LiveGreen Spring Cleaning Sale!!! 50% OFF!!!

LiveGreen is looking to move some of our products out of our stock and into your homes! We've slashed prices by 50% for most items.

Reusable Shopping Bags - 50% OFF

EPIC Cleaning Products - Buy $20 and get 5 free Skoy wash cloths!

What is a "green" diet?

by Amber A. Green, RD, LDN of Green Nutrition

What does it really mean to eat “green”? It comes down to four main points: eat organic, eat local, limit processed foods, and choose a plant-based diet.

Eat organic:

Organic production methods have less impact on the environment than conventional farming methods. Organic farming improves soil fertility, decreases groundwater pollution, and uses less energy. Crop rotation, a core concept in organic farming, also provides many environmental benefits.

Eat local:

Purchasing as many foods as possible from local growers can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The reason is simple—the further away the food you eat is produced, the more resources are used to transport that food to your local grocery store. One study shows that if the typical American household buys local foods, greenhouse gas emissions related to producing and transporting that food could be decreased by 4–5%. So, go to those farmers markets, buy local produce from your grocery store, or look into joining a CSA.

Limit processed foods:

This one just makes sense, when you think about it. Taking a potato, transporting it to a factory, processing it to turn it into a potato chip (or instant mashed potatoes or frozen French fries), packaging it, then transporting it to a grocery store is much more energy- and resource-intensive than just buying a potato. So, this is just another reason to buy more whole foods rather than processed and packaged foods. As an added bonus, your waistline and pocketbook may thank you!

Choose a plant-based diet:

Hands down, a vegetarian diet is easiest on the planet. Producing animal foods, especially red meat and dairy products, causes ecological harm.

We’ll start with the problems with livestock production. Livestock production negatively impacts the environment through many means: the animals themselves, their waste, the use of pasture land, the production of animal feed, and product processing.

• Livestock production accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than transportation’s contribution.
• Over 5,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 pound of beef. In comparison, it only takes about 120 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cereal grain. Livestock production contributes to water pollution through erosion, pesticides and heavy metals used in feed production, and antibiotics given to animals, all of which work their way into the water supply.
• Livestock production greatly damages soil as well. Traditional farming methods commonly used to grow the immense amount of animal feed needed in this country disrupt the soil ecosystem and poison local wildlife. Overgrazing of grasses and soil compaction by livestock is also detrimental.
  
  

On average, red meat is about 150% more greenhouse gas-intensive than chicken or fish (all of which are worse than a vegetarian diet in this aspect). However, the productions of poultry and fish cause other environmental problems.

Large scale chicken farming contributes to air and water pollution through the large amount of animal waste it produces (mainly manure). Manure contains nitrogen and phosphorous as well as hormones, antibiotics, and heavy metals which are part of the chicken feed. These substances can result in emission of ammonia and other gases into the air and pose a risk of water contamination.

The fishing industry has an impact on the environment as well. Overfishing has caused a steep decline in the world’s natural population of fish. Most of the world’s fishing zones are considered to be unsustainable. If you prefer to avoid wild-caught fish, the other option is farmed fish, which causes its own problems, such as polluting surrounding water, depleting wild fish stocks to make feed, introducing risks to wild fish species, and endangering sea animals.

So again, there are four main changes you can make to “green” your diet: eat organic, eat local, cut back on processed foods, and aim for plant-based or vegetarian diet. For many people, making all of these changes at once is not realistic. However, if you start with a couple of small changes, such as starting to shop at your local farmers market, and switching to a vegetarian diet one day per week, you’ll already be working your way towards a diet that is friendlier to the planet.

For a more information and references, please see visit Green Nutrition’s website at www.agreendietitian.com.

Top 10 Tips for a Greener Holiday Season

by Lia Mack of begreendesigns.com

We are all doing our part to be green: installing programmable thermostats, buying organic, recycling and composting rather than trashing and wasting...however, when it comes to a holiday as hair-raisingly disastrous as those spanning the late November to early January time frame, even the most dedicated greenies out there can go bankrupt with recalling what best to do in terms of staying green AND having a wonderful holiday.

So, what's a greenie to do in the face of the conceivable mess to come? Hide away our wallets? Stay indoors with the lights out? Un-enjoy the season? Although that's one way to spend the holidays, why not do it up green style...

"Keep in mind the seven generations to come..." says the Iroquois Nation.

"Be the change you wish to see..." says the Dalai Lama.

Of course, I'm paraphrasing here...but you get the point.

These are the things that we keep in mind year round so that when we do consume, we do so consciously. Now, in the face of temptation and commercialism at it's very best, we need to stay focused and remember to use our dollar power in support of the greener good. And yes! We can do it green and still get that perfect gift, twinkle our holiday lights, and so on...

So, here's to walking the walk this holiday season with my:

Top 10 Tips for a Greener Holiday Season :)

1. Give Freely...so long as it's People & Planet Friendly.
   Honestly, if you have the money to spend and want to spend it, go for it! There are plenty of green choices out there.. By shopping online, not only can you find what you are looking for faster (saving you stress), you'll cut on your own fuel consumption. Online stores usually ship straight from the factory to you (even more fuel savings), and most online stores sell the same item for less via their virtual stores than at their brick-n-mortar locations. Or, if you can't find that perfect gift, there are always gift cards, and many businesses are offering bioplastic gift cards - an earth friendly alternative for those 'hard to shop for' loved ones. Above all, when purchasing a gift this season, remember to be conscious of it's effects on people and planet, from production to packaging to enjoying...or, in the worst case scenario and they don't like it, to purging. You don't want to spend all of your precious resources getting that perfect gift, only to find that you later contributed to a landfill or miles driven around town returning. Talk about holiday nightmare!
   
   
2. Ge Green...and Guilt Free!
   What's a better green gift than giving something that doesn't come in a box, bag, or wrapping! No waste = no guilt, right?! Get creative, think of places that your loved ones would enjoy going to like a concert, theater production, a movie. You could also help out the local economy by getting them a family pass to a local museum, aquarium, or science center. Think, "No wrapping".
   
   
3. Buying Local doesn't mean the local mall
   Shop local for real! Look online, ask around. Chances are there is a nice handful of locally owned business run by families trying to help make ends meet. You can do a huge chunk, if not all, of your holiday shopping around your hometown. Instead of helping the big box stores stay in business, help local families out by frequenting their stores, using their services, purchasing their products. Some may be online like LiveGreen, where you can do all of your holiday shopping by putting together some 'go green' packages for all your friends and family to help them get into gear: green reusable shopping bags, reusable produce bags, organic clothing, locally made organic candles, etc. What better thing to walk in with at your next dinner party than a reusable green wine tote filled by a bottle from a local organic winery. Other local businesses might sell books, make handpainted holiday cards, or can sew up a storm if you want to hand out some unique items this year.
   
   
4. Remember the 4 R's:
   Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Regift!
   We are all well acquainted with the first three. However, as with any gift giving season, whether it be of the Birthday or Holiday variety, there comes the question of, if I end up with something that I don't need or want, what am I going to do with it? Instead of adding to all the post-holiday pollution by driving from mall to mall returning unwanted items, why not save them for regifting purposes? Of course, you're not going to regift it back to the same person, however I'm sure there will be some occasion in the not so distant future where you could give it to someone who will apprcieate it.
   
   A way to keep from ending up with piles of odd ball gifts, why not have all family members submit two to three items to a master wish list. Especially with children, there are so many things that they could actually use or need that would be great to purchase for them rather than the newest piece of plastic that'll fall apart in a matter of minutes.
   
   
5. Help Others...Go Green!
   If you know someone who has been thinking about going green however hasn't quite made it, why not help them out this holiday gift giving season. There are endless possibilities of gift ideas. How about:
   
   
   • 10 reusable shopping totes and produce bags holding fresh local fare. Yummm...
     
   • A rechargeable battery pack complete with the charger
   • Reusable wine totes carrying a bottle of local organic wine or beer
   • Oorganic fair-trade chocolate or coffee...whatever their choice of stimulant ;)
     
   • eco-friendly clothing
   • handcrafted toys made from sustainable toxin free wood.
   • Got more ideas?
     
     
   Or, rather than adding to the mountain of stuff that everyone already has, how about helping others less fortunate by purchasing a necessity item in the name of a family member or friend. How about donating a:
   
   
   • Cooking stove to help empower displaced women
   • Bicycle, a sturdy, inexpensive, nonpolluting form of transportation
     
   • Plant 100 trees in someone's name
     
     
   THOSE, in my opinion, are the best giving gifts. And, isn't giving the reason for the season? Or is it the tilt of the Earth?
   
   
6. Wrap it up eco-style!
   Shinny metal details on even the cutest wrapping paper is toxic. From of the runoff at production to time to Grandpa tossing it into the fire emitting toxic gasses into the air or it decomposing over the next millennium, holiday wrapping can be quite ecologically expensive. There are endless eco-friendly ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season. All it ever takes is a little ingenuity and creativity. Consider these eco savvy alternatives:
   
   
   • Reuse gift bags, boxes, tissue paper, and ribbons from presents past (and save all that you can this year too!)
     
   • Once a friend gave me a gift inside of a old wine box that she got from a local wine store for free. Often tossed out, the wooden boxes are great for decorating gifts and reusable.
     
   • Using a yard of fabric, wrapped with a satin bow is not only special, it's also reusable!
   • Wrap it in a T-shirt, scarf, basket, quilt, duffel bag, reusable shopping tote (I love these bags!).
   • Find festive wrapping paper made from recycled paper, hemp, bamboo, and other sustainable resources.
     
   • Have the kids add their artistic flair to some plain unbleached recycled white paper and use the beautiful artwork as wrapping paper
   • Old maps! I saw this idea at a party recently and I fell in love with it! Maps get outdated so quickly, why not use them as wrapping? Brilliant!
   
   Obviously, folks, the possibilities are endless. Just think, is it reusable? Can it be recycled? Is it made from a sustainable eco-friendly resource, reuses post-consumer waste?
   
   
7. Say it Green!
   Holiday cards filled with cute family pictures and page long year-in-review stories are one of my personal favorites of the season. However, when using bleached paper made from old growth forests, and it soon tarnishes even the most beautiful well wishes.
   
   
   • Buy holiday cards or use blank card stock made from recycled paper, sustainable hemp, or make your own paper from recycled materials around the house.
   • Kept some cute cards from last year? Cut out details and use them as embellishments for this year's cards or, for you frugal greenies out there, send out the unused portion as your new cards this year.
   • If you want to alleviate some of the guilt, plant a tree or two to off-set your paper consumption this holiday season.
   • Print eco-friendly holiday photos, using photo paper made from recycled paper.
     
   • As for the holiday photos, print your own using vegetable dye printer cartrages rather than polluting chemical colors.
     
   
   
8. Be Evergreen with Your Decorations
   
   
   • When decorating this holiday season, don't forget your winged and four legged friends outdoors! If you are blessed with trees in your yard, make cranberry and popcorn garland to wrap around them, complete with birdseed covered pine cones. The animals will love them and they will contribute to your beautiful daylight decorations, naturally.
     
     
   • One could definitely argue that chopping down trees for any occasion is not exactly eco-friendly. However, when purchasing your holiday tree from a locally owned organic tree farm, you're not only helping out the local economy. You're also keeping artificial trees out of the landfill, supporting organic farming practices (some tree growers use over 40 harmful pesticides, which you then bring into your home!), and, for every tree cut down this year, that's at least one more tree planted for next season, if not more.
     
   
   
   • Go for all the sparkle you want this season, using LED holiday lights. Decorating your tree and home with energy-efficient LED lights will help reduce your energy bills and, since they burn cooler, they are also safer to use indoors. For outdoor lights, there are some awesome solar powered lights that you can decorate the outdoors without all the wires tracking back to the house, draining your pocket book! Plus they can go anywhere, allowing you to light up even hard to reach areas of your yard.
     
   
   
   • When it comes time to take the tree down, before you toss it out with the trash, visit eco911.org for local recycling services and pick up dates. Most cities have recycling programs that turn used trees into mulch and other materials. Or, if you are an avid gardener, you can put your tree out back to be self mulched for garden paths. Doing this not only keeps the tree in the cycle of life, birds and other wildlife will enjoy the additional spot to hide and rest in your backyard during the upcoming winter.
     
     
9. Feast Green!
   Dine 'till your heart is content by supporting local farm families who practice organic and sustainable farming practices. "The best organic food is what's grown closest to you." Search at Local Harvest for local farmer's markets, CSA's, Natural Food Markets, and other locations where you can find great tasting foods to add to your localvore. And, instead of throwing away leftovers after your big party, compost all non-meat food and kitchen scraps into your backyard compost bin.
   
   
10. Watch Your Language!
    Instead of waiting for Aunt May to say, "Hey, someone grab a bag for all the trash," when your crew is about to dive into the presents, pipe in with a cheerful, "Hey! Let me go grab a bag for all the recyclables," and then dart off with a gleeful skip in your step. Remember, we're more worried about educating and impressing upon the next generation than changing the minds of the old farts.
    
    What we say over and over again ingrains into our memory. If we change the way we talk about even the most mundane, we will be just like those evil commercials that we are obsessively avoiding, secretly carving our way into the minds of the unwilling, subconsciously changing their thought patterns. Who knows? Keep it up and you'll find yourself surprised next year when someone recites your very exact words at the next cleaning up venue or asks, "Hey, where do you want us to put this recycle stuff?"
    
    

This is by no means an exhaustive list of tips and ideas. If you have any great green ideas, please, feel free to comment below!

As always, with a little creativity, ingenuity, and forethought, we can enjoy our holiday traditions without trashing the planet. Always keep in mind that we are all related, connected. We all breath the same air, drink the same water, eat the same food. Keep it clean, safe, and enjoy!

Good luck! And happy holidays :)

PS...if you wish to reprint any or all of this blog,
PLEASE let me know so I can give reprint permission ;)
Thanks!

liamack {at} yahoo (dot) com

Home Decor Goes Green with New EcoArt Pillows
Wabisabi Green: EcoArt for Green Living
Going green never looked so good! Update your home with the new modern collection of
eco-friendly handprinted pillows. Made from the finest quality green materials available such
as sumptuous bamboo, plush organic cotton, silky organic Kapoc fiber and fluffy recycled
polyfiber made from plastic bottles, these durable eco goods are designed to bring luxurious
color and comfort to your home.
Local artist Jolee Pink started her innovative company, Wabisabi Green, to showcase her
colorful ceramic sculpture and stylish design for the home and garden. Jolee’s passion to
fuse her artistic expression with home accessories designed to promote greener living led to
the development of her EcoArt collections. Her designs are inspired by walks on the beach
and the natural sunny surroundings of our southern California coastal lifestyle. The three
eco chic collections just introduced are:

Shore featuring vibrant sea life*

Zen celebrating serenity and balance

Leaf bringing the outdoors in with the beauty of botanicals

For more information and to order, visit wabisabigreen.com.
*Five percent of all Tortuga design sales benefit ProPeninsula’s efforts towards Sea
Turtle conservation. To learn more, visit ProPeninsula.org.

Organic Recipes from Men's Health Magazine

Going green has never tasted so good and been so easy! “Nothing turns average cooks into great ones quicker than fresh ingredients,” New York Chef Tom Colicchio says in the July/August Issue of Men’s Health magazine.

When looking for some fresh ways to prepare your everyday meals, Men’s Health magazine has the following tips:

· Master The Market- Shopping at local farmer’s markets as opposed to supermarkets. Find one near you at (www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets)
· Make Friends- Building relationships with local butchers or fishmongers, can score you his best stuff.
· Stock Your Pantry- Keep extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and fresh herbs in your kitchen at all times

Below are a few recipes with that add a fresh spin on healthy soon to become favorite dishes.


Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs
Ingredients: 5lb boneless leg of lamb
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh sage
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Course sea salt
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the lamb flat (cute side up) on a clean surface and sprinkle it with kosher salt and pepper. Arrange half the herbs and all the garlic on the meat. Roll the meat tightly and tie it with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals
2. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet on medium. Season the lamb roll with kosher salt and pepper; add it to the skillet to the oven.
3. Roast the lamb in the oven for about 45 minutes. Add the butter and the remaining herbs to the skillet and continue roasting, basting occasionally, for about 15 minutes. (The lamb is medium rare when a thermometer inserted in the center of the roll read 125 degrees F). Remove the meat for the oven, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the lamb, sprinkle it with a touch of coarse sea salt, and serve.


Pan-Roasted Striped Bass
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp peanut oil
4 center-cut-striped-bass fillets (1inch thick, 6oz each), with skin on
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Coarse sea salt
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dry the fillets thoroughly with paper towels (this will help keep the skin crisp), season them wish kosher salt and pepper on both sides, and then add them, skin side down, to the skillet. Reduce the heat (The oil should sizzle, not sputter) and cook the fillets until the skin becomes crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and gently brown the other side, about 3 more minutes.
2. Add the butter and thyme. Continue cooking, turning the fillets once or twice so they brown evenly, and basting with the lightly browned butter. Cook until the fish is opaque, about 4 minutes. Serve at once, drizzled with the browned butter and sprinkled with coarse sea salt.

Summer Vegetable Ragout
Ingredients: Asparagus, snap peas, green beans fava beans, wax beans, peas,
Bok choy, Swiss chard (leaves and stems cooked separately), celery
Shallots, leeks (white parts only), zucchini, yellow squash, pattypan
Squash and carrots.
½ cup unsalted butter
2 oz prosciutto (optional), cut into 4 pieces
1-2 Tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as tarragon, chervil thyme
Parsley and chives)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 radishes, thinly sliced
¼ cup vegetable sprouts (such as broccoli, radish, or alfalfa)
1. Clean, trim and cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces
2. Cook each vegetable separately in boiling, salted water until tender. Then refresh in cold water and drain. Combine them in a bowl.
3. Boil half an inch of water in a medium pan. Reduce heat to medium low and whisk in the butter a little a time. Mix in the prosciutto and the cooked vegetables, coating with butter. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, cherry tomatoes and radishes, and simmer until the vegetables are just heated through. Divide among four bowls.

Dog Doo...What to do With the Doo?

by Lia Mack of begreendesigns.com

Summer is here! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and I get to enjoy my lovely backyard... However, before I sit out in the grass, there are a few steaming items I need to first address. If you've got a dog, you know what I'm talking about. Dog doo. Doggie poop. Doggy-doo. Whatever you call it, it's there, day after day (didn't I clean this up yesterday?!?!) and it'll be there tomorrow...

So, what's a 'green' dog owner to do? Pick up the poo in a PLASTIC bag and toss it in the trash!?!? Oh, no, people. That does NOT sound like a good-green idea. We know how long plastic will take to 'decompose' (that's if it ever will). So why hide away Nature's potential (aka: compost for the earth) in a plastic bag in a landfill? That isn't very smart. Or green.

BUY
Instead, you can invest in a doggy-doo composting system:
Doggie Dooley 3000 Septic-Tank-Style Pet-Waste Disposal System "The Doggie Dooley is like a miniature septic tank for your dog's waste. Simple start-up. Just dig a hole, drop in the Doggie Dooley, add water and the Digester Powder, and your system is ready to go. System breaks down dog waste using the enzyme and bacteria action in the Waste Terminator Digester Powder. "

DIY
However, if you are a frugal-green like myself, there are ways to do-it-yourself:

"The solution, says Mike, is to compost dog waste in yard, using a old plastic garbage can. The folks at City Farmer developed the method, which is one of the most popular tips on the cityfarmer.org web site. The technique provides 'a chance where people can have it slowly decompose in a yard and be environmentally safe.'

Here's a step-by-step description:

1. Take and old garbage can and drill a dozen or so holes in the side.
   
2. Cut out the bottom (A keyhole saw works great for this.)
   
3. Dig a hole in the ground, deep enough for the garbage can.
   
4. Toss some rocks or gravel in the hole for drainage and position the garbage can so it's a little higher than the soil level.
   
5. Place the lid on top (you might want to paint it with something like Dog Waste Composter.)
   
6. When you scoop some poop, put it in the hole and sprinkle in some septic starter (available at hardware stores) and add some water.

According to the www.cityfarmer.org web site, "Within 48 hours, the septic tank starter, (which is non-caustic and promotes natural bacterial growth) will have begun its work and you can add more dog doo. You can then begin to add it daily. This waste biodegrades and flows into the subsoil."

Mike adds that you should not put the composted dog waste in your garden.

While burying a garbage can to compost dog waste might seem like overkill if you live near the woods or close to a patch of blackberry bushes, but when you think about it, why not contain the waste in a more environmentally-friendly manner?"

As for when out on a walk...
"Don't use plastic shopping pags for your pooch's poo-poo! These bags are 100% biodegradable. Made to decompose in 40 days."

So there you have it folks! You'll not only remove the crap (no pun intended) from your yard, but you will also be giving back to the earth!

Have a Happy Summer! :)

San Diego EarthFair 2008 - Worst Earth Fair EVER!

Just a quick comment about this EarthFair.

Our booth was sandwiched between WALMART and CLOROX.I had always heard of small businesses being shut down by a Walmart moving into town, but this was the first time I'd felt the effects.

If you thought it couldn't get any worse, the food vendors used styrofoam and plastic bags were being handed out by the City of San Diego. This by a fair that claims to be zero-waste.

Turn Off Your Lights - March 29th

Want to join people around the world who care about the environment? Turn off your lights this March 29th for Earth Hour 8-9pm...make a difference.

Keep America Beautiful!

By Lia Mack of BeGreenDesigns

Have you looked outside lately? Take a walk around the block. Hike through the woods. Or just look at your own yard after a windy day. It's a mess. Plastic bags, ignored roadside newspapers, candy wrappers, water bottles and more. All just lying around cluttering up the landscape. On a recent hike I actually found a ceiling fan in the woods...A ceiling fan!?!? It is a sad absolute that when I take my children outside, they will see more trash laying around than other children playing and wildlife put together. Just as with violence on TV, the more they see it, the more immune they become to litter being a part of their world. If we don't do something about it, together as a family and a community, litter will become a permanent part of our great outdoors.

One way for communities to get together to tackle the problem is underway right now! Keep America Beautiful™, the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, is hosting The Great American Cleanup™ in communities, both nationally and internationally. "The Great American Cleanup™, [is] the nation's largest community improvement program, [which] takes place annually from March 1 through May 31, involving an estimated 2.8 million volunteers and attendees…The hardworking volunteers donated more than 7.7 million hours in 2007 to clean, beautify and improve more than 17,000 communities during more than 30,000 events in all 50 states and beyond. Activities included beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events.

"Keep America Beautiful™ believes that each of us holds an obligation
to preserve and protect our environment.
Through our everyday choices and actions,
we collectively have a huge impact on our world."

Get Local & Get Involved!
"There are more than 565 certified community affiliates of Keep America Beautiful™ doing good works." Click here to find a group near you.

Can't find an affiliate in your area?
Start one of your own. "Organize a clean-up committee by seeking out a few people who share your passion for the cause. Set a meeting date and let the ideas flow. Decide which project everyone wants to tackle." Click here to learn how you can Organize your own Great American Cleanup™

Here are just some ideas of how you can get involved from Keep America Beautiful™:

• Host a tree planting party
  
• Put a new coat of paint on a graffiti-marked wall
  
• Adopt a road with your friends and plant flowers
  
• Sponsor a litter collection contest
  
• Clean up a river or field that has become an illegal dump site
• Collect recyclable and reusable items on your block and deliver to a recycling center
  

Together we can make a difference. The possibilities are endless!

$30 Off Registration For Urban Assault Bike Race

Dear Urban Assaulter,

I have received some emails wondering why the Urban Assault Ride is not
coming to SoCal in 2008. As any of you probably have seen, we have a new
title sponsor (New Belgium Brewing) and a new focus for the events. The
UAR has proven very effective in helping folks use their bikes for
transportation. For 2008, we have chosen cities that have the best
infrastructure for bike transportation, with the hope that we'll have
more of an influence.

We're sorry that we're not in SoCal in 2008 - we can only do so many
events each year. That being said, we could be back - so don't write us
off.

As our way of thanking your for your participation last year, I am
offering $30 off a team registration to any 2008 UAR of your choosing.
Hopefully you can make it down to our biggest event in Austin, take a road
trip to the Rocky Mountain and participate in Ft Collins or Denver. Maybe
even check out our new events on the Pacific Northwest or Mid-West.

This offer expires 3/21 - so if you plan to sign up, pleas email me which
city you'd like and I will send you a coupon code.

Thanks again for participating and we hope to see you at the UARs again
this year!

-Josh Kravetz (josh@adventurefit.com)

Earth-Touch

Every once in a while we are contacted by a unique company or group of individuals eager to share their story. Earth-Touch is one such group. I was contacted by one of their members from South Africa excited to share her story.

REAL LIFE. NOW

Life on Earth is not a documentary. The Earth is a living organism that responds to each day with different subtlety. At any moment in time a complex cycle of natural wonder is playing out somewhere on this planet, while a butterfly flits in the Amazon, a lion roars in the African night and a great white shark silently moves through the Indian ocean. This intricate choreography that we are a part of is often hidden from view – playing out in some remote and undisturbed part of this planet. Earth-Touch strives to capture the best of this activity every day – quickly, simply, in the highest quality possible and then to relay it to audiences everywhere in the world, in the shortest time possible. Earth-Touch puts people in touch with the Earth, Now.

All the Earth-Touch content producers, film makers and editors are committed to making entertaining and educational wildlife films and new media in ways that are both environmentally and ethically sound. The footage is not sensationalized, the subjects are not antagonized…the mission is simple, to celebrate the truth and the beauty of nature.

Any representation of the natural environment demands from the crew, a very high level of personal integrity that supports the values of environmental awareness and concern. This is best achieved when high standards of journalism are merged with a profound respect for the natural world. Earth-Touch content producers scrupulously avoid harming or disturbing their subjects and the habitats in which they live in.

On the website you can download weekly podast highlights, featured stories, backgrounds and screen savers, earth-touch audio clips etc. We encourage people of all ages, demographic backgrounds to come explore the natural beauty of their planet!

www.earth-touch.com

LiveGreen Partners with TerraPass

White Badge Partner
LiveGreen has reduced up to 200 metric tons of carbon emissions in the current year.

LiveGreen is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and is working towards a zero footprint. With renewable solar electricity for our facilities, as well as recycling and composting our waste, we are well on our way. Until we reach our goal of zero waste, we will offset 100% of our remaining waste with TerraPass.

Carbon dioxide emissions, the principal cause of global warming, are an inevitable consequence of energy use. Every time an individual or organization uses electricity for lighting, fuel for transport, etc., additional carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere.

LiveGreen has partnered with TerraPass to sponsor clean energy and carbon reduction projects that result in a verified, measurable reduction in carbon emissions.

A Year of LiveGreen

I can't believe this year has almost gone by. My wife and I are truly amazed looking back at the progress we've made with this company. In a little over a year LiveGreen has gone from an idea without a name to a company providing services and selling products. We could not have done it without the support from our friends and families.

We are also aware that there is a lot more we could be doing...and the task is a little daunting. Finding the time to invest in pushing this company farther is not easy with two full-time jobs.

2007 was a time of growth and learning. We focused our efforts and made connections with some great people. I can only hope that 2008 will be even better.

Happy New Year!

Carnival of the Green # 107!

LiveGreen is excited to be the 107th host of Carnival of the Green, hosted by TreeHugger. It's our first run as host and we are glad to see you. Hope you had fun last week with Fake Plastic Fish... and stay tuned next week for Great Green Gadgets.



It's kind of a mixed bag, so here we go...

Cindy at My Recycled Bags shows off here green with a plastic bag bag. This could help with decorating on a budget

GreenDealsDaily points out an eco-friendly vodka.

Join Bean Sprouts at the Big Green Gathering.

Check out Fake Plastic Fish for some help on choosing which lipstick to use.

Victoria Everman writes about some nice green dishes and cups. Maybe a good present for a wedding...scientist says divorce is bad for the earth.

LED lights provide all the cheer for less says the Digerati Life.

Live It True talks about solar energy tackling poverty.

Natural Family Living questions the climate crisis. Sox First says businesses are worried about climate change.

Mexico is helping butterflies says Intelligent Travel.

Check out the Veggie Revolution for some coffee and chocolate.

OrganicMania talks tacky.

What Sustainable Materials To Look For When Buying Eco-Friendly Clothing.

Check out Life, the Universe, and Everything for the answer to Who Killed the Elecric Car.

and The Human Imprint talks about water and population rise


wow, that was a lot of submissions.... have a good week!

Why Paint "Green"?

by Lia Mack of BeGreen Designs

Personally?
Because I care about my health and that of the environment. I cannot consciously buy, use, and toss something that is not only poisoning our land, water, and air, but can also contribute to or create health problems in my family and yours.

What you put into the Earth, you put into yourself...
What you put into the Earth, the Earth gives back to you...
You reap what you sow...
Plant a seed, you get a plant. Dump poison, you get poison!
Even my three year old gets it!

Know air pollution?
Guess what. The air your own home can be five to ten times worse than outdoor air pollution. Yes, even if you live in a city like LA or DC. The EPA estimates that indoor air pollution kills more than 11,000 Americans each year. What do we owe this unpleasantness to, you ask? Contaminants such as cleaning solutions, building materials, stains, and paints! Paints are one of the highest contributors to indoor air pollution. They "gas-off" fumes such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) not a nice organic, a bad one. These gasses can continue to gas-off for 3-5 years. Like that dark blue your room is painted with (I know I do). Well, dark pigments are the worse. They have the most VOCs and gas-off for years. The darker the pigment, the more VOCs, and the more gas-off fumes. You eat, sleep, play and work indoors. Most people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Yikes! The gas-off of these contaminants can result in serious health problems.

Natural Beauty
We live in a natural world, and like babies, it should be treated in a natural gentle way. That is why I choose to switch to 'green' paints. There are so many choices, you won't have to compromise your style and color selection, durability or wallet! The paints I use are Zero VOC (low VOC paints still off gas and contain hazards). Begreendesigns only uses the most natural and eco-friendly materials. I am always looking for better green materials and paints. Just today I decided to, instead of recycling cereal boxes, use them as sample boards! See, being green is just that easy :)

Besides painting 'green', what else can we do? Glad you asked :)
We need to be stewards of this planet that we have been given. Look around and smell the 'great' outdoors. Isn't very great thanks to the industrial revolution. Don't get me wrong. I do like central air in August and movies in Hi-def. However, let's face it. We are ruining this great planet! So instead of placing the blame on people who don't recycle or companies who still produce hazardous waste to benefit their pockets, lets do something about it. Lets use OUR dollars and sense and only purchase green products and services that we know are made from and only use biodegradable, recyclable, sustainable, green, fairly traded resources and materials.

..................................................................
Here, I've compiled a quick list to some of the Internet's best available information on the subject of 'green' paint, VOCs, healthy children's rooms...you name it!.
Non-Toxic Paints
EarthEasy.com
"Indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air , and according to the EPA, is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health. Paints and finishes are among the leading causes..."
An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality
EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
Studies have found that indoor air pollution on average is 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors. During and for several hours immediately after certain activities, levels may be 1,000 times greater than outdoor levels...
Creating a Safe, Healthy Room for Your Child
Green Home Guide
"Newborns, infants, and toddlers are particularly susceptible to many toxic compounds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children are exposed to higher concentrations of pollutants because they breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food per kilogram of body weight than adults do; their skin is more permeable to certain toxicants; they are exposed to pollutants on the floor as they learn to crawl and play; and they often explore new objects by putting them in their mouths..."
'Green Paint' Makes Life Beautiful and Healthy!
"There are many options to look at when thinking about green paint. One of the easiest to find and most cost effective is Low or Zero-VOC paint. VOC, or volatile organic compounds, are carbon containing chemicals that readily evaporate into the atmosphere, destroying the ozone layer. VOCs are commonly found in paint, as well as gasoline, mineral spirits and nail polish. In addition to being ozone unfriendly, VOCs are responsible for polluting our indoor air, which has been found by the EPA to be 5 times worse than outdoor air. Low-VOC paints are often beneficial for people with breathing conditions as well as young children and the elderly..."
TreeHugger Asks: What Green Paints Do You Like?
"When it comes to choosing TreeHugger-friendly paint for whatever home improvement project that needs doing, we have a few ideas..."

Go Trash Free!

by Lia Mack of begreendesigns.com

I have a very hard time tossing anything, since it's final destination is a landfill that in turn will inevitably pollute my water, air, and land. I breath the air. I drink the water. I grow food in the land. Why on Earth would I want to pollute it?!??! So I've done something about it, or at least have been moving in that direction. I'm going trash free. Yep, that's right! Totally and utterly trash free.

What does that mean, you say? Well, that means you leave nothing out for the trash man on Monday or any other day. You compost everything you can, reuse, recycle, or just don't buy it (reduce consumption). It's pretty simple on the surface. However, when you take on the challenge, it gets a bit more complicated.

You see, we've been born and raised in this not so Earth-friendly environment. You go out to eat. You take home your food - in Styrofoam. You are religious with the 3 R's in your kitchen, but you forgot about the waste basket in the bathrooms, laundry room, garage. You have guests over and they don't take heed to your cute little signs above your recycle and trash containers and toss out everything. Ok, so you see where I'm going with this. If you want to take on this challenge, it's a full-time commitment. You can't just use the "I'll do it next time" routine. You have to commit mind, body, pocket book, and spirit to the cause.

So, are you ready! Are you stoked! Here are some ways to help you stay on your game. And remember, no trash means nothing to the landfill. You can recycle till your heart turns, well, green. But no trash. No toss. No more ;)

1) Vow to never use Styrofoam again.
Whether you are buying meat at the store, taking leftovers home from the restaurant, or picking out a nice pair of new pumps, remember: Styrofoam cannot be recycled. If you can't recycle it, can't reuse it, reduce it. Just don't use it. Instead, bring your own containers for food leftovers. You'll be out to eat with other greenies, so you won't have to worry about looking like the crunchy hippie you are...you'll fit right in ;)

2) Compost everything!
I have a nifty-difty little sign above my, now empty, garbage can in my kitchen. It reads "No veggie scraps. No egg shells. No fruit peels. These go in the compost bin! Thanks, Management :)" Don't toss out that soon-to-be black gold for your garden. Make sure everyone in your home is on board with this one. And if that means being a compost police for a while 'till they get the hang of it, so be it. Why would you want put that in a plastic bag to stink up the house anyway? Get a kitchen counter top compost bin, fill it up with all your kitchen scraps (minus the meat, bones, and milk products) and toss it on your compost heap every few days.

3) Remember the 3 R's.
When you are out shopping, before adding something to your cart, ask yourself, "Can this be recycled? Can it be reused? Do I have something already like it?" The bottom line for all purchases should be that if it doesn't fit in the 3 R's, you really need to rethink the item. Chances are, yes, with a little ingenuity and creativity you can find another way to satisfy your need...or want...craving...just gatta have it!!! Yes, we were born into this compulsive consumpting society, but if you are going to be trash free, you have to "be the change you wish to see in the world". Go Gandhi!

Now, having said all this, there are some things that I have yet to figure out how to fit into the 3 R's, compost, and not buy. I eat meat, so there are the bones from food that can't go in the compost and can't be fed to the dogs (mine are rather small dogs). So what about those? There are a few items that people will struggle with finding alternative ways, so let's open up a forum to find some solutions. What about Styrofoam?!??! What do we do with this stuff? How can we reuse it? What if it was bought with meat from the grocery store? Oops. What then? Can you really reuse it?

Here is the question to ask yourself, if you want to enter this challenge...Are there really certain things that just HAVE to be tossed? I think we can find alternatives to all of these items that we've been sold on having to toss out. That's where the NO TRASH challenge comes into play.

So, let's jump in and start the challenge!!

Start with a week. One week. Go trash free. Then add another week. Once you get the hang of it, be daring. Go for a whole month. Let me know how long you can make it and what made you break. What are some of the great alternatives you have come up with? Did you find the secret? Can you share it with the rest of us?!

I think this is a great thing for us to do. Why do we need to add to the landfill. Our ancestors (yep, I'm pulling out the oldies) made it just fine without trashing our Mother Earth. Now we're destroying it for our children and our children's children.

Make the commitment. Test yourself. See how far YOU can make it. Be green! Be trash free :)

San Diego Fires: Where Sustainable Buildings Help

Our home has been on the border of evacuation from the fires in San Diego. I'm very thankful we've been able to stay inside and hope for the best for the 500,000 plus San Diegans evacuated from their homes.

We are currently having an energy crisis as power links are being burned. I just went outside to check on the air quality and saw that our solar system was going strong and we were actually putting power back into the system (this with six people actively working on computers and watching news update on TV). It really brings home the fact that green or sustainable buildings are better situated in times of crisis.

Happy 'Green' Birthday - Green birthday party ideas

By Lia Mack of BeGreen Designs

It's that time of year again: cake, presents, and goodie-bags...it's Birthday party time! Planning a child's birthday party can be fun and dreadful at the same time. A party is a wonderful way to celebrate the life of your wee little one. However, all the waste that it can create can drive a 'green' parent nuts!

The last party we had for the kids ended in tears (from me, that is). Sure, some of the paper products were recycled in my clearly marked containers.. However most of our reusables ended up in the trash with unwanted cake and dinner tossed in with them. I attempted to dig them out, which was absolutely gross, however I was more frazzled by the thoughtlessness of some of my guests. Hadn't I, ever so nicely, instructed everyone to reuse and recycle properly? And we won't even mention the countless gifts and wrapping and money spent and...well, the list can go on and on.

Ok, so not everyone is 'green' savvy and even the best intentions can end up in a hit-or-miss situation. So what's a green parent to do? I'd like to share with you some, dare I say, fail proof ways to have a green birthday party!

First and foremost, I say make it a combination of a traditional and reinvented green birthday party. You can't expect everyone to jump on board and be amused by your ever-green ways. So let's compromise (or at least that is what it will look like on the surface :))

Invitations:There are tons of cool ways to do invites that will make you smile green. You can simply bi-pass paper all together and use an online invite service or email all of your guests individually. But what about those folks not online. Or worse, those who never read and/or respond to your emails?

Let's look at some paper options. Kids love to be involved in planning and helping out with their parties. So why not collect some paper from around the house and make your own invites out of handmade recycled paper. Paper making is fun and you can really jazz it up and make your invites unique. Another option would be to call everyone and leave a message, maybe telling them to check their email :).

Party Decorations:Streamers and balloons are so old school. Let's think with our green-caps.... For my son's upcoming birthday party, we are going to decorate some old sheets with fabric paints and use them as table cloths and napkins. We can reuse these for all birthday celebrations in the future too. Also, you can cut small streamers from the same fabric and use them as decorations, just simply hang them where they will dance in the breeze. This is a great idea to use in lieu of balloons. They just end up being swallowed by baby turtles. So sad. If you don't have any bed sheets you aren't using, I bet your local fabric store has some festive threads that you can get a yard or two of.


Presents:Oh, the presents. I have to say that this is the part I dread the most. Not only wondering what in the world to buy for someone else's kid and them not liking it, but what will everyone else buy my kids!? Plus, how much stuff do the kids really need?

I don't know about you, but my kids have enough, and there are kids out there that don't. One option would be to host a party where instead of gifts for your kids, guests bring gently used or new toys to donate to a local shelter. Your child can pick which one and then help you make the delivery.

Another idea is to think local and register your child at a local toy store. And I don't mean the big-box corporate toy stores. Ask around, take a drive. We have such a store here and it's filled with special gifts and good quality games and toys you won't find at the big toy store.

You can even ask guests to get your child a book in lieu of a card and write a personal note in the book. What child doesn't love books! Also, you can send your guests home with a book in their goodie-bag. Everyone brings gently used books that they are done with for a new one. Sort of a book-swap party.

Another great idea is to instead ask for 'experience gifts' where someone can get your child a ticket to a show, a pass to a near by aquarium or museum. A camping trip anyone? These experiences will last a lifetime and won't break, make a disaster of the house, are more fun and can involve other members of the family too. Everyone wins :)

My favorite way to deffer gifts is to, instead of gifts, ask guests to bring their kids favorite dish for everyone to share. Not only do you get a great variety of foods, this also cuts down on your own party costs. This brings us to the best part of the party.

The food:Asking guests to bring food is great. If you are going to do it all yourself (for those supermoms and superdads out there) try to have all vegetarian foods so that all table scraps can be readily composted. Visit the farmer's market the week of for some fresh local produce.

If you do have to fire up the grill to satisfy the meat-eaters, buy local. Introduce your guests to some of the unknown local possibilities like local farmers and ranches. Not everyone knows about CSA's and local places where they can get fresh organic veggies and free-range meats.

Dishes and such:I like to use cloth whenever I can. Why cut down a tree to wipe my hands one time and toss? It's insane. Here you can use your reusable birthday bash table cloths and napkins. The washing machine does all the work. It's no big deal, looks great, and feels great too. You'll save money and the trees :) As for dishes and utensils, if you are partying at home, use your own dishes. There are also some great reusable dish sets out there. If you are out and about at your local park for your birthday bash, there are some great compostable alternatives. Potato forks, corn spoons, PCW paper products. Check online or at your local green grocery store.

Goodie-Bags and Games:Last but not least, the goodie-bags. The little bags you give your guests on the way out the door. Filled with tiny junky plastic toys that are not only a chocking hazard, but are cheap, break, and probably have toxic lead paint! Not to mention the candy. Kids + candy...honestly. But you can't not have them. The kids love to have something to go home with. They're kids ;) So let's think outside the bag, shall we.

Kids love crafts. So why not have them make something that they in turn take home, and in a bag that they decorate themselves! Or, better yet, you and your child can decorate some brown paper bags before the party that you can use. For my son's upcoming party, we are going to make some bags and the kids will use them to bring home their handmade bird feeders. Send the kids off to find pine cones., add peanut butter, sprinkle bird seed, and presto! Other ideas could include: Treasure hunts, have them make tie dye t-shirts, set up a paint-a-picture station, show them how to make homemade play dough.

With a little imagination and ingenuity, the possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoy your next birthday party 'green' style. I'm off to get mine underway. Wish me luck!

Vespa...Go Green

Totally excited to hear about this. We love our Vespa and like to think of it as a green alternate transport... getting 70 MPG.

Well, we heard from a contact that Vespa is touting their green edge.

WIN 1 of 3 VESPAS ... or other cool prizes by entering the Go Green Vespa Video Challenge.

Did you know... if Americans were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly Vespa motor scooters for just 10% of everyday travel, we could reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gas a day, and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 324 million lbs. a day.

This is the basis of Vespanomics and one of the benefits of Vespa scooter ownership.

Submit a video about Vespanomics and you could win the ultimate grand prize - a Vespa GTS! Your video will be judged on viewer ratings, originality, creativity and most importantly how the video best illustrates the Vespanomics message.

Need more information on Vespanomics? Read up on the subject. Once you've done your homework, grab your camera and start shooting. This is your chance to show and tell the world what Vespanomics is through your creative lens.

So whether you're a filmmaker with skills, an impassioned novice, an environmental advocate or just a huge fan of the Vespa brand, we want to see what you've got.

http://gogreenchallenge.vespausa.com/

Anti-bacterial Debate

By Noelle Morris, EPIC Cleaning Products

Today about 75% of liquid soaps are antibacterials. But there is an ongoing controversy over the active ingredients found in these hand soaps, triclosan and quarternary ammonium compounds. Extensive studies have shown that triclosan causes skin irritations, kills human mesoderm tissues, and causes extensive damage to our environment. Surprisingly, recent research has shown that antimicrobial soaps are ineffective, outside a sterile hospital setting and are actually causing more harm to our society than good! Because they kill most bacteria in their paths, they leave only the toughest behind, potentially helping drug-resistant bacteria thrive. Also, in water sources, triclosan combined with chlorine and sunlight can produce chloroform, a suspected carcinogen. While the debate continues, it may be best to lean towards the safe side and use nontoxic cleaning products. If you'd like to learn more about the harmful effects of anti-bacterial soap, please follow this link to download a pdf file: http://www.products4causes.com/pdf/Triclosan.pdf

Blog Action Day

I just found this at Earth 911. The Blog Action Day is a MASS blog writing day focused on the environment. It's definitely something we support. Stay tuned...I hope it goes well.

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

We at LiveGreen will be donating any earning we make on October 15th to the San Diego Riverpark Foundation and the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy.

The Linkery: Great Food with a Conscience

If you are looking for a place to eat in San Diego and want to eat at a place with excellent food and a friendly staff, try The Linkery. Owner Jay Porter is progressive when it comes to the quality of your meal as well as its ecological footprint. Known to spend many weeks away from his hometown to visit with the independent farmers that raise food for the restaurant, Jay also works very hard to bring you a meal without causing harm to the environment.

When we took some friends for dinner the other night, we were seriously impressed with the entire dinner. Instead of bottled water we were offered a carafe of cold, sage-infused water. Our silverware was wrapped in hemp, reusable napkins and what we thought was candlelight was actually a fuel-cell light. There were a variety of organic and vegetarian meals as well as local brews and wines. I really think the reusable To-Go boxes is really innovative. (food in plastic or styrofoam containers makes me cringe)

New Takeaway Containers, Greenstyle
Posted by Jay on Saturday, 18 August 2007

We’re continuing to try to reduce our environmental footprint, particularly with consumables waste — paper, tinfoil, plastic, etc. To-go containers have been a bugaboo for us, the tin foil pie-pan containers we’ve been using are not reusable and I understand they are very resource-intensive to make.

Starting this weekend, we’re going to pack all our to-go orders in heavier, dishwasher-safe, reusable plastic boxes. These containers cost us about a buck each, and for each container in a takeout order we’ll charge a buck.

If you like the container and want to use it at home, great. But if you don’t want it, just bring it back to us at any time and we’ll give you your buck back. As Chef Tell would say, “very simple, very easy.”

Also, if you prefer, you can bring your own container in and we’ll put your food in that, and then the dollar doesn’t even make the circuit.

In any event, we’re pleased to be trying this new system, which will allow us all to reduce waste without costing anything. Which we think is cool.

If you like a good local brew and some good food to go with it, join us at The Linkery Aug 28th for the Green Flash Brewmaster's Dinner.

Free Energy

I was just paying my bills and thought I'd share one with you.



San Diego Gas & Electric was getting around $100 per month from us before we went solar. It was a real eye opener.

Reusable Options for Bulk Items?

I was wondering what you use when buying bulk items like flour, rice, dried fruit from the grocer. I already use my reusable bags and produce bags but I am at a loss when it comes to the other items. Thanks!
Prisilla Fisher

Clean Power Finance - Making Solar as Easy as Buying a Car

Question: WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE GOING SOLAR?

Well, other than the many hoops you have to jump through (from finding the right installer, rebate applications, net metering ....) I can attest to one big hurdle: MONEY! Even getting a large rebate to cut the cost, trying to finance $20-30 thousand dollars is not very easy or appealing.

Clean Power Finance is a new company started in Silicon Valley that wants to make buying solar as easy as buying a car. When you show up at the dealership, do you expect to refinance your home before you can get the keys? Well, with Solar Dollars, CPF wants to make realizing clean power for you own home a simple and attainable reality. More often than not, you can just divert that monthly check to your power company over to a loan payment.

Earth Friendly Moving

A couple months ago we moved to our new home using the zero-waste packing solution provided by Earth Friendly Moving. Take a look at our videos as we ask Spencer Brown to shed some light on his company.

via TreeHugger

Christmas in July

First, a disclaimer: We at LiveGreen do not discriminate when it comes to religion. Here, we talk about Christmas in the American sense (Santa Claus, Gifts, Big Dinners, Firends, Love). Now on to the blog.

You've all heard of the saying "Chistmas in July"... usually when somebody hits it big or when there is an unexpected windfall of money. Well, we'd like to talk about Christmas in December, the biggest shopping day of the year. As a consumer, you have the power to effect change with every dollar (or euro, pound, etc...) spent...and just around the corner (well, not really) comes the biggest spending season of the year. You can't get away from it! Holiday parties at work, in class, at friend's homes...there's the obligatory card to all of your friends and families. It's a time to spend and a time of waste as well. How many gifts have you returned or given to Goodwill after the holidays? Why do we need all of these gifts?

I'm not saying gifts are bad...it's great to give a loved one a gift showing how much you care. However, it seems that as we grow older, Christmas becomes a nostalic time best spent giving presents when really we just want to spend time with our friends and families. In the next six months we will be blogging about ways to make your holiday season green this year. From sustainably made gifts to no gifts at all.

We start in July with no gifts. My wife and I are in a similar stage with both of our families...a few of our siblings have kids, new Grandmas and Grandpas are just getting their first chances at spoiling, and siblings of long distances have but a few weeks a year to spend with eachother. We both come from large families. So when you add on a neice or nephew here and there the family becomes HUGE. The holidays represent a significant stress when it comes to gifts for people large and small...and then there's the 'Holiday Card' you should send to EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER MET! It's a little insane when you think of it.

Let's make this holiday a ZERO WASTE HOLIDAY. When it comes down to it, my family is not rich, but we can afford to buy some luxuries on our own. It's not like when I was a kid and had to mow lawns for months in order to buy a Super Soaker...I rather spend a lot of my money all the time on things like gas, food, clothes...the last thing I want to do is spend more. So what do we do?

Gifts: Make a pact with your family this season that no one will buy any gifts for anyone (except for kids if you want...and stay tuned for some sustainable gifts). Many cheap gifts are made in deplorable working conditions and are manufactured with earth UN-friendly materials. Think before you shop...can you live without the hassle of shopping in the busiest time of the year?

Cards: Send an eCard or nothing at all. What do you plan to acheive by sending a card? Data Transfer. You're trying to bring the people you care about (or even just acquaintances) up to speed on your life...maybe even bragging a little! Why do you need to use paper, ink, gas for transport, waste? Sending an eCard is a simple and efficient click of the mouse.

Live Earth - Matter of Habits

Amanda and I Tivoed the Bravo broadcast of Live Earth, the 7-7-07 24/7 concert performance highlighting the climate crisis. We were really impressed with some of the tips that the stars helped put a shout out to. Model Petra Nemcova talked about how it is just a matter of habit. Take one thing at a time, such as bringing reusable shopping bags with you to shop, and make it a habit. We also liked Fall Out Boys talking about taking the politics out of it. Helping save the environment is a personal issue that people of all walks of life are turning to. They also talked about making being green more convenient...and that's what LiveGreen is all about. Providing simple solutions everyone can do to help the environment.

It was a great concert...singers like Jack Johnson, Linkin Park, AFI, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police, Sting, Black Eyed Peas, and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Ray Liota, Kevin Bacon...it was really cool. 2 Billion People!

The Green Guide - Simple Eco Tips from National Geographic

I just ordered a two year subscription to The Green Guide, an environmental magazine produced by National Geographic. There is a paper subscription service...but I was really excited to see a discounted electronic version.

One cool tool that I found in my first issue was a fish shopping guide. If you have Internet access on your mobile phone when you're at the store, you can search each fish for its environmental impact and health issues. I look forward to trying it out tomorrow.

07-07-07 Live Earth

If you have a couple of free hours today check out SOS Live Earth, a 24 hour benefit concert covering all 7 continents. From Washintgon DC, to China to Antarctica with artists ranging from Garth Brooks and Trish Yearwood to Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson.

We were watching early this morning and really liked the "Answer the Call" video clips. They are really simple everyday solutions featuring actors like Namoi Campbell, Cameron Diaz, and Ben Afflek. Some of the clips we saw were recycling, turning off your computer, unplug your phone charger, CFL's, and one we just bloggged about purchasing music online such as sites like tunes for trees.

gDiapers - Making a Difference for Your Baby and the Planet

At LiveGreen we are always on the lookout for new, environmentally beneficial products that people can use in their everyday lives that could take the place of a similar product that harm the environment. Recently, we had a chance to chat with Michelle Schnoor, Marketing Director at gDiapers, about thier innovative, flushable diaper. Stats like 50 Million Diapers A Day and 500 Years peaked my attention.

LiveGreen: Tell me about gDiapers.

Michelle Schnoor: The product was originally invented in Australia by a mom who had two kids and thought of a solution to the drought problem in Australia, so cloth diapers weren't necessarily the best solution due to water usage. She created the flushable diaper and the name of that company is the Eenie Weenies. Kim and Jason, the co-founders of gDiapers, lived in Australia and came across the Eenie Weenies for their Children. They used them, loved them, and thought 'why don't other people have this?', because it's such an easy solution to our landfill problem.

They bought global rights and thought Portland, Oregon would be the best location to launch the company due to how aware we are up here, we're a very green metropolitan area. They moved here three years ago and we launched almost two years ago. We now have national distribution through natural retailers like Wild Oates and Whole Foods as well as in co-ops and boutiques, and our online business is very strong.

ME: I've done a little research about your company, but it's nice to hear a more personal story.

MS: Yes. One thing that isn't on our website is that our children are on site. Kim and Jason believe a balance between work and family is very important. We have daycare on site and our first title around the office is Mom, Daddy, Momma...whatever our children call us, and our second is our work. It's nice to know that your children are with you all day...not necessarily at the desk side, but just down stairs. It's a huge thing, not only for our company, but in trend setting for other companies. We're a start-up and we can do this, but there is hope that other larger companies will follow suit. There's nothing worse than having to drop your kids off with someone while you're at work...having our kids here helps ease the stress of trying to be a full-time mom and a full-time employee. That's what gDiapers is all about...we're a cool company and a cool product.

ME: That's really nice...I think I actually heard your baby in the background.

MS: Yea, he's actually right here...we were actually in the middle of nursing.

LG: How long have you worked there?

MS: I've been here for almost a year and a half...I came from Wild Oats. I met Jason at a green exhibit and fell in love with the company. I had a two year old at the time and knew that I wanted to use gDiapers. I started out in customer service, because that was the only opportunity at the time and now I'm doing marketing. I feel very blessed to be here. It's always great when you work for a company that you truly believe in and not very many people have that opportunity.

LG: Can you tell me a little about the product?

MS: We have a very innovative product. Not only is gDiapers good for the environment, it's also good for babies. The reason we have a positive impact on the environment is that people can dispose of their diapers in the toilet rather than the landfill. 50 Million diapers go into the landfill every day and they will sit there for 500 years. Presently, diapers are the third largest contributor to landfills and the average child uses 5000 diapers before being toilet trained. Even if you chose to throw away the disposable and not flush it, we don't use any oil based materials in our diapers, so it will degrade in the landfill. A positive impact for our babies is that they are not sitting in plastic all day...all disposable diapers are made out of plastic, even the leading chlorine free diapers are made of plastic. By being in gDiapers, your babies are in a breathable pant which eliminates the chance of having diaper rash and the heat that's involved in sitting in plastic.

We are also working on an adult line. I believe it is 2015 that there will be more adults in diapers than babies. So there will be a substantial market then. I don't know if you've ever had the chance to put a plastic bag over your pants and hold it really close for about three minutes. It gets really hot and gross in there...so that's kind of what our babies are sitting in when they are sitting in a disposable diaper.

Basically, gDiapers are a great option for consumers and parents who want to make a difference for their babies and the planet. We like to call ourselves the Toyota Prius of cloth disposable diapers. We're truly a hybrid system. We really hope that parents give us a try...even if they can't use gDiapers full-time, every flushable they use is one less diaper going into the landfill. We encourage parents to do what they can...if the system is too much work or whatnot, even if they can use us on a part time it's one easy way they can have a positive impact on the environment and their babies!

The system itself consists of colorful, washable gPants, there's a nylon snap in liner and the flushable. I forgot to mention that you can also compost the flushable as long as they are only urine based. We don't recommend that you compost feces.

LG: I actually watched the videos you have on your site and thought they were really helpful. I was chatting with a woman on the TreeHugger forum who said she clogged her toilet. I think she might not have read the directions that you have to take the flushable out.

MS: Right, that's been a little tricky for us. There are directions, but we live in a very fast paced society. I honestly didn't read the directions the first time as I was a busy working mom. Then I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I have to do all this work...flush it and rinse it', but now we just do it and it's easy.

The composting component is great. It's not as much impact on your toilet, your garden greatly benefits, the nitrogen in urine is awesome for your soil, and that's what we do here at The Village. We flush the poopie ones and try and compost as many of the urine ones as we can and it's been a great system here for us. We want the flushing and the composting to be the first choice of disposal, but if you chose to throw them away it is still better for the environment.

LG: This is really a cool product. I probably already know the best thing about working at gDiapers, but is there anything else you really like about the environment there at gDiapers?

MS: We are a very small, intimate workplace which has its pros and cons, but overall we all share similar values, especially about the environment. It's great being part of a revolutionary and innovative product. We have an opportunity of being part of this product that can change our world. That's the great thing for me, to be able to work for a company I feel passionate about. Having my two children on site is obviously the biggest part, because being a mom is my first priority and they are only little for such a short amount of time. But being able to promote such a great product...not very many people feel such passion about their jobs.

Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Many of us have already found that we can effect change in the world by using our consumer choices wisely to support companies we believe in. My wife and I started with our choices of foods we ate - organic, local. This led to other changes in our purchasing habits. We started promoting products we felt could create a big impact when it comes to greening your lifestyle.

We are now looking into other aspects of our lives. Every day you spend money. It's almost impossible not to. Just turn on a light in the morning or hop in the shower. The energy or water come from somewhere...do you know the environmental impact of providing these amenities?

One area I hadn't thought to look was insurance. I was presently surprised when my brother handed me a brochure for Better World Club, an environmentally friendly insurance company. This company provides vehicles insurance as well as insurance for home, travel (eco-travel), and bikes. Yes BIKES! I was hooked right off. If I break my chain riding to work I can call up my insurance for help....that's great. Aside from offering insurance and roadside assistance, they also provide discounts for hybrid vehicles or rentals. Better World Club donates 1% of their revenue to environmental cleanup and advocacy.

So, I'm going to call them up and change over our insurance. Why not? I'll be paying about the same for the same service I get from my other insurance company...however, I will be supporting a company that is more in tune with our families goals. Stay tuned for updates.

Better World Club is dedicated to balancing economic goals with social and environmental responsibility. We support a cleaner environment and alternative modes of transportation. We provide our customers with high quality, good value and environmentally sensitive products and services. We act as an advocate on behalf of the consumer and demonstrate our social and environmental commitment by donating an amount equal to 1% of our annual revenues toward environmental cleanup and advocacy.

LiveGreen Summer Sale!

We're very excited that summer is here. Longer days means more time to spend outside and more energy from our solar panels! We're so excited that we thought to spread the love.

For the month of July, For every $20 worth of LiveGreen products, we'll send you a $5 gift certificate towards your next purchase.

San Diego Beaches’ Fourth of July Hangover

From our friend Ken over at Surfrider.


Pacific Beach – 6:30 a.m., July 5, 2006

Left behind at 7 SD County Beaches on July 4, 2006: 8,000 pounds of trash 45,000 cigarette butts


This Fourth of July…and every day…“Respect The Beach”

• Consume less and buy products that do not have a lot of packaging.

• Take less to the beach and use trash cans or bags during your celebration.

• Bring home any trash or recyclables that you cannot dispose of properly.

• When you leave the beach, take at least one additional piece of trash with you.

• Help clean your community after ANY celebration—not just the 4th of July.

• Spread the word to “Respect the Beach!”


Surfrider Foundation’s Morning After Mess beach cleanup, presented by Sun Diego Boardshops. Thursday, July 5, 2007, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. 7 beaches throughout the San Diego County. More info: www.surfriderSD.org

Tunes for Trees: iTunes + Trees = Cool!

I was just cruising the net and found a really cool site. Tunes For Trees. If you shop iTunes for music, you should shop through this site. For every 10 songs you purchase, a tree will be planted for you.

This is the type of product we LOVE! You're going to shop for music...might as well help the environment while you're at it! Just like our EPIC products...you're going to clean...clean green!

Earth 911 Survey - Win a gift card

I really like the quality of information that comes out of Earth 911. They are planning to build a new website and have a survey they would like you to fill out.

Earth 911 has plans to build a new Web site devoted to things we all can do individually to improve the environmental friendliness of our homes, and particularly, our garages.

We need your input. Your opinion is important as it will help direct us as to what we should include on the new Web site.

Please take 5 minutes to fill out the What’s in Your Garage survey and help us learn what is important to you. Once you complete the survey, you will be eligible to win a $25 Gift Card from Best Buy. Also, registering for the prize at the end also entitles you to return to view the survey results we compile.

Thanks in advance for completing the survey and, as always, for making every day Earth Day.

The Earth 911 Staff

Green Drinks SD, this Thursday June 28th, Downtown

Make sure to mark the date! Green Drinks is coming to Hotel Solamar this Thursday, June 28th. Salomar is a cool green hotel in downtown SD...I look forward to checking it out.

Jbar, Hotel Solamar, 435 6th Ave., San Diego, CA 92101, (619) 531-8740

Every month, people all over the world working, studying or just interested in the environment are meeting up at informal gatherings known as GreenDrinks – it’s a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info, enjoy an ice cold beer and make new friends. Now GreenDrinks has come to San Diego, and you’re invited!

Know your electric bill (Part 1)

A discussion about saving electricity and money can not begin until we understand how we are charged for electricity. This week’s blog will provide an explanation of your kWh’s (kilowatt hours) and current electric costs.

Your bill is in direct relationship with the amount of electricity you use each month. When you look at your monthly bill you’ll notice not only the cost of the bill but the # of kWh’s that you’ve used.

Where do those kWh come from? A standard 100 Watt bulb uses 100 Watts of electricity an hour. 10 of these bulbs would use 1000 Watt hour or 1 kiloWatt in one hour.

I know you’re thinking, “Aaron, that was simple”. If your electric bill is handy I reference it in this next section.

The utility company, providers of your electricity since power lines were built, decided to bill you more for the more electricity you use. That’s right, the more electricity you use the higher the rate that you pay, per Watt.

Rates are confusing, explaining your electric bill would take page after page of explanation. As mentioned above the more you use the more you pay, and utility companies bill on tiers, 1 being the first tier and the least expensive and 5 is the most expensive. As an example:

Bill tier: Price per kWh $:
1 0.13
2 0.15
3 0.23
4 0.24
5 0.26

As you can see tier’s 1 & 2 are $0.02 apart and tier’s 2 & 3 are $0.08 apart, an incredible increase in cost.

If you’re looking at an electric bill you will notice on page 2 of your SDG&E bill there are different charges at different costs. These prices per tier do not accurately reflect your entire bill due to the additional charges which are also directly related to your electric bill.

Now the tricky part is finding out how many Watts fit into each tier. Depending on where you live you’re given a different amount of kilowatts for tier 1. This is because a home on the coast without A/C will use less electricity than the same sized home in the desert.

At the beginning of your billing cycles you’re usage is 0 and as your kilowatts add up your bill increases. If you’ve been paying attention, you’d of realized it would be best to use electricity within the first 2 tiers. Of course that sounds good but when we look at the amount of kW given per tier we realize this is difficult to accomplish.

Next week we will discuss the percentages per tier and how conservation, energy efficiency and solar electricity can provide you with an attractive return-on-investment and the power to help save your environment.

Arnold Answers Tough Question

I thought this was a great response to a tough question. I really like his green tie too...

Powered By The Sun (part 2)

Our PV system is finished! Now we're waiting on our power company to inspect it so we can throw the switch. It's beautiful...and kind of sad. Here we are, a day away from the longest day of the year, PV panels perfectly situated to soak up the sun's energy...and we wait.

Here's the second most important part of the system, the inverter. The PV panels take the sun's energy and converts 22% of it (SunPower panels have great efficiency) into DC (direct current). It runs through this inverter and out comes AC (alternating current)...the stuff that powers our house. Now we sit and wait for inspection....

Green Racing?

Hello. My name is Mary, or "sportbikerchic" to the motorcycling community. I'm a motorcycle racer and an instructor on the track. I was recently reading an article about LiveGreen that got me thinking about my motorycle racing and the footprint that it may be leaving on the world.

As much as motorcycles are supposedly better on the eco-system than most cars (at least as far as fuel-economy), I'm not so sure that's the case once we introduce racing into the equation. My bike could get about 40mpg if I rode sedately on the streets, but on the race track with the RPM needle knocking on redline the whole time, that gas mileage drops to something closer to 15mpg. Add in aftermarket exhausts, engine modifications and suped-up race fuel, and we're probably not doing so well.

So I started wondering how we (the racing community) can try to recoup the damages that we've done with our bikes. Possibly something as simple as organizing a collection to buy trees to plant. I'm not looking to change the racing community, just to come up with a one time thing we can do as a whole. Perhaps some of you can help us with ideas. I can't promise I can get the community to back up the idea, but it's very much worth a try!

Powered by the Sun

The day has finally arrived...we're having our solar installed! This was the first project that we started in November of last year. After trying to do a little research here and there on solar, I decided it would be best to find a turn-key service provider. Turn-key means that everything is prepared for you, all you have to do is sign your name (on applications and of course, the check!). We decided to try out Clean Power Systems after talking with a couple of solar providers in the area. I was very impressed after talking with Kirk Mulligan, CEO of Clean Power Systems. We have referred three clients so far!

Clean Power Systems is a company with a bright future (pardon the pun). Not a typical solar company, CPS is a clean energy company...currently that energy is solar photovoltaics. From the start, we have had friendly and open access to the company and have met some very smart people.

Stay tuned for updates on our solar system...we are very excited.

Why We Love Our Vespa

My wife and I started carpooling to work twice a week on our Vespa (we already carpool in our Escape). It's really a lot of fun...especially on the ride home when we can split lanes between the waiting traffic. The best part came when I filled up...a full tank was only $3.43...that really feels good.

Greetings Fellow TreeHuggers!!!

We are so excited to have an article posted on TreeHugger.com...it's really amazing. TreeHugger has been a HUGE help in deriving inspiration and information in order to develop our company. We are really thankful to Tim for the wonderful article he wrote.

I thought I'd make an easy link to some of our favorite places on our site (you are free to troll along by yourself of course).

We have had some interesting interviews with companies that we really like. Check out our chat with GreenDimes, New Belgium Brewing Co., Green Drinks, Resource Revival, and Green Options. We're a little backed up on writing, so look for more interviews to come - E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, gDiapers, and EPIC.

We have some eco-friendly products that we are especially fond of. We decided to offer these after using them in our daily life and realizing their impact. We recently started gathering some new authors to contribute to our site, please welcome Charisse, Aaron, Justin, and Michael. As well, please check out our local green companies that we use and refer; Earth Friendly Moving, Pure Cleaning Services, Clean Power Systems, Blue Summit Financial Group...and many more to come.

We are eager to hear from any green businesses interested in us testing and (if we like them) showcasing your products or services, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you for stopping by, be sure to subscribe to our feed!
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Greens We Dig: Earth Friendly Moving

Last month my wife and I moved to our home in Encinitas. We wanted to move green and were fortunate to see a TreeHugger article that led us the Earth Friendly Moving. I sent an email over to ask about their service. A couple days later I received a phone call from the Owner or EFM, Spencer Brown. An hour later I hang up...I had to try and digest all the information he gave me. I thought about how to write up an article...spouting off stats like 20% of America moves every year or that the average move generates 250 pounds of trash! Spencer is truly a unique individual...I had to get him on camera.

So, please take a look at the first in a series of clips about the first ZERO-WASTE packing solution invented and created by Spencer Brown of Earth Friendly Moving.

Having trouble streaming? Try YouTube

Welcome Contributing Author: Michael McClure

by Michael McClure

Hi I’m Michael McClure, but you can call me the ECO ELF.

I wanted to be a marine biologist 'when I grew up.' As a kid in the 70s I learned about pollution, overpopulation and endangered species. I remember spending my weekends sport fishing on my dad's 20 foot Blackman fishing boat. My father has some great stories about all the different kinds of fish he'd catch and it seemed the variety of life had dropped since he was a kid. But that was a long time ago wasn’t it? (My dad is only 20 years older than me).

When I went off to UCLA, I didn’t hear much more about overpopulation. My focus was real estate and making money, and so I didn’t hear much about pollution, except that it wasn’t a good idea to surf in the Santa Monica bay. I heard that air pollution had gotten better in LA since the 70s. Through my eyes, it seemed that the EPA and Greenpeace and “they” were doing a good job protecting our environment, our endangered species and keeping toxins out of my food and water. The occasional report I read seemed to say birth rates were going down in the 1st world. Maybe the over-pollution scare was over too?

A few years ago, I decided to start a family with my sweetie Kamala Devi and I began to think about what I would teach my son or daughter about the environment that we live in. I began to ask the question: How healthy is our planet? I reached out to find out who was studying this question.

The name Jim Bell came up as a legend in San Diego (he built the OB Peoples co-op and has run for San Diego Mayor.) He has a brilliant, very workable plan to make San Diego energy, water and food self-sustaining with solar power generation, rainwater harvesting and organic farming. So I went to see Jim. It turns out Jim is extremely positive and if implemented, his plans may save our planet. Jim took me on as his student.

When the movie An Inconvenient Truth came out I vowed to dedicate my life to finding and implementing solutions to this massive problem. Jim, in his wisdom explained that global warming is merely a symptom of humankind not living in a sustainable manner on earth. He went further to explain that global warming is just one of many ways that we humans could become extinct. Jim came back with his wisdom. He told me that it does no good to depress ourselves by worrying about all the possible things that can go wrong on planet earth. Good advice.

My focus is now on what we can do, what I can do, what each of us can do in a positive direction to help bring Mother Earth to a sustainable balance. Last year we bought a house in Pacific Beach. With Jim's help, I decided to make the house self-sufficient in energy, water and food. I, like many new homeowners, have limited resources, so it was vital that I began by focusing my money on the items where I could get the biggest bang for the buck. Conservation didn’t cost anything, it only reduced cost. Soon, I realized that simplicity was the greenest approach. I began to learn how to reuse and repair items. I learned about non-toxic paints and how to source free comfort features like a spa. I even found free solar water heating panels and got a system working that doesn’t need power from the grid. You can see more detail at http://www.GreeningEmerald.com

Fortunately, we were able to create a non-toxic environment in our house, before last January when our baby was born at home. He’s a beautiful, healthy happy boy named Devin Echo McClure.

Now, as a proud and concerned parent I'm starting this column as the ECO ELF to advise people on how to build and remodel green in order to save time money and energy. Builders have also hired me to consult with them about how to make their projects less expensive. Homeowners have gotten my suggestions on how to remodel their homes in clean ways, and most recently, parents have consulted with me on how to keep their infants and children safe from the toxins that are all around us.

To make this process easy and fun, I have developed a fun program called the Green Sweep. It allows you to score how green your home and life are and then to play the game of increasing your green score. Devin loves it (though he’s too young to tell us.)
Sincerely,
Michael McClure (Eco Elf)
For more information about these services please call me at 619-871-2828 or you can visit http://www.greeningemerald.com

Welcome Contributing Author: Aaron Husak

My name is Aaron Husak and I work for a Solar Electric company in San Diego, CA. I'd like to thank LiveGreen for building this blog and promoting a green"er" lifestyle.

About me: I've lived in San Diego just over a year and have been doing solar electricity just as long. I keep up-to-date on current issues regarding the solar electric industry and, although I am not an expert, I am proficient on the operation and benefits of solar.

I will be posting on LiveGreen about energy efficiency in the home and how solar works, occasionally discussing trends in the industry as well as updates to the current Million Solar Roofs initiative in California.

California has taken steps to promote solar, I hope to provide additional information on how you can make your home a green home.

Welcome our newest Contributing Author: Justin Martello

by Justin Martello

Socially Responsible Investing for the Long Term
The past few years have hammered home the importance of corporate integrity, as investors watched former Wall Street darlings collapse in the aftermath of corporate scandal. In fact, a majority of investors now believe that companies that operate with higher levels of social responsibility carry less risk (55%) and deliver better returns (52%).1 And 71% of investors contend that knowing that companies are rated higher in terms of their social performance would make them more likely to invest in such companies.2

But how do you go about investing in companies with higher levels of integrity? An investment strategy called socially responsible investing (SRI) provides an option. SRI is based on the principle of investing in well-managed companies that act responsibly towards shareholders, communities, employees, consumers, and the environment.


Socially Responsible Investing
So, what exactly is SRI? SRI is an investment strategy that integrates social or environmental criteria into financial analysis. Although the term has a contemporary ring to it, socially responsible investing is hardly new. SRI was first formally practiced by religious investors who, nearly 100 years ago, avoided companies involved in tobacco, alcohol, and gambling. During the 1980s, there was a resurgence of interest in SRI as investors shunned companies operating in apartheid South Africa. Now many investors are concerned about a broader range of issues, including environmental protection, workers’ rights, product safety, and business ethics. In fact, SRI represents nearly one out of every 10 dollars under professional management (or $2.29 trillion), up 258% from 1995 ($639 billion).3


How SRI Works
Of course, most investment managers look for companies with strong balance sheets, sound management, and viable products. But socially responsible investments add another layer of analysis on top of traditional financial analysis that seeks to identify companies that meet specific social and environmental criteria. Many social investors believe that this social research process can identify companies with lower risk and better quality management, thus helping to contribute to better long-term financial performance.

In addition, many socially responsible investors also actively use their position as owners to push companies to improve. For example, Calvert, the nation's largest family of SRI funds, often works with companies to encourage them to address issues of social and environmental concern. In 2005, Calvert successfully resolved 21 shareholder resolutions. Shareholder resolutions are formal requests that can come to a vote in front of all shareholders asking companies to take specific actions, such as working to diversify their boards, enhancing their corporate governance practices, and improving their environmental policies. Everyday shareholders can have an impact by simply voting in support of such social resolutions, much like you might cast a political vote.

Lastly, many social investors direct some of their assets to promote community investment projects in the US and around the world. In addition to earning competitive returns, these assets contribute to ending poverty by increasing affordable housing, community development, access to capital, and more.

Millions of Americans are looking to integrate their financial goals with their concerns about the environment, safe products, fair labor practices, and other quality-of-life issues. SRI offers investors the opportunity to build sound portfolios for their financial futures, while helping to build a better future for the world.

Justin Martello is a financial advisor with Blue Summit Financial Group. Founded in 1994, Blue Summit specializes in sustainable and socially responsible investing options tailored to a person’s values and goals. Justin provides values-based, comprehensive financial planning for individuals, families and business owners. He is also a founding member of the San Diego Green Business Network. For more information on Socially Responsible Investing please call Justin Martello at (888) 698-4330 or visit http://www.bluesummitinvest.com.

1. “Attitudes Toward Socially Responsible Investing,” Yankelovich Study, January 2006.
2. Ibid.
3. 2005 Report on Socially Responsible Investing Trends in the US. The Social Investment Forum, 2005, p. iv.

Green Home Buying and Selling

Your official LiveGreen resource to tips and tools you need to live green in your own home.Your official LiveGreen resource to tips and tools you need to live green in your own home.

by Charisse Charters

The question I am asked more than any other is “Is this a good time to buy?” The question seems to come up a lot more now that the market has taken such a drastic turn from the frenzied pace of the previous 5 years. My answer is that it is definitely a great time to buy. Interest rates are still at reasonable lows (face it, the days of the 4% inter-est rate are GONE) and prices are falling. There is also more supply on the market than ever. As of March 2007, there were over 18,000 resale homes available in San Diego county....compare that with 5 years ago when there were less than 4000 proper-ties on the market and you’ll understand why record low interest rates, low supply and high demand (which created bidding wars and) helped fuel record prices for sellers.

The next question is whether or not to search for a “green” home. This becomes a little more complex. The problem I have found is that many of the more substantial green modifications on homes come with substantial cost. Traditionally, owners who are willing to make this type of investment do so knowing that they intend to keep their home for a long time or risk not being able to recoup their initial investment. For example, a solar system is estimated to take 7-10 years to pay for itself. A recent study in the real estate trade publication Appraisal Journal reported that for every utility-bill dollar saved annually because of an improvement, a homeowner gains about $20 in property value. So if solar cuts the annual electric bill by $1,000, the owner could gain $20,000 in home value. That’s an appreciable gain, but still may not offset the initial investment costs (even with the state rebates) if the owner of the system sells the home too soon.

Other green investments such as tankless water heaters, recycled insulation in walls and attics, water reclamation systems, organic gardens, and green landscaping offer a far lower initial investment cost. They can offer the individual owner pride in knowing that they’ve made a contribution to their own sustainability but do little to drive up the listing price.

Another great question: Is this a good time to sell? My answer to that is: Why do you want to? I always ask that question of my clients because inevitably it is a question that the buyers will also ask. Your answer to that is important because buyers are ultimately looking for a weakness or reason to lower their offering price. Buyers will wonder: If this house is so wonderful (good condition, great neighborhood, great features, etc.), why are you leaving? Was this merely a flip or investment? What aren’t you telling me? All of those can factor in to a buyer’s decision as to how much to offer for a property.

Once you’ve made the decision to sell, you’re going to end up being one more home in a market of 18,000 other homes. What’s going to make your house stand out? What will make your house memorable? What will drive potential buyer traffic to your listing? That’s where green improvements may give you an edge. If you can boast certain amenities that can tastefully and appropriately improve the home, your real estate agent can use them as an tool to promote your home and help attract more buyer traffic. Note the emphasis on “tastefully.” Example: a clothesline in the backyard may be great for energy savings, but may not be the most attractive feature for a backyard during showings. However, showing a buyer that you have created an area for the attachment of hooks and the line, you plant the idea that the modification is possible if the buyer chooses it.

So do green homes sell any faster or for higher asking prices than non-green homes? The simple fact is that there isn’t enough data to measure this for certain. First of all, what modifications are needed to declare a home “green”? What percentage of the home has to be modified to earn that title? Is it enough to just install solar panels for energy savings if you contrast that with wasting water by having landscaping requires more water than Sea World in the summer time? What if I have a blue recycling bin outside my garage for bottles and cans.... is that enough? Does a home have to be truly 100% “off-the-grid” to qualify as green? And if so, how many homes in San Diego truly meet this criteria? When talking about a home at this level in San Diego, you are most certainly talking about homes in the higher price ranges ($1 million+). Homes in this range naturally take longer to sell simply because the price limits the number of potential buyers due to budget constraints. Without any clear criteria, it’s almost impossible to get a clear projection on the incentives for sellers.

My advice to buyers....buy the home that you want at a price you can afford. Make modifications that fit your lifestyle and budget. For sellers, modify your home to a level that suits you without making resale your sole motivator. When it’s time to sell, provided the asking price is right, the right buyer will come along and be thrilled with the changes that you’ve made and hopefully purchase the home and continue the tradition of sustainability that you worked so hard to achieve.

Great Green Father's Day Gifts

Stumped on what to get your dad for Father's Day this year? LiveGreen has some great green gifts just for your dad.

How about a six-pack of Fat Tire and a cool Resource Revival bottle opener?

For the hip dad we've got a cool green t-shirt made of organic cotton?

Is your dad always complaining about junk mail? Give a gift subscription of GreenDimes!

If you're in the San Diego area, be sure to bring your dad to Stone's Father's Day Fest! If you have an idea you'd like to share, post a comment!

Funny Green Videos, Not So Funny Problem

My sister sent this on to me and I just had to share. I really thought obwan-canoli was awesome! These videos are a funny way to make light of a serious problem, industrial farming. Did you know that 70% of the antibiotics made are used in farming?


It has the same kind of feel as another video series I would recommend, The Meatrix. Organic farming practices create sustainable markets where food is raised without the use of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. Luckily, organics are proliferating and can be found in most grocery stores. If you eat meat, try replacing your favorite meal with an organic meat. When my wife and I switched to organic meats seven years ago, we noticed a dramatic improvement in the quality of meats. Along side of the improved taste comes increased nutrition as the animals are raised naturally (not the label) and are able to deposit vitamins and minerals that can be transferred to the consumer.

I really didn't mean to write about organics, just to post the video. Have a nice Monday!

Arnold Corrects Flawed CSI Making Residential Solar More Appealing

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill into law that will fix a problem in the new California Solar Incentive (CSI). This bill will eliminate a Time of Use (TOU) requirement in the CSI.

From Renewable Energy Access

AB 1714, which is designed to fix an unintended flaw in legislation passed last year hindering the California Solar Initiative (CSI). The program, administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), has been touted as the best in the country. But issues with Time of Use (TOU) rates have slowed applications for residential solar systems significantly.

"This legislation will result in lower rates for solar customers and will help us work to maximize Californians' participation in the program."-- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you would like more information on solar, contact Clean Power Systems.

Urban Assault Race: Biking, Sustainable, Fun!

I was pleased to read the latest newsletter about this year's Urban Assault Race. Seems they are trying to make their events "Zero Waste". I signed my wife and I up for the San Diego race this year because it looks like a blast. Now I'm really excited that this will be a sustainable event!

snip-it from the newsletter

Also - as one of our efforts to become a "Zero Waste" event, instead of giving you everything in the packets, we are asking you to choose only what you want. You will visit sponsor booths to learn more about their products and services, rather than cutting down trees for tons of advertisements. Everybody will still receive: an American Apparel Shirt, draw string bag, and water bottle. Every little effort makes a big difference!

Greens We Dig: Varian Designs

Check out Varian Designs



Varian Designs was created to provide you with beautiful, inspiring, and original furniture. Our forms are contemporary but our materials are traditional.

We are committed to making intelligent, referential, and environmentally conscious furniture that enriches the lives of all those involved in its creation and use.

The positive impact of the Varian Designs collection extends from the tradesmen who harvest the materials to those who enjoy an evening of conversation around our tables or relaxing on our chairs and benches.

Having trouble streaming? Try YouTube

What Do I Do With This? - rubber bands

My wife and I have started to work towards a zero-waste home. Generally, we check what we buy to make sure it is recyclable or compostable, but sometimes a piece of trash is attached to what we buy and we are left with no other option but to throw it out. In the series What Do I Do With This? we would like to ask you for help. We would like this to be an interactive blog article where we can discuss useful tips for keeping trash out of the landfill.

Our first guest to the show is the rubber band. I thought we'd start with something easy. Our asparagus and broccoli come with two rubber bands each. So, what should I do with these rubber bands? Please leave your comments below.

Bag-O-Demic

As I was riding home from work today on the back of our Vepsa I came to a sad realization. Growing up, my brothers, sister and I always played Slug Bug...you know the game the first person to see a VW Bug screams at the top of their lungs "Slug Bug," and at the end of the drive that is how many times you get to slug your sibling. What a great game!

Today I realized that my kids won't be playing Slug Bug, instead they will be playing Spot the Bag, because there are so many plastic bags littered around that they'll be easier to spot than VW Bugs. I counted on our drive home which is 13 miles and I saw 5 plastic bags. Plastic bags. Americans use 100 BILLION disposable plastic bags every year yet recycle less than 1%. Plastics which don't biodegrade.

Tomorrow on your drive, no matter where you are going try it yourself. Count the number of plastic bags you see on the roadside, in the bushes, stuck in fences, they're everywhere.

Greens We Dig: Ideal Bite

Ideal Bite is a site that I stumbled upon sometime last year. I signed up to their newsletter and have been pleasantly surprised with their content. Sign up to their newsletter and a new eco-tip will be sent to you every day. I have found more than one useful tip, like Recycle 101 and plenty of tips on subjects I never thought of as green...such as help for a hangover

I recently had a chance to chat with Mindi Picotte, Marketing & PR Associate at Ideal Bite. She re-confirmed my choice of Ideal Bite as our first Greens We Dig post.

What I like most about Ideal Bite is that it’s about light green living – we keep it real, fun, and positive - no doom-and-gloom allowed. I can go home at the end of the day feeling good about what we do here.

Amanda and I truly believe that simple solutions can really be a factor in helping to restore this world. If you see a tip from Ideal Bite that you really like, let us know! As for Mindi, I asked her what her favorite tip was...

As for one eco-tip, that’s a tough one because there are so many! I’d have to say one of my favorite tips is “Beware of the Phantom Loads” – a phantom load is the energy used by appliances that are plugged in but not turned on, and simply by using a power strip to ‘unplug’ everything at once you can save tons of energy and cash – in the average home, phantom loads account for 40% of the energy bill!

Ideal Bite offers bite-sized ideas for light green living. Easy eco-living tips are presented in a short, sassy and free email each weekday. From organic wine to eco-friendly fashion, the Daily Tips provide level-headed advice for people who want to do the right thing without giving up creature comforts. The mission is to create a more sustainable world by connecting enlightened companies with Ideal Bite's 115,000+ subscribers who want to vote with their dollars by making small changes that add up. Far from eco-perfect themselves, the editors candidly share their humorous trials and tribulations in the blog. The secret sauce is a spoonful of “incremental environmentalism” with a keeping-it-real attitude... a perfect mix that empowers subscribers to align their values with everyday decisions.

Greens We Dig...and why: First, the Why

I would like to start off our first Greens We Dig post with an explanation. Amanda and I started LiveGreen with the hope that we could use the knowledge we gain by greening our life to help others. Well, our own experiences can only get us so far. Throughout the past couple of months you may have noticed the website and blog changing here and there (or maybe this is your first time, welcome!). We have been working to establish a tight group of people and companies that we would like to promote. You can see them on our home page as well as on our blog.

With the series Greens We Dig we will highlight these people and companies through periodic interviews and postings. Amanda and I aren't green experts by any extent (nobody is). We feel that a diverse group will give our readers a broad knowledge base to choose from.

Thanks for dropping by, enjoy!

Welcome our first Contributing Author: Charisse Charters

Your official LiveGreen resource to tips and tools you need to live green in your own home.

by Charisse Charters

Welcome to the first official Home, Green Home blog. This blog will provide information and tips for living green in your home (apartment, townhouse, studio, condo, etc.)

As a San Diego realtor with over 5 years experience in this market, as well as a over 30 years experience as a San Diegan, I have seen America’s Finest City grow and change to accommodate the needs of this fast-growing county. I’ve watched the housing boom rise to unbelievable heights and fall as the meteoric values became unsustainable.

My goal with this blog is to do something different. I’m not here to bore you with market research, housing numbers, and scare tactics to push you into buying or selling. I am simply here to speak honestly about how even the smallest efforts might help you to live a more environmentally conscious life.

I begin by saying that I am a skeptic by nature. I am constantly questioning my role in the greater process. “What difference does it make if I don’t recycle that one soda can?” “Why does it matter if I leave that light on all night?” “I am only one person, how can I change anything?”

What I have learned through my work in real estate is that one person can make a difference. I have dedicated my time in real estate primarily to helping first-time buyers achieve their piece of the American dream. After seeing each of these people get the keys to their homes, I realized that I can make a difference. And if I can make a difference there, what else can I contribute?

If you still don’t believe me, consider this....Think of a time when you’ve been stuck in traffic and heard the radio announcer say that the cause of the traffic is a “solo spinout” or a small collision. In the instant that accident occurs, one person (sometimes more than one) has impacted the lives of thousands.

Getting back on topic, what I’m saying is that I hope that this blog will serve as food for thought. Perhaps a way to give a little different perspective on a very hot topic. The information provided here will always be brutally honest as I am not here to serve any sort of agenda or beholden to any commercial interests.

I hope you enjoy my contributions to this site.

Be a LiveGreen Contributing Author!

We are putting out a call for green writers. Do you have a business with a green side and could bring a different perspective to our blog? Or do you have expertise in an area and you would like to tell the world? We're not picky really, as long as it's green and good.

We are looking for writers who can bring useful, periodic green content to our site. We are looking for informative but fun writers. If you are interested, please email us.

Resource Revival: Bikes are Cool!!

We recently had a chance to chat with Resource Revival Founder, Graham Bergh and National Sales Manager, Jim Hassert. We started carrying their bottle opener last year after we discovered how they make them. Resource Revival pays for bike shops to ship them used bike chains and other parts. These parts are then reused to create functional art. An established company, Resource Revival is a focused company making a difference in this world.

LiveGreen: How did Resource Revival begin?

Graham: The idea behind Resource Revival came to me in 1991 when I had a flat tire riding to work. When I took out the inner tube I realized the potential for reusing bike parts. The city of Portland had a pretty cool program called "One Percent Well Spent" Which they discontinued in the mid 90s. It was a program that gave one percent of their solid waste budget out as grant money to people with innovative recycling ideas. It was a motivation for me that if I could think of something cool I could get like $100,000. That was the motivation behind getting the company rolling and we incorporated in 1994.

LG: Very cool...so, how big is your company right now?

Graham: If you hold your hands out as wide as you can...that's about how big it is. Seriously though, we don't actually give out metrics...but for employees we have only five. But that changed...a while back we had ten people. We're smart about the way we grow and partner with our vendors to do certain steps for us.

Jim: That's an interesting thing about our company too. In 2004 we moved out of the city to a more rural location...from a 10,000 square foot building to a much smaller building. This has made us more efficient and not as wasteful with space. We went from a bigger building and a bigger crew to a smaller building, smaller crew...but we're pumping out more work then we ever have.


LG: That's interesting. I was just over at New Belgium and saw a bunch of your stuff. My friend was with me and I didn't even notice that we were sitting on your stools until he pointed them out to me. He's interested in buying them. They're really impressive in person...the photos on your site just don't give them justice.

Graham: One of the long term plans for our site is to get more shots of our product in place. The flip side of what Jim was describing is that Jim and I are kind of the core two people that run this company and it's actually gotten pretty big. So there's just a list of projects that would make sense but we don't want to staff up and go further into debt, we'll just get them done when we can. Really, it's a very sustainable business plan if you think about it. All things in time. And it forces us to prioritize.

LG: What other sustainable plans are in the works?

Graham: The long term vision is that we will actually generate our own electricity here onsite. Maybe a five year vision...we've got good wind and good sun in the summer so we could have some micro-power generation going on. I just read a couple articles...one is about these micro turbines that you can actually put on the face of the building, they look like pinwheels, they're a little bigger but no stand alone tower that would actually be blown over here in a big storm. On the facade of the building we could have these on the west side facing the gorge and it could be a very artistic thing. Solar panels, we're looking at some new roofing tiles that would also be photovoltaic. So when we need a new roof, which will be in the next ten years, maybe we'll do those.

LG: We work with a company here in San Diego called Clean Power Systems that partners with Sun Power. They have a really cool building integrated PV. I think if you are going to replace the roof it's a great way to split the cost of two financially intensive projects.

Graham: Well especially in San Diego or Phoenix...it's ridiculous that any of those cities use coal or nuclear or anything, it's crazy.

LG: I see that you have computer parts in some of your products. Are there any plans to incorporate other recyclables?

Graham: Actually we are beginning to focus more on just bicycle parts. We had an idea to be the everything recyclable shop but now we are doing just bike parts. Bikes are cool! We like riding bikes, bikes are good for the environment, we have the relationship with the bike shops..and that's kind of enough. It makes our product line very focused too. And yet, one interesting thing about bikes is that you're not just stuck with one look. You know, if you're recycling sweaters you're stuck with wool or cotton, whereas with bikes you've got the chain, the frames, the tubes, tires, seats, handlebars...there are a lot of different options for us.

LG: I really dig your relationship with the bike shops. You pay for them to ship their broken chains and parts.


Graham: That's the great thing about this program...the shops are already taking these pieces apart. You know, instead of saying lets disassemble this thing and send it to Resource Revival, they're already disassembling this thing...already repairing the bike and taking pieces off...so just put it in a box and send it to Resource Revival. So we're capturing work that's already happening.

LG: Have you thought of offsetting the waste generated from shipping?

Graham: We've been looking into that. We have a global warming meeting once a month. I think in the short term we're more focused on what we can do here. Adding more day lighting, limiting employee car trips, things like that. Ultimately it would be great to offset...the way I'd like to offset the waste is instead of buying credits I'd rather produce energy here. Enough energy to power not only the onsite production but to offset all the associated carbon emissions. I think it's totally doable, but not realistic in the next year or two...I think five years is a realistic goal.

LG: Is there anything else you want to talk about?

Graham: We have some cool variations on the products that are coming out in a year or so. The website is being updated...we'll have more information on it, in certain cases less information about things that were more important to us a while back. We want to have a more interactive site and ideally some video showing products being made and the recycling process.

LG: Your company reminds me of the attitude over at New Belgium. You're just doing what you love, you know you love bikes...let's make stuff our of them. You don't have time to just sit around and think about this stuff.

Graham: We've worked really hard...a lot of time making it work. The sense right now is that we're not a start-up company, we're looking to the future and where we want to take it. We don't want to take over the world, we don't want to focus on just making money or recycling...we want balance.

LiveGreen Video Guide: BIOMEND

We did it! Our first video in our real-life documentary series highlighting our quest to become greener. Join us and local San Diego company BIOMEND, for our premier video.

Our video guide is meant to highlight simple solutions that we would like to share with everyone. If you know of a green product or service that we could try, please contact uscontact us.

Having trouble streaming? Try YouTube.

Free Eco-Tips from Ideal Bite

Just wanted to post a quick blog to direct you to an excellent green newsletter.
Ideal Bite provides a green tip a day that is loaded with information. I have used their tips on more than one occassion. Just sign up for the newsletter and check it out!

Can you tell what's wrong with this picture?

On a perfectly beautiful San Diego day, Noon. 72 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, yet two solitary bulbs burn, we jest of course but this is stupid. We've lived here for over a year and a half and these bulbs have been on 24/7. CFL's? No. LED's? No. Incandescent bulbs burning bright and hot on a San Diego day. Can you tell what's wrong with this picture? We just had to get this off our chest, we are outta here...on to Encinitas!
A&W

Cast your vote for Earth Friendly Moving

Click your way to the Sundance Channel and vote on the 25 finalists for "What's the Big Idea?" contest. Of course you can decide on whoever you'd like. Since we are using Earth Friendly Moving in our upcoming move, we'd appreciate it if you voted for them. Here's what Spencer Brown of EFM has to say...

Step#1- Sign up and then register with your e-mail address and password- click on the “remember me button” that way you only have to do this step one time!



Step#2- Logout and then click on the idea contest link and then login in with your e-mail address and password. Click on my image to vote and a pop-up window will appear- scroll down and then vote for me! (note: after signing up- I’m located on the 5th row, third picture on the right. I’m holding three bottles! )


It takes a few seconds and it will show you this message: Thanks for voting! You can only vote once per day so come back again tomorrow if you would like to vote again.

Step #3- after you’re signed in- all you need to do is go back each day and click on the vote for button on my image and the pop-up screen will load- click on vote for me button on my video and your vote will be added to my video! Once your account is set up your vote will take less than 15 seconds!



Here’s the main reason why I’m personally asking for your help!

As you know, 20% of the population packs and moves every year with cardboard boxes and we haven’t change this antiquated process in over 230 years!

The Recopack is made from all of those hard to recycle plastic bottles under your kitchen sink and laundry room. These bottles will never break down in our landfills and they are piling up! By renting the Recopack, it completely eliminates the need to pack and move with cardboard! It’s the 1st, zero waste, pack and move solution in America!

Every time we rent 100 Recopacks, here’s the immediate impact on our environment:

1. We remove over 500 pounds of hard to recycle plastic trash from our landfills!

2. Prevent over 250 pounds of cardboard/packing trash from entering our landfills!

3. We save 3 healthy oxygen producing trees from being cut down and converted into cardboard boxes/disposable packing materials!

4. Eliminate over 65 pounds of carbon emissions from entering our atmosphere!

5. Save over 6 gallons of fuel (gas and diesel) reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Voting for the Recopack is voting for the health of this planet because when you think about it:

“Without tree’s, we’re all fish out of water!”

Thanks for your vote and continued word of mouth support!

Spencer Brown

Inventor of the Recopack

A New Look

I hope you all like the new look. We're trying for a more seamless transition between sites. As we are doing our site ourselves with little to no HTML background, I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks

Exciting, New LiveGreen Products!!!

If you haven't already checked them out, head on over to our LiveGreen Shop Page to see our new eco-friendly additions.


Our first addition, EPIC Cleaning Products! This local San Diego company has a product line of natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products. Even more, they donate 100% of their profits to non-profit environmental organizations. We are very happy to have their products for sale on our site as we enjoy using them every day. Our favorite scent is the citrus+ginger, but there are also a lavender and a free+clear (with no scent) fragrances. Come check it out!

Our second addition is a t-shirt. What's so special about it? Well, for one, the design and printing is done by a local artist here in San Diego Urban Octopus. The shirts themselves are made by American Apparel and are 100% organic cotton. We love to support local businesses, but we are totally excited that we can also support organic farming practices. Did you know that 10% of the worlds pesticides and 25% of the world's insecticides are used to grow cotton? That cotton shirt you're wearing...it took TWO POUNDS of chemicals to grow the material used to make it. Buy organic cotton and support environmentally friendly farming practices!!!!

And we still have our other products. Reusable Bags, Candles and Resource Revival Bottle Openers.

Foster's, a new Sustainable Brew...well, almost

We at LiveGreen love to throw back a few after a long days work and are always on the lookout for beers and other beverages made by companies working towards sustainability. One can always find a Fat Tire at my place ;)

CBS News reported today that Australian beer maker Foster's will be using brewery waste to create a fuel cell that could power a house. Two kilowatts may not be that much energy for a brewery, but this scale up technology could lead to better bacterial fuel cells.

All I know is that when you come over for a party, Foster's just might be on tap!

1000 Miles of Vespa!

Today was a momentous occasion...well, not really. I was riding my Vespa to work today and looked down...1000 MILES! Wow, this baby is just breaking in. Well, having 70mpg is really nice. Had I been carpooling those 1000 miles in our Ford Escape, I would have been getting 40mpg (20mpg gas guzzler spilt between two!). So, those 1000 miles of Vespa saved me (let me calculate this......) $33!

Well, now starts the official LiveGreen testing. Our Residential Project is starting up this month. We will be testing green moving, green cleaning, solar installs, and other projects. Along with that will be our transportation. We have a Ford Escape V6 19/21mpg that we want to upgrade to the new hybrid, my Vespa LX 150 70mpg (holds two people and a ton of luggage!), and bicycles (free energy...well, food energy). So, stay tuned for our life as we try to Live Green!!!

“San Elijo Lagoon Day” May 12, 2007

If you have a free morning or afternoon May 12th, stop by the San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas for "Lagoon Day"!

ENCINITAS, May 1, 2007 – The public is invited to “Lagoon Day” at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., May 12, 2007. This year’s Lagoon Day celebrates the 20th anniversary of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy and features a nature treasure hunt, complete with treasure map, nature discovery stations, and prizes. Activities take place at the Nature Center located at 2710 Manchester Avenue in Cardiff. Lagoon Day is free of charge.



Lagoon Day is sponsored by the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, the County of San Diego Department of Parks & Recreation, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and consists of fun-filled activities for adults and children, designed to increase awareness and appreciation of the natural and cultural resources of this valuable ecological reserve. Additional features will include a simulated archeology dig, live bird, reptile and insect exhibits, information on water-wise native plant gardening and backyard habitat, and a musical recital by artists from the Devine Guitar Academy. Additional art includes the fantastic bird photography of Heather Kinch, and on site painting by plein air artists, Gary Johnson, Scott Kuhnly, Lee Kromschroeder, Stan Sowinski and Gamini Ratnavira.



I’ve attached a press release and lagoon day poster for your distribution. Please call me with any questions. Thanks very much for your support of San Elijo Lagoon, environmental education and community connections.

Free Marketing is Nice!

We would just like to thank Channel 8 here in San Diego for capturing a great image of our reusable grocery bag!

Earth Day...everyday?

Yesterday was Earth Day, and we celebrated by hosting our own booth at Earth Day, San Diego, CA. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather sunny skies with a cool breeze, and it got me to thinking. What a great day this is, all these people here for the same reason, because they care about this place we call "Planet Earth." What a great thing, but...why does this only happen once a year? Shouldn't we care about the planet everyday and strive to make a difference? Every year on one Sunday in April people come from everywhere to celebrate the Earth, and they may buy a few things or learn about the newest products that are "good for the Planet." Then they go home and wait until the next Sunday in April when they can do it all over again.
It just makes me wonder why it is the one thing that sustains all life is only thought of once a year...same reason I wonder why we only give "THANKS" once a year at Thanksgiving, shouldn't we be thankful for everything we have everyday?

Some of you may have purchased reusable bags, some may already own them, just because you bought them doesn't mean that everytime you go to the grocery store the bagger will fill your reusable bags with your groceries...you have to remember to bring them. This is the hardest part about reusable bags, it is a habitat that you must create, if for some reason you forget them, don't stress, just try to remember them for next time. Put them in your car, put them by the front door, put a post-it on your forehead if you have to, but the more and more you remember to bring them the more it becomes a habit. One day you'll head to the store without them and you will feel like you are missing something, and realize that this which was so hard to begin with is now a part of your grocery store ritual, like sneaking down the candy aisle just to see what is calling your name. :) This is what makes a difference, this is what makes everyday "Earth Day," knowing that the little things you do, can and do make an impact to this place we call "Planet Earth."

Happy Earth Day!

Just a quick post to say Happy Earth Day. If you are in the San Diego area, you should stop by the two events we're at and say hi!

Saturday, April 21st, 1-5pm
4S Ranch Earth Day Event
16772 Dove Canyon Rd., San Diego, CA


Sunday, April 22nd, 10am-5pm
Earth Fair 2007
Balboa Park

Green Drinks in Encinitas!!!! Migrate Home, April 25th

We are totally thrilled to see that Green Drinks will be held in our home town of Encinitas this month!!!! Come join us at Migrate Home on April 25th, 6-9pm!

Spring is in the air! I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Eastre. No, that's not a mis-spelling, but a shout out to the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, from whose name the word "Easter" is derived from. (gotta love that wikipedia)

GreenDrinks celebrates spring by migrating to North County. Lindy at Migrate Home has been gracious enough to invite Greendrinks into her new eco-boutique in the Lumberyard in Encinitas on Highway 101. It's a great new place and has an outdoor area for us all to enjoy what I hope will be another textbook evening. Last month was great, overwhelming the folks at the La Jolla Brew House, and I'd like to thank everyone for making it. We're pretty much a flash mob, showing up en masse and taking over.

I look forward to seeing everyone. This is not a bar, so anyone who wishes to bring a bottle of wine, some beer (great organic wines and beers out there) or their favorite libation will not be turned away. We'll be supplying some refreshments, but we'll have an empty ice chest as well. (any web-type folks out there who would like to help, I'd like to set up a GreenDrinks carpooling bulletin board. Let me know if you have any ideas. - JS)

Keep living (and drinking) green, and see you on the 25th. (Note the move to Wednesday)

John


Migrate Home, 937 S. Coast Highway 101, suite C103, Encinitas, CA 92024

Earth Week at UC, San Diego April 16-20

Stop by UCSD this week for an event packed Earth Week, April 16-20.

Pump Up Your Tires - Save Gas

Via Green Car Congress:

The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack, the US’ leading automotive aftermarket retail and service chain, will offer free tire air pressure checks during National Tire Safety Week, April 22-28.

The US Department of Energy reports that properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage up to 3.3%. Underinflated tires are also responsible for automobile crashes that result in 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LiveGreen gives a shout out to Green Option

I recently had a chance to chat with Green Options founder David Anderson. Green Options is a new site this year aiming to weed through the internet and present quality green content. I have been really impressed with the quality (and quantity) of their posts and look forward to seeing where they go from here.


LG: What is Green Options? What is its mission?


GO: There is so much information out there waiting for consumers, that could readily be applied to their lives. This is the blessing of the new internet boom, as well as its curse. Today, all information is at our fingertips, but we often don't know where to find what's relevant to us because of its sheer volume. Google was the first to address this issue as a fundamental social challenge. This issue is all the more difficult in the world of sustainability because of the complex confluence of economic, political, and moral motivations behind even the minutiae of the green world.

I wanted to start a company that would use some of the best technology and formats afforded by the web 2.0 explosion to help filter and organize information to make relevant information accessible to a spectrum of consumers, from green novices to sustainability experts. Hopefully, GreenOptions.com does just that.

For newbies, it presents ways to learn what "greening your life" means before starting the process, and emphasizes that looking for new solutions does not mean giving up a quality of life that most Americans value over more abstract environmental issues. That is a much needed message today. Consumers don't like to be condescended. Instead of telling them bluntly that the things they like are bad, we want to let average consumers understand the real costs and benefits of their decisions, and we believe in the power of the internet to enable that understanding.

LG: I read a little on your bio about how you started Green Options, can you expand on that a little?

GO: It's really an odd story, and one that won't be appropriate or make much sense until we've launched all of the tools we're currently developing. Basically, though, I had just finished writing my honors thesis for Political Science at UCSD on renewable energy policy, graduated, and took a job at a marketing firm that served to increase the amount of market information available in a very particular niche: architecture and engineering firms that live off of government projects. They did great work, but their narrow mission mingled with all I had just spent months writing about from a very interdisciplinary perspective: the deficiencies in the nascent market for green products and services.

Why, I thought, are there so few resources that really address the sociological and psychological barriers to individual acceptance that, in some form, green is the future? (This was back in 2005; the situation is quantitatively better today, if not qualitatively.) At this point in time, with so few people really striving to live sustainably relative to the entire population, for individual consumers it's more about starting the process than making drastic lifestyle changes (on a policy level, drastic change is needed, but I'm not a lobbyist, so I have no control there). Of course, a real shock to our precarious food or energy systems would be necessary to alter this situation in the near term. So, here we are. We're not too late for the Prom yet, but if we don't start getting ready, we're probably going to regret it...



This is just a short post on Green Options. We look forward to continuing our discussions with David and the rest of the Green Options crew in the future.

Ask LiveGreen / Tell LiveGreen

I would like to start a new blog service from our company.

Ask LiveGreen

We would like to hear your questions about anything related to living green. If you have an interesting question, someone could benefit from your answer as well. Email us your questions!


Tell LiveGreen

We didn't take a graduate course in green living. We are just trying to use our own knowledge from greening our home in Encinitas to help others around the world. If you have an interesting idea or thought that you want to share, write an article and we might publish it on our blog. Credit and fame are yours to keep! Email us!


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A Tour of the New Belgium Brewery - Act One

While bumming around Fort Collins, Colorado, LiveGreen had the chance to meet with New Belgium Brewery's Sustainability Specialist Nicolas Theisen for a tour. New Belgium is not your average brewery. Along with making beer, the creators of Fat Tire are pushing the envelope of sustainable business development while incubating a culture of eccentric genius. Come with us as we take you through the first part of our journey through Nirvana.

First stop is an explanation of the Process Water Treatment Facility where waste water from the brewery is pumped into anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (whith oxygen) ponds to reduce the amount of organic waste and water sent on to the Fort Collins municipal plant. Initially built in 2001, the facility was expanded last year to double its capacity. The ponds harness the power of a diverse set of microbes to reduce organic waste. A balloon placed over the anaerobic pond captures methane released from bacteria degrading the organic waste which is then used to power a combined heat and power engine. Last year, New Belgium ran the engine for six months to produce 400,000 kW of electricity. At full load, there is a potential output of 100,000 kWh per month which could meet 15% of the brewery’s needs for electricity.

Step along to Brew House One. Not used anymore for daily brewing, there are plans to use this original brew house for specialty brews or to handle overflow from Brew House Two. Brew House Two is a bit loud and hot because this is where the magic happens. Everyday, three truck loads of grain are used for brewing. The amount of energy needed to heat the large volumes of water used at New Belgium is drastically lower than normal breweries. On the ground floor of Brew House Two can be found heat exchangers that use counter flow technology to save energy in the form of hot water. By passing the hot wort (unfermented beer) next to cold water coming in to be heated, the hot wort warms the cold water, thereby reducing the amount of energy needed to boil the water as well as cooling the wort, which reduces the energy needed to cool the wort. Water is one of the most energy taxing molecules to heat or cool, so using water as a type of energy battery is very efficient. This is just one way in which New Belgium uses heat exchangers. Another heat exchanger uses glycol to capture heat which is then used to heat the loading docks to eliminate the need for deicing.

Come up the stairs to a pavilion on top of the three huge brew tanks. It’s even hotter up here…we’re standing on top of huge tanks heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This area is used for tours and entertaining. The brewery opens the pavilion up 10 times a year for local non-profit organizations to hold events and provides catering and a New Belgium bike to raffle. All free of charge. This is all part of the New Belgium philanthropic and sustainable attributes. Employee-owned, New Belgium contributes $1 for each barrel sold to a philanthropic cause within its distribution zone. This resulted in $400,000 last year alone. With a doubling in capacity expected this year, New Belgium could donate almost one million dollars next year! Check out the website to apply.

At 400,000 barrels per year, New Belgium is the third largest craft brewery (15,000 to 2 million barrels per year) in America today, surpassed only by Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams. A new packaging facility coming online right now is excepted to double this number. Truly amazing when you hear that back in 1992, New Belgium started in the basement of founders’ Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan's house.

So, how is this magical elixir made? Nic took us through the process as we looked into the first tank.

This is our mill, we have all of our grain silos out back. We get three truckloads of grain a day. As it comes in we mill it and put it in here with hot water. At this point, the hot water is breaking down the starches into fermentable sugars. It’s just like a hot cereal with barley, sometimes oats or wheat…we don’t use rice or corn. This is what really effects the product that comes out. The heat of the water and how long you keep it in the tank changes the amount of sugars available. It’s not only the ingredients that effect beer, it’s also the process.

Come on over to the second tank where Nic points out a mosaic surrounding the tank.


These mosaics are done by a local artist. New Belgium likes to support local artists…all of our labels are done by local artists. This mosaic is “A Day in the Life of a New Belgium Employee”. They get up, go on a bike ride…check it out. This tank is the Lauter Tun, lauter is german for straining. This is where we’re going to separate all that grain from the liquid. This grain is by far our largest waste product. We get three truck loads in a day and three truck loads out. This by-product is sent to a local feed lot and is a great example of a closed loop system.

Over to the last tank which is the prized energy saving design, the Merlin Brewing Vessel.


The brewing process is by far the highest energy use of the brewery. Nothing compares to heating all of this water, so the more energy you can capture, such as in the energy transfer plates, the better. This is an example of using less energy. You’re bringing the wort up to very high temperatures for multiple reasons. One is to sanitize the beer, so when you add the yeast there is no contamination. Two, you boil off impurities which in this case are in the form of aromas. This doesn’t effect the taste really, but can save your beer from smelling foul. And then three, this is where we’ll add herbs and spices as well as the hops. High temperatures are needed to get the flavors out.

The standard way of heating is a jacketed tank that heats the liquid from the outside. What we use is a cone and a quarter inch of liquid is poured down the cone which flash boils it. This instantly boils the wort, what would normally take hours takes minutes to heat. So we save 65-75% of the natural gas needed to heat it. And then, rather than piping that steam out, which is energy, we have a copper coil running through there to condense and capture the water which is then used to clean the tanks as well as capturing the heat.

Having fun? This place is awesome. Here we stop for a taste of New Belgium’s seasonal beer, Springboard Ale. While at the bar, a tour invades and the host starts a funky music video…watch it here!




Talking with Nic, he tells me of plans to start generating even more power onsite using wind and solar. The brewery is situated on the northern end of town and has a great wind potential from Wyoming.

That ends this part of the tour...check back soon for our next segment!

OK, the Climate is Changing...so what do I do now?

It's Friday! Most everyone is excited to be free of their shackles and have two free days to themselves. Would you like some light reading that will make you feel happy about the world, the future, the environment. Grab a blanket, start a fire, and curl up to the latest IPCC report

I jest of course. The newest report published today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a dismal look at the welfare of our planet, TODAY! No more Doom and Gloom about tomorrow, this delight is served up fresh. Here are just a few "High Confidence" observations about what global climate change is doing NOW!

increasing ground instability in permafrost regions, and rock avalanches in mountain regions.

earlier timing of spring events, such as leaf-unfolding, bird migration and egg-laying

shifts in ranges and changes in algal, plankton and fish abundance in high-latitude oceans

The uptake of anthropogenic carbon since 1750 has led to the ocean becoming more acidic with an average decrease in pH of 0.1 units (side note...and change in 1 unit of pH means 10 times more acidic or basic)

Of the more than 29,000 observational data series7, from 75 studies, that show significant change in many physical and biological systems, more than 89% are consistent with the direction of change expected as a response to warming.

That was just from section B, Current knowledge about observed impacts of climate change on the natural and human environment. Section C is even more disturbing.

If you are still of the mindset that Climate Change is ....well, that there is no Climate Change...fine. You may stop reading. I would like to talk to the group of people who agree with scientific data.

What do we do now?
If you are like my wife and I, you cannot do the following;

You cannot harness the power of a country,
You cannot leverage your company's global strategies towards sustainability,
You cannot sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide,
...so forth and so on

If you can, that's great! Email me...I'd love to get to know you...but you may stop reading as well.

Now, who does that leave us with? Most of the world! My wife and I started our company, LiveGreen, to answer a question that had been nagging us for years. What can I do? For a while we were crippled by the thought that any action we took would be too little to cause any change in this huge world we live in. But don't despair...

Our answer is to take that first step...no matter how small. I think Jill Finlayson from GreenDimes said it best.

We’re not about people radically changing their lives, changing their lifestyle. We’re really trying to do little things that are not difficult and we’re hoping by doing that, you get a lot more people involved…there’s also sort of this trickle down effect. Once you’ve done one thing, you feel pretty good about that and it tends to be easier to do the next. The important part is that you don’t have to be the one who composts or does neighborhood programs…you just need to do one good thing that’s not going to kill you.

For instance, instead of buying your conventionally grown apples from an overseas country, placing them in a plastic produce bag...and then again in a plastic bag you instead buy organically grown, local apples from your state, sack them in a reusable produce back and taking them home in your reusable shopping bag (sorry for the gratuitous product placement ;) ...)

What do this mean for you? Hopefully you go home to a delicious apple, chock full of more vitamins and minerals than your other apples. You can benefit from good karma as well! Maybe the grocer thanks you for bringing your own bags and gives you a few extra cents off your bill. Other than that...not much.

What if there are a million of you who decide to do the exact same thing? Now we're talking! Small actions multiplied over a large population can have an even greater effect than one large action. Let's see how...

Local, organic produce helps reduce the amount of petrochemicals (oil), herbicides, and pesticides used to get that apple into your stomach. It also creates sustainable agricultural practices in your backyard that can support your economy.

Reusable shopping bags used by 1,000,000 people that day helped reduce the amount plastic material needed to take groceries home from 100,000,000,000 plastic bags used in the US to 99,999,000,000. OK, no big change that day. But those shopping bags can be reused day after day to keep that number down!

So, take your first step! Email us with any questions or stories, we'd love to hear from you.

Happy Earth Month!

Varian Designs exhibit this Saturday 4/7/07

Make your way over to SDSU this Saturday to see an amazing exhibit of art, sustainability, and beauty. Varian Designs owner Forest Dickey introduces The Timber Collection.

Featuring our five signature pieces made from recycled 19th century hand-hewn wooden structural beams, machine-sawed materials and laser-cut steel. The Timber Collection's contemporary rustic pieces are handmade, one-of-a-kind works that are the result of imagination, originality and exquisite execution.

Made from reclaimed wood from barns and fallen trees, each piece has a history that is told upon close examination. Varian Designs is devoted to making intelligent, referential, and environmentally conscious furniture that enriches the lives of those involved in its creation and use.

Join LiveGreen this Saturday, April 7th, 6-9PM, at the Everett-Gee Jackson Gallery!

Green Drinks: Simple, Unstructured...a talk with founder Edwin Datschefski

LiveGreen recently had a chance to sit down for a pint and a chat with Green Drinks founder Edwin Datschefski. Actually, it was virtual...Edwin being in the UK, LiveGreen from San Diego. ;)

Communication is key...we are very grateful to Edwin for allowing us an interview with one of the visionaries behind the fastest-growing environmentally aware communities in the world. In more than 200 cities around the world, Green Drinks is an unstructured, informal and random networking idea that brings people together every month to talk about all things green. I think the logo for Green Drinks Chattanooga encompasses the philosophy behind Green Drinks best.

The beginnings of Green Drinks is unlike any I’ve ever heard of. In 1989, Edwin found himself in a northern London pub called The Slug and Lettuce. While sharing a pint with several of his green design colleagues, Edwin noticed an enviro-minded acquaintance at a table nearby. As it turned out Edwin said, the friend was sitting with a few of his eco-conscious mates, so we pulled some tables together…and so a movement was born.

The original founders of Green Drinks are Edwin Datschefski, Yorick Benjamin and Paul Scott. A few years after starting Green Drinks, Edwin focused on setting up the greendrinks.org website in order to spread this great idea to other cities. Such a simple idea has brought like-minded people together in places like New York, London, and Amsterdam…all the way to places like Buenos Aires, Malta and San Juan.

What does Edwin see for Green Drinks in the next five years? More cities! Apart from that, we've toyed a lot with the format, but the basic theme of unstructured, informal random networking seems very stable and I don't see it evolving much though we give it every opportunity to do so.

Visit the greendrinks.org websites to find a local meeting near you. All you have to do is show up, grab a drink, and start talking. Cheers!

To be Green or Not to be Green...is that really the question?

The question really is what does “green” mean? It can mean many different things, but right now there are so many negative connotations with the word "green" that people are instantly put off. Being "green" doesn't mean you have to give up meat, it doesn't mean you have to sell your car and start bicycling to work, there are many things you can do to "be Green," and not have to feel like you are changing who you are.
The big problem right now with the "green" movement is that there is an all or nothing mentality which puts people off. The all or nothing mentality gives people permission to do nothing. Life isn’t about all or nothing, you work a little (or sometimes a lot), you spend time with your family, walk your dog, and do a bunch of little things everyday. The problem with thinking that you have to do everything is that people feel that if they can’t do everything they shouldn’t do anything, that’s just not true. It’s a lot of people doing little things who make a difference, rather than just a few people who do everything.
I hear I can’t afford solar panels, a hybrid car or to buy organic foods, but those aren’t the only things that make you “green,” there are much littler things too. We’ve all heard about the “3 R’s” reduce, reuse, recycle, and there is so much more. What about changing your laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, hand soap, the cleaning products you use, what about using reuseable grocery bags rather than choosing between plastic and paper. What about using non-chlorinated toilet paper, or recycled paper towels, there are simple things to change in your life that can make a difference, and won’t cost you anymore than you already spend.
Like I said before the more people who do little things the bigger the impact, just changing one thing in you life can make a difference.
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10 Ways to LiveGreen at Work

I just found an excellent article on The Sierra Club's Green Life blog. It lists 10 easy ways to "Go Green at Work". Check it out!

#2 lists how to maximize your computer efficiency. I started turning off my computer at work about a year ago after reading about the wasted energy. If you're a business owner or the IT department, you could also replace your computers with energy efficient computer like the enano.

#4 talks about going paperless. We at LiveGreen always try to put everything we would normally print in an electronic format. So far the only "paper" product we use is our business cards....which are 25% Hemp and 75% recycled paper.

#6 talks about closing the loop by buying recycled business supplies.

Lunch with Han Solo!!!!!! oh, and you can save the world

The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is hosting two special auctions on eBay. Bid for your chance to name a Newly Discovered Organism. If that doesn't ring your bell, how about Lunch for two with Harrison Ford!!!!

Stay tuned in a couple of weeks for a special interview with Jay Short, President and Founder of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.

GreenDimes - Simple Solutions, Tangible Results

It's a routine. When you come home from work or school or wherever...the mail is ready for you. Open your mailbox and what do you see? JUNK! Oh, you may have a bill or two...maybe a letter from your mother somewhere in there. For most of us, it's a sorting process. Catalogues, credit card offers...all of this junk mail invading your home and all you can do is throw it in the recycle bin. Not any more!

LiveGreen spoke today with GreenDimes Marketing Director, Jill Finlayson about an innovative way to stop junk mail for good. GreenDimes is a for-profit company in Palo Alto, CA with a simple solution to junk mail. Using a database of companies that supply the junk, they pester these companies on your behalf until the mail stops coming. Less junk mail, more trees...for just a dime a day!

LiveGreen: What is GreenDimes?

GreenDimes: Green Dimes is a service to reduce your junk mail and plant a tree for you every month. It helps you get off all of the direct mail lists, unsolicited credit card offers, and even the catalogues that you no longer wish to receive. You can keep the ones you do want, but stop getting the ones that go straight into the recycling bin. As part of getting less junk mail we think that helps you get a little more time, a little more counter space, and a lot more trees because we will plant a tree for you every month.

LG: That’s great! What organizations do you work with for planting trees?

GD: We actually work with three experts in the field who have been planting trees in communities around the world for many, many years. One of the partners is Trees for the Future. They are doing planting in Haiti, India, and Senegal. The interesting thing about the trees in those countries is that they pick the type of tree dependant on the community they are working with. In some cases they want to plant fast growing trees that serve as wind blocks so they can actually plant agriculture. In other places they are trying to put nutrients back into the soil, help the soil retain water, and again help the communities to grow the crops that they want to have.

The second organization we work with is Sustainable Harvest in Central America. They help reduce the amount of slash and burn practices that are going on and show alternate ways of growing agriculture. They restore the land while providing an economic livelihood for the people there.

The last organization is American Forests. We are part of their wildfire relief program and we help them to plant native species of trees in areas that have been devastated by wildfires. This helps stabilize the soil, restore the watershed, and restore the habitat for many endangered species.

LG: How did GreenDimes get started? Did you know each other before?

GD: We all come together from different places. GreenDimes was the brainchild of our CEO, Pankaj Shah. He had had a couple of successful start-ups and in the back of his mind was this question of how capitalism and good causes could meet. He took about a year off, a temporary retirement if you will, and he noticed the junk mail piling up and really thought about the waste. He started adding up the impact junk mail has, not only on each household, but the planet itself and that’s where the idea for GreenDimes came from. It’s really grown into something much larger which is taking that concept of what are little things people can do that solves the problem for them but collectively, if everybody does it, will have a major impact for the planet. GreenDimes is really the first service that we are offering. We are looking at other ways we can help people do little things that cumulatively will make a big difference.

LG: I really like that you throw out numbers like “100 MILLION trees are used every year for junk mail”. We try and show the same numbers when we educate people about using reusable bags…100 Billion plastic bags are used every year in America. I think numbers like that can get people’s attention.

At home, my wife and I have seen a dramatic decrease in our junk mail after only six months of using GreenDimes.

GD: I totally agree with you about the numbers part. It is very important that people know that the small change they’re making can have a big impact. Having measurable goals and objectives to show people that what they do adds up to a significant impact is important part of what we do. We want people to see tangibly what kind of difference they can make. This is true for anything we might want to do…this is the goal, and the proceeds from whatever we’re doing is going towards this goal and when we finish that goal we will retire it and bring up a new goal. We want to keep people engaged and really involved in where those dimes are going.

LG: I really like the counter you have on your site that shows how much paper and water has been saved and how many trees have been planted.

GD: That’s what we want individuals to have…a tool they can put on their site and show “Hey, this is what I’ve accomplished.” You mentioned reusable bags…that’s another initiative that we’re looking forward to doing and the idea is that that could be added to your Impact Counter. Any friends that you invite, because they are now saving trees and reducing waste, that gets added to your Impact Counter because you got them involved, you got them started doing something.

This is another interesting aspect of GreenDimes. We’re not about people radically changing their lives, changing their lifestyle. We’re really trying to do little things that are not difficult and we’re hoping by doing that, you get a lot more people involved…there’s also sort of this trickle down effect. Once you’ve done one thing, you feel pretty good about that and it tends to be easier to do the next. The important part is that you don’t have to be the one who composts or does neighborhood programs…you just need to do one good thing that’s not going to kill you.

LG: Exactly! It’s really amazing to hear about a company like yours working on the national level…we’re trying to do that on the local level. We’ve seen time and time again, once people take that first step…a simple solution we can provide them, they are eager for the next step.

I’ve read a press release about Tonic, could you talk a little about this?

GD: GreeDimes is focused on the issue of junk mail and planting trees, but we felt there was an opportunity, as you pointed out, for people to take that as a starting point and go much bigger. The concept for Tonic is that it’s an organization that invigorates and helps restore the planet and also helps enliven people’s lives. The whole idea is that it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be hip, and it’s going to be an engaging way to do some things that’ll have a big impact. In addition to having GreenDimes, which will be one of the services that we would offer, we would look at offering some products…and the great thing about the products we would offer is that they would not only solve a problem for the member, but they would be sustainably and ethically made. So, just by selling those bags a portion of the proceeds is helping support a community and support proper practices. Then a portion of the sale’s price will go towards one of the goals we set forth. We might have a goal to get malaria nets to kids in Africa, so we set a goal of giving out 250,000 anti-malaria nets. Once we hit that goal, we retire that and bring up a new goal where we want to fund alternative energy…maybe put up a wind farm. The idea would be to have very tangible goals. Each of the products we put out would have those three levels; it would help the person, it would help the people who made the products, and a portion of the proceeds would go toward achieving a goal. It’s very goal oriented, but it’s based on the same concept of helping people do little things that collectively have a big impact.

LG: That’s really amazing. I like that there are tangible goals that can help people feel like they are accomplishing something. I mean, you can join an organization that says it will do...whatever, put 10% towards a cause…but I really like the fact that I can feel like I’m helping. My wife and I joined GreenDimes just because we hated junk mail…the tree planting was just an added bonus…but I’m really excited about the new direction.

It looks like Tonic has a huge Hollywood influence. What are your plans there?

GD: We want to get the word out to as many people as possible. Part of that is to use the influence and reach that celebrities and people in the entertainment industry have…they can really reach so many people. We have plans to work with them and help them achieve their specific goals because I know a lot of celebrities have attached themselves to certain causes and certain goals. If we can help them achieve those as part of what we’re doing, and that helps more people find out about GreenDimes and Tonic…that’s going to be a win all the way around.

LG: So what brought your to GreenDimes personally?

GD: I was looking for the combination of a social entrepreneurship…the idea of a for-profit company that’s doing good was something new and I was looking for that. The great part about a for profit company is that it has the resources and the deep pockets to go do some pretty amazing things without having to rely on spending a lot for time and resources on fund raising. I think it gives us a lot more options and I was looking for that in particular. As for the cause, I have a few causes that I am particularly keen on; Environment, Education, and Libraries. This was right there for the environment so it was a great combination for me and it was exactly what I was looking for for the next step in my career.

LG: I love where GreenDimes and Tonic are going! I’m very happy that I had the chance to talk with you. In the past and now you have been very open to talking with LiveGreen and working with us…helping us to get your word out and in turn getting our word out. We are building a local network of businesses, organizations and individuals around the green movement here in San Diego and really appreciate working with GreenDimes.

GD: I think local efforts are very important. We talk a lot about just how much energy is saved if people can find what they’re looking for locally and find the resources...in your case, find the services and companies that can help them live a greener lifestyle. If they can find that locally, it’s the best combination of all worlds. As far as our relationship with companies like LiveGreen…it’s absolutely critical because the best way to get the word out is to be there when people are looking for this solution. So if they go to you looking for a way to live a greener life, we want to be there as well…and seriously, blogs and people sharing this information with their friends is the way that GreenDimes has grown to date. It’s really been a phenomenal experience to see people go out and blog and testify to their friends that this has really made a huge difference in their life, they have a lot less mail to carry in and how much better that makes things for them.

LG: Yea, we really feel that word of mouth is the best way. Take care.

Join GreenDimes today to start reducing your junk mail!!!!!!!

Thank you very much for taking the time Jill. LiveGreen just wants to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Arrogant Biodiesel - Local Brewery Delivers a Green Future

Local San Diego Stone Brewery announced that it will use a B20 biodiesel blend to fuel its fleet of SoCal delivery trucks with plans to switch to 100% biodiesel later this year. With a brand new 50,000 sq ft brewery and bistro in San Marcos, Stone will produce its own biodiesel from greasy treats such as the Arrogant Bastard Ale Onion Rings made famous in past brewfests.

Co-founders Steve Wagner and Greg Koch have always been concerned about impacts on the environment, so a switch to using biodiesel makes perfect sense. “One of our brewers has been making biodiesel for his personal truck for some time, and it only made sense that if he could do it on his own, we owed it to the environment to do the same,” said President and Brewmaster Steve Wagner.

Usually one for New Belgium's sustainable brew Fat Tire, tonight you will see me toasting to a sustainable future at GreenDrinks with a local brew.

LiveGreen client Enano Computer

LiveGreen client Enano Computer gets mad props from TreeHugger.com. Come read all about this new company and their "Little, Green, Different" computers!

GreenDrinks on March 15th, 6-9pm

Come join LiveGreen, Surfrider, and Greens from all over San Diego at GreenDrinks San Diego on March 15th, 6-9 at La Jolla Brew House 7536 Fay Ave. La Jolla, CA 92037. 858-456-6279.

Hoist a beer and let's talk about a positive future. Bring friends.

Every month, people all over the world working, studying or just interested in the environment are meeting up at informal gatherings known as GreenDrinks – it’s a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info, enjoy an ice cold beer and make new friends. Now GreenDrinks has come to San Diego, and you’re invited!

Personalized Plates

I went down to the DMV last month to register a nice personalized plate for my Vespa. It was early and I remember a long list of different plates or symbols. I just went with the standard plate and thought maybe I should have gone with that whale tail one. Well, props to my friend Ben who pointed out that proceeds from the standard plate go to Environmental Programs.

I'm still waiting on the plate...I'll be sure to post a picture of my Vespa...and talk a little on why I have it later. Ciao!
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Get your feet wet!!!!

A big hinderance to action for some people is the fear that they can't change the direction of the world. That their actions won't be big enough to have any effect of the course of things, so why bother.

We at LiveGreen feel that any change towards green, no matter how small, is a big step. Take for instance using reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic. By taking the time to bring your own shopping bag, you can save virgin pulp or plastic from being wasted. If every American used reusable shopping bags, there would be 14 million more trees in the ground...and 100 BILLION plastic bags out of the landfill every year.

Need a shopping bag? Try ours! It's very durable, we've been using these for over a year.

If you want more tips on how to get your feet wet, drop us a line!

Cheers!


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Recycling at Work - It's Easier than you Think!

Have you had this happen to you? You need a cup of coffee...grab your mug that you bring in every week and ste