take caution and check for the labels that certify it as green. Here are just a couple of labels to check for;

-The blue Energy Star label proves that the Environmental Protection Agency certifies the product uses up to 75 percent less energy.

-The green FSC tree label certifies that the product has met sustainable standards during construction; the Forest Stewardship Council certifies these products that contain paper or wood.

-The Fair Trade Certified label means that the people who harvested these products were paid a fair wage and grew their food products with environmentally safe methods.

-The Green Seal means the products have a low impact on the environment through their entire life cycle.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Before you make a “green” purchase make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with the labels.

Bring it

Worrying about forgetting your grocery list isn’t the only concern on consumer’s minds now. Learn more about getting what you paid for in this article, It’s Not Easy Buying Green

http://www.utne.com/2004-09-01/ItsNotEasyBuyingGreen.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Organic Dagoba Chocolate

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/3344728/
Organic-Dark-Chocolate-Roseberry-59-cocoa-12-Units-2-oz

There are little things each and every one of us can do to live a healthier life that lessens our impact on the earth. You can even do some of those things while you’re at work. Here are a couple of examples,

- Shut your computer off at the end of the work day, it sets a nice note of finality to the day as well as saving energy.

- Bring your lunch in reusable containers rather than disposable plastic bags.

- Put a plant on your desk, it makes your desk feel more homey and it also helps absorb airborne pollutants.

- Set your computer to go to sleep mode after a few minutes of inactivity. This way when you’re at lunch or in meetings you’ll be saving energy.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Here’s a complete Top 10 list of how to green your office from Ideal Bite, http://www.idealbite.com/pdf/top10OP.pdf

Bring it

Let’s say you’ve got the green thing covered at work but what about the commute to work? Apparently, “commuting by office workers accounts for 30 percent more energy than the average office building itself uses.” Learn more in this article, How Green is Your Commute?

http://www.utne.com/Environment/How-Green
-Is-Your-Commute.aspx?blogid=26

Not so guilty pleasure

Peace lilies are known to really suck up those airborne pollutants.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/8199031
/Potted-Peace-Lily-JustFlowers.com

Here’s a rundown on some of the biggest names in the biz who are doing their part to better the environment.

- Google offers organic and local food to their employees in the Google food courts. For 2008 their goal is to go carbon neutral, and they’re taking the necessary steps to accomplish this like installing solar panels.

- Aveda (my personal favorite hair care line) uses the “Cradle to Cradle” ideal when it comes to packaging their hair and skin care products.

http://www.aveda.com/whatsnew/whatsnew.tmpl?cm_mmc=
Google-_-Branded-_-Brand-_-aveda&psid=true#

- Method has supplied mega stores like Target with their green cleaning products, which are biodegradable and chemical-free.

http://www.methodhome.com/

- Nike has made an effort to offer more oganic cotton apparel.

http://niketown.nike.com/niketown/home.jsp?catalogId=1

- Patagonia has given its cotton line a green makeover, the entire line is now organic cotton. They’ve also promised that by 2010 all of their goods will be 100 percent recycled!

Here are some sale products in Patagonia’s organic and recycled material line!

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/search/esearch.jsp?Ntt
=recycled&psDrilldown=true&search.x=0&slc=en_US%26S
ct%3DUS%26Src%3Dpkw&N=0&OPTION=ESEARCH_DD&
search.y=0&psPageNumber=all&tsPageNumber=

- Wal-Mart has vouched to reduce its solid waste by 25 percent. FYI: Wal-Mart is surprisingly the number one purchaser of organic cotton!

Wal-Mart recently launched an earth-friendly line, it includes items like organic baby food and energy-efficient appliances.

http://www.walmart.com/earth?redirect_query=organic

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Don’t want to run to the nearest store to grab some of Method’s green cleaning products? Then learn how to whip up your own cleaning concoction using every day items such as vinegar and lemons with this article; http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/Health/2006-03-01
/BE-WELL.aspx

Bring it

A 2002 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FOUND CHEMICALS IN 80 PERCENT OF SAMPLED STREAMS: 69 PERCENT CONTAINED DETERGENT RESIDUES AND 66 PERCENT CONTAINED DISINFECTANTS.

So here are some more green cleaning products’ to keep your home (and the local streams) safely clean.

http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/2008-05-01/
Spring-Cleaning.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Patagonia organic cotton tank top

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/19830997/
Patagonia-Simply-Organic-Tank-Womens

This summer join CSA (community-supported agriculture) and get the freshest produce delivered to your doorstep! Visit www.localharvest.org to find a farm near you that participates in CSA. You can become a stakeholder in a farm by helping finance the harvest and in return they provide you with fresh produce…sounds fair, and delicious, right? You just type in your zip code and it lists the farms you can join. Depending on the farm; the produce is mailed directly to you, delivered directly to you or you can go pick it up. It can be a great way to make friends too. I went to a party thrown by the originators of the farm, every shareholder was invited and it was a blast. There was a live band and an amazing feast; it was quite the turn out!

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Not convinced? Read this article to learn about the benefits to you, the earth, your community and your local farmer when supporting a local farm,

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable
-Farming/Meet-Local-Farmers.aspx

Bring it

To learn about how to start your own CSA farm read this article,

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-
Farming/1999-02-01/Creating-a-Market.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Here’s a scrumptious fruit basket, it’s not from a local farm but it still looks absolutely delicious.

Orchard Celebration for $108.99

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/8198010/
Orchard-Celebration-JustFlowers.com

If you haven’t already started shopping with reusable shopping bags then after reading this you really won’t have a reason not to. So here’s a little fun DIY project, don’t worry it’s super easy (and I don’t mean easy by Martha’s standards, I mean easy by my standards). You do need a sewing machine, but you can always borrow someone’s or visit your aunt to use hers. Other than that everyone should be able to scrounge up an old tee shirt they don’t wear anymore and a pair of scissors. Just sew the bottom of the tee closed, cut off the sleeves and cut the neck to make a bigger hole and ta da you’re done! See wasn’t that simple, and now you’ve repurposed an old tee shirt for a reusable shopping bag, how creative are you!

Just think, if you lived in San Francisco plastic bags wouldn’t even be an option, and if you do live in the city by the bay then thanks for setting the example!

GET INTO IT

Why not?

C’mon, save some dough and get rid of that old, stained tee shirt.

Bring it

To learn more about why you should bag the plastic bag read this article,

http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com
/2008-05-01/tote-bag-roundup.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

If you can’t find a tee shirt to part with or you don’t know anyone with a sewing machine then here are a couple of decently price reusable bags to buy.

Mossimo Tote Bag for $16.99

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/1872
6270/Mossimo-Tote-Bag-Blue-with-Black-Trim

Natural Home magazine has a canvas bag for $9.95,

https://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/
shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=3040

Mother Earth News magazine has this heavy-duty bag made of recycled polypropylene for $20.00,

https://www.motherearthnews.com/
shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=3643

Utne Reader magazine has this 100% organic cotton canvas tote bag for $9.95,

https://www.utne.com/shopping/
detail.aspx?itemnumber=3042