Prepaid phones & prepaid card refills

Where do prepaid cards for prepaid phones go afterward but to the trash?

Cellphone companies that sell prepaid phones and prepaid cards should offer a card recycling program. Make the cards smaller. Better yet, have an option to have it prepaid online or over the phone - using a different phone to call them, of course. Or even using the same prepaid cellphone, just don't charge users for refilling their prepaid phones.

Costa Rica's CST program

Did you know that Costa Rica has a Certification for Sustainable Tourism (C.S.T.) program? According to their website,

"The Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program - CST - is a product of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). CST was designed to differentiate tourism sector businesses based on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management."

If you're heading to Costa Rica, you can check out their hotel directory to lead you to sustainable lodgings.

Walk a mile in someone's shoes

Most people have unworn, or gently worn shoes at home. Clean out your shoe closets! Donate your new and old shoes to Soles4Souls and help disadvantaged people in the United States and all over the world.

"Anand man creates eco-friendly hybrid bikes"

Does Motoscoot sound familiar to you? It doesn't to me, but it should. Or maybe it will in the future. Read "The Times of India" article "Anand man creates eco-friendly hybrid bikes". Not a bad idea at all. Just makes me wonder why Mr. Paresh Budh isn't getting the support worthy of his invention. He laments, "People have not recognized my work. In fact, they joke about it..." Maybe in time, he'll be the one laughing his way to the bank for his invention. It's useful. I only wish they had a picture of the Motoscoot.

Light a Candle

Lynn and I were wandering around Hudson the other day and found a store selling soy wax candles. Orla candles are made from soybeans, non-toxic and last longer.

The Gift of Sight

Donate your old eyeglasses at LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, Target Optical, Sears Optical and BJ's Optical. Give the Gift of Sight cleans, repairs and gives them to needy people overseas during international missions. The program also provides new glasses, eye exams and free vision screenings to underprivileged people in North America. You can visit their website or call 1-800-541-LENS.

Isabella Rossellini = porn star

Not that we're obsessed with porn-related news or anything, but don't you find it fascinating how porn can be used to promote environmental awareness? In this case, however, it's nothing scandalous. Isabella Rossellini stars in the Sundance Channel's Green Porno, a series of hilarious, but informative short films about the mating habits of bugs.

Fuck For Forest: the eco-porn site

Yeah, our eyes bugged out at the sight of that site, too. Fuck for Forest (NSFW) is on the lookout for erotic activists who want to help protect the planet with "revolutionary porn," encouraging people to submit their photos and videos--yes, that kind of photos and videos--to help raise awareness and generate support for the environment.

Fuckforforest is a non-profit eco porn organization. FFF is created by people who want to have a exciting experience and a good feeling for protecting nature, having real fun with sex and nudity, not faked, not staged, but impulsive and living. With the help from sexually free people and by showing the beauty of natural love, nudity and sex we wish to direct attention to and collect money for the Earth’s threatened nature. Saving the planet IS sexy!

Much like PETA's naked ads and protests, I think we can safely say that Fuck For Forest's methods won't exactly appeal to everybody, but to each his own, eh? We leave up to you to decide if it's a cause you'd like to take up.

The latest green news

New homes in Hawaii are now required to have solar water heaters.

More and more women are starting to turn to menstrual cups for their monthly needs. I don't think I can go that far yet, though I'm a huge fan of Gladrags' pantyliners.

Get some tips on greening your laundry.

Wrap it up

I hope you've all heard the dangers of using plastic wrap. Alternatives? Aluminum foil, cellophane and wax paper.

A desire to make my own toothpaste

I'm especially sensitive about my teeth, though I could certainly stand to take better care of it. Commercial toothpastes just get me paranoid now, what with their dyes and all the other ingredients, some of which have been reported to cause cancer. So recently, I've been on the lookout for ingredients to help me mix together my own toothpaste.

Here are some interesting articles for you to check out if you're planning to steer clear of commercial toothpastes.

How to Make Homemade Toothpaste and Mouthwash

Make Your Own Toothpaste

How to Make Your Own Toothpaste and Other Oral Care Products

Ecocho

Ecocho is a cool new Yahoo!-powered search engine that allows people to turn their online searches into planet-saving activities!

Ecocho uses your web searches to promote tree growing projects (and carbon offsetting generally). We generate funds through advertising, which we use to buy carbon offset credits. These credits allow us (and you of course!) to contribute cash towards carbon dioxide (CO2) emission offset. We estimate that every 1000 searches on ecocho will help remove a ton of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Check out Ecocho's FAQs to learn more about how the search engine works and how they help plant trees and reduce carbon emissions.

Cast your vote in the 2008 Veggie Awards!

VegNews Magazine is now accepting votes for its annual Veggie Awards, which recognizes and honors the best of vegetarian hotspots, products, and people. Cast your vote now and you could get a chance to win some great prizes!

Just say No

The 25 year moratorium on oil drilling off America's protected coasts is expiring 30 September. Tell Congress to extend the ban. New offshore drilling will not lower gas prices. Click here.

Cyber Clean

The office of the company where I used to work was located near the food court of a shopping mall, believe it or not. You could pretty much consider the area the mall's basement, and for some reason, no matter how clean I used to leave my cubicle every night, the next day, there would be some inexplicable layer of dust covering the desk. One of the worst victims is always my keyboard, but then again everyone's keyboard always suffers from dust and dirt that managed to scurry their way underneath the keys (tap out your keyboard right now and you'll see what I mean). If you want to get all that muck out of your keyboard, you might want to check out Cyber Clean. It's basically a sort of, er, slime that you roll all over your keyboard, and it sucks up all the dirt your keyboard houses. Once you're done, you can toss out the goop in a guilt-free manner--it's biodegradable!

The Hickories, a CSA in Ridgefield, CT

I was so glad to discover The Hickories in nearby Ridgefield, CT. The Hickories follow the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, but since there's a waiting list to join, we checked out their produce stand instead.

We were looking forward to their honor system in paying for produce, but was disappointed when we saw that produce was already priced per pound. There was an explanation why that happened - people weren't paying a fair amount. So we got (sort of) burned by other people's behavior. Oh well.

Anyway, we ended up with bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. All three were nothing like those I've seen in the grocery store we usually go to. The cucumbers were particularly hefty. The potatoes were dug up that morning and it looked like it too.

Next weekend, we'll check out a different farm in a different town. Just our way of supporting local farmers.

White Silo Farm and Winery

We went to the White Silo Farm and Winery in Sherman, CT last weekend. They produce and sell wines that are made from fruits grown in their farm, such as blackberries, black currants, raspberries and rhubarb. Everything is organic. Plus, their wines were just great. If ever you find yourself in the area, drop by White Silo.

Kids Konserve for your back-to-school shopping

Summer's almost over. Soon, parents and kids everywhere will be heading out for their back-to-school shopping. Why not give Kids Konserve a try?

Of course, their products are still in the production line as I write this, but perhaps by the middle or end of August, all their products will be available. They're accepting pre-orders.

Personally, the Reusable Waste-Free Lunch Kit seems appealing. Described as "Reusable, waste-free lunch kit includes recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, 16 oz. stainless steel beverage bottle, food kozy, and two stainless steel food containers", the lunch kit costs $40. A pretty good price that will pay for itself in a month's (or even less) use.

"Choose to Reuse" - that's their motto.


Logo from the Kids Konserve site.

Nissan's ECO Pedal

Have you heard about Nissan's ECO Pedal system? Check out their press release "World First ECO Pedal Helps Reduce Fuel Consumption - Nissan ECO Pedal system to be commercialized by 2009 -". And look at the ECO Pedal meter on the left.

Considering it seems impossible to give up on cars altogether, I suppose it's good that they came up with such a technology. I bet it would be interesting to feel your car's pedal push back when you're wasting fuel. Like your car is telling you to, "go easy, man!" It ought to stop you from speeding. Or at least it'll slow you down more often. It also might teach you how to drive more efficiently than you do now. It DOES have an on/off switch, perhaps to give people a choice.


Image from Nissan's press release.

Autograph please

Had enough of the Iraq war AND high oil prices? Join Consumers for Peace. Or just sign the petition to boycott ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, who have amassed record profits since the war began.

Best and Worst Companies

Climate Counts scores businesses from 0-100 on their eco-friendliness and commitment to reducing global warming. You can even download scorecards and a pocket guide from their website. Most recent rankings were released in May, with Nike coming out on top with a score of 82. Stonyfield Farm got 78, and IBM had 77. Google was most improved, jumping from 17 points in 2007 to 55 in 2008.

Clorox, with a rating of 15, had the lowest score of all consumer products companies. What happened to Green Works? As for the internet/software companies, eBay and Amazon were at the bottom of the list. Apple was at the bottom of the electronics companies listing. Whattup Messieurs Jobs and Wozniak?

Bad news, good news

Bad news? Skyrocketing gas prices. But there might be a silver lining, according to the Seventh Generation blog:

Rising oil prices are creating an ideal economic climate for long-sought change. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, for example, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer miles in April of 2008 than they did in the same month in 2007. Others estimate that in the first half of 2008, motorist miles fell by 30 billion compared to the same period in the prior year

With our cars staying in park, we’re also flocking to mass transit. The American Public Transportation Association says that commuters and others took some 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the most in 50 years. Ridership grew 3.3% in the first quarter of 2008.

When we do decide to drive, we’re now picking different vehicles, and some long-standing trends are suddenly shifting into reverse. General Motors, home of the environmentally deplorable Hummer, reported that truck and SUV sales fell 27% in April. Ford, maker of the Explorer, reported a 36% drop in sales in the same category but a 44% increase in demand for its fuel-efficient Focus. Meanwhile at Toyota, car sales are up 12% thanks to the subcompact Yaris and efficient Prius.

And like Lynn says, less cars on the road=less traffic=less time spent=less carbon emissions.

Recycled plastic bottles = bags!

If you thought that getting taking in your plastic bottles for recycling don't really do any good, think again! GreenSmart takes these plastic bottles and processes them to create a super-sturdy type of fabric that is used to create their laptop sleeves, messenger bags, and totes!

Be a Better Shopper

The Better World Shopping Guide is a pocket guide for the environmentally responsible consumer. It grades companies from A to F, so you know which manufacturers you should buy products from. A second edition will be released on 01 October 2008.

Dog owners, listen up! Washable pee pee pads are now available!

Eco-Hound released their washable Pretty Pee Pads. It comes in two sizes: small (approximately 17" x 20") and large (approximately 25" x 20").

As a dog owner, I've always thought disposable piddle pads were a waste after use - both ecological and financial. Along comes Pretty Pee Pads that has the potential to change things. Thanks, Eco-Hound! I'll definitely be checking out this product soon. I hope they'll put up pictures of the pads as well.

Logo from Eco-Hound website.

A greener way to go camping

Subtle Concepts has some great ideas on their eco-friendly merchandise, and also makes an interesting statement on being green, reminding people that things don't always have to be recycled in order to be considered green. If you're planning on going camping soon, here are some outdoor gear you may be interested in checking out.

At the laundromat

Going to the laundromat? Keep it green by bringing your own eco-friendly, concentrated detergent and fabric softener. Bring a book to read, puzzles to solve, music to listen to so you can hang out until your loads are finished instead of driving home. Use the double or triple load washers instead of the single-load ones if you have enough clothes to wash.

The "Green" Honor Roll

How green is your school? Based on surveys conducted by the Princeton Review, you will find the 11 colleges and universities presented in alphabetical order in the article "Greenest Colleges in America".

How do you get the movies you watch?

My sister already posted about GeekSugar.com's post "94% of Americans Think Movie Downloads Are More Eco". But it gave me a reason to pause and think about how we get the movies we watch.

We used to go to Blockbuster, which required a 2-mile drive to the store and another 2-mile drive back home, a total of 4 miles traveled just to watch movies. Then my husband switched to Netflix. Now he downloads movies. We rarely go to movie houses anymore, unless it's really a must-see movie.

It just seemed like an inevitable progression of things. I've got to admit, we weren't really thinking of the environment at the time of the switch to online downloading. It was more a matter of convenience. At least, now it's an eco-friendly move as well.

Sakku Solar Bags

I can't emphasize enough how big a fan of bags I am, which is why I'm always on the lookout for, well, all sorts of bags, really. Today, I just found out about the Sakku Solar Bags. They're made out of recycled sails and each bag also tells the story of the lake or sea on which the boat, from which the sail is taken, is floated. The best part is, it contains solar cells thta can charge your gadgets. The regular bag costs $275, while the one with charging capabilities costs $385; both are available in Europe.

D-Link's green Wi-Fi home networking

D-Link's press release D-Link First Company to Offer Green Wi-Fi Home Networking is worth mentioning. They claim energy savings of up to 40% when using their Wi-Fi routers. Between you and me, we know how computers are such energy hogs. Their proclamation of up to 40% power savings should be met with much glee and applause.

How does it work?

According to them:

"The Wi-Fi routers integrate D-Link® Green Ethernet™ technology, an innovative energy-saving technology that automatically detects link status and network cable length, then adjusts power accordingly. The D-Link routers also feature Wi-Fi scheduling that allows customers to easily program when the Wi-Fi radio signals are turned on and off to further save energy consumption. Now shipping and incorporating the Green technology are the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router (DIR-655), D-Link Xtreme N Duo™ Media Router (DIR-855), and the D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router (DGL-4500).

...

The D-Link Green Wi-Fi Routers achieve optimal energy savings when used with the Wi-Fi Scheduler, which provides a user-selectable radio shutdown option (adjustable by day and start/end times). Under the most favorable conditions with no wired links active and Wi-Fi turned off, users may achieve the following power savings when compared to a D-Link conventional router without Green technology: DIR-655, up to 32%; DIR-855, up to 41%; and DGL-4500, up to 31%."

What else can I say, but keep up the good work D-Link!

For kids: GreenEdge Kids

What is GreenEdge Kids?

"GreenEdge Kids is an online organic & natural children's clothing store specializing in cool & environmentally friendly kids' clothes."

Why not try to "shop by conscience"? If you'll be doing some back-to-school clothes shopping in the near future, check out GreenEdge Kids.

Going Green Planet Postal!

AZCentral.com's article "Green Planet Postal delivers, eco-consciously" made me look for Green Planet Postal's website. Green Planet Postal is being managed by a couple from Arizona whose motto is "Greening the Mailstream".

Now, if only USPS will do the same thing, it will be a better world all around. I think Green Planet Postal can teach USPS a thing or two. Come on, I like how you do your job, but there's always room for improvement, right?

Logo from Green Planet Postal website.

Downloading movies = eco-friendly

A recent survey showed that over eighty percent of respondents think that downloading movies instead of going out and renting them is more eco-friendly, says GeekSugar. Do you agree?

Beat the summer heat with ceiling fans

Whenever summer rolls around, it's always easiest to cool off by turning up the air conditioner full blast. These days, though, I think people are more wary of doing that thanks to the threat of high electricity bills and even because of the guilt they'll feel about their energy use. So some people opt to switch on their air conditioner's energy-saving mode.

Another option that could also help people cool off is to use ceiling fans. An article on canada.com has a great list of some stylish new ceiling fan models with lighting fixtures that can use energy-efficient light bulbs.

The latest eco-celebrity news

Not long ago, we all heard that Brad Pitt was helping build an eco-friendly hotel in Dubai. Today, Pamela Anderson is taking on the same responsibility, with a green hotel being planned in Abu Dhabi.

Singer Sheryl Crow is coming out with her own clothing line--one that is eco-friendly. The collection, Bootheel Trading Co. by Sheryl Crow, will include jeans and shirts made with fair-trade fabrics.

East Green Brew, the UK's first eco-friendly beer, gets Prince Charles and Camilla's seal (or sip) of approval!

Preserve Triple Razor

Disposable anything, from cutlery to diapers to razors, used to sound like such a great, convenient idea; today, it just makes a lot of people cringe at the thought of all those things heading for the landfills.

Here's a razor that might make you feel less guilty, though. The Preserve® Triple Razor, with its 100% recycled plastic handle and reusable packaging that doubles as a travel case--and which you could return to Preserve for reuse--could probably one of the greener razor choices we have at the moment.