Make your voice heard

The UN Climate Change Conference is getting closer, and it's time that more people around the world speak up and tell officials about the importance of taking concrete action against climate change. There's been a lot of discussion about climate change and even persistent doubts, but it is never a bad idea to save the environment and make sure that governments all over the world aren't just talking about it. i speak earth lets people spread the word about climate issues through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, instant messaging, or a petition.

Check out the i speak earth video below featuring Cate Blanchett.

A road paved with good intentions...and recycled things

In the U.K., a 95% recycled road was recently unveiled. Part of Cannizaro Road in Wimbledon is now made of materials from roads and railway ballast. The rest of the road isn't built with the same materials yet, since the team behind the project are still going to monitor how the recycled road holds up over time.

Safe Toys

From US PIRG:

Next Tuesday, November 24th, when we release our 24th annual Trouble in Toyland survey, we'll also release a new interactive smart phone website to help you avoid common hazards and report potential dangers you find on toy store shelves, right from your mobile phone.

We'll send the link directly to you but we also want to get this out to as many parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and others in time for holiday shopping. This information only helps protect kids if it gets into more people's hands, so help us make sure your friends and family are in the know.

Please forward this e-mail widely, and click here to sign-up for our toy safety alerts.

The website, designed for web-enabled mobile phones as well as home computers, will provide tips on three categories of toy hazards: toys that may pose choking hazards, toys that are excessively loud, and toys that contain the toxic chemicals lead and phthalates.

Some good news is that progress has been made on toy safety in the past year, thanks to a new U.S. PIRG-backed law overhauling the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Unfortunately, according to the CPSC's most recent data, toy-related injuries still sent more than 82,000 children under the age of five to emergency rooms in 2008. That's why U.S. PIRG developed this simple interactive tool that allows shoppers to check on possible hazards while at the store, as well as report hazards they find.

Here's to a happy and safe holiday season.

Brothels gone green

Well, one brothel, at least, and it's in Berlin, Germany. Maison d'Envie is knocking off 5 euros ($7.50) off their regular 30-minute, er, sessions if guests present their bus or tram tickets or their bicycle helmet to prove that they took other means of transportation to get to the brothel. The owners of Maison d'Envie (a mother and son tandem, egads, not to be judgmental, but really?) think this setup is loads better for everyone, since they lack parking space, plus it's eco-friendly too. Ah well, anything to hike up, er, sales and help clean up the environment, I suppose.

Head down to The Green Faire!

Any Connecticut greenies out there? You might want to check out The Green Faire over in Stamford. It starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. Mingle with fellow environment supporters and get the latest on green technology, products, and news.

I Am Not A Paper Cup

It's not an uncommon sight to be seeing people walking around with white paper cups from any of the popular coffee chains. They've practically become a status symbol, indicating that you're not just drinking any ol' coffee, but serious coffee from The Best Ever Coffee Shop. Yeah, sure.

Here's something to either fool other people or make them think it's totally clever: I Am Not A Paper Cup. Looks trendy, sure, but it's made of ceramic and--yay!--washable. You can probably take this to a coffee shop too and see baristas do a double-take when you ask for coffee to go in your own cup.

I heart Human ♥ Nature (part 3)

After that interview, I practically went crazy over Human Nature's products, buying lip balm, hand soap, hand gel, hair conditioner, lotion, and a hand and foot salve; I went back to their office two more times to purchase more products. As a result, I now have nearly zero interest in purchasing any other types of personal care products. I mean, green and completely affordable? That should intrigue absolutely anyone.

So far, I've used Human Nature's Nourishing Mango Butter Conditioner (unscented), peppermint lip balm, and hand and foot salve. The conditioner's a brilliant piece of work; it's supposedly unscented, but I've found that it has a very faint and pleasant hint of coconut oil, which is one of its ingredients. The salve in particular smells extra delicious, distinctly banana-scented, and rubs on light, not greasy at in any way, and its moisturizing effects last for a long time, too. None of the products I've tried have any unusual dyes or chemicals, and I haven't had an allergic reaction to them at all. In case you were wondering, by the way, product shelf life lasts up to one year after opening.

In the future, Human Nature may just expand to include other products like sunblock and toothpaste; Anna's brother has even requested for an eco-friendly car cleaner or polish. Meeting Anna and learning that there are smaller companies in the Philippines who know that caring for the environment is good business, such as INDIGObaby and Messy Bessy made me sigh in relief, having found eco-friendly alternatives at last; you can't imagine what a joy it is to have Philippine-made green products within easy reach. As Anna said, "At the end of the day, you have that sense of fulfillment knowing that you have done something good for yourself, for your child, and also for the environment."

See part 1 and part 2 of the Human Nature series!

Mobile phone news

Oberthur Technologies introduces an eco-friendly SIM card, made of 50 percent less plastics and using up 8g of carbon dioxide--down from the original 16g--to produce.

Why is it that luxury is always synonymous with wastefulness and cruelty? Just look at leather and fur. Anyway, luxury brand Belleperre has recently come out with phones made with crocodile leathers and zebrawood, which is increasingly becoming rare to find even in its home of Africa.

A recent survey revealed that Australians aren't recycling their old mobile phones, mainly because many don't know where to take their phones and some also prefer to have a back-up phone.

I heart Human ♥ Nature (part 2)

Faced with the lack of options in the Philippines, Anna and Camille just thought, "What if we just come up with our own products?" The concept took a lot of work and research, but they were determined nonetheless. What Anna really envisioned for Human Nature is to make it an eco-friendly brand that is affordable enough to make it easy for people to go green and also benefits communities at the same time. During an interview with Anna on October 27, she shared with Green Unlimited how green Human Nature is, how it works, and how they keep prices down.

Before the interview began, Anna showed me their Christmas catalogue, which not only contains their latest products, but is also made of recycled paper and printed with mineral-based inks. "At first, I was worried that the colors wouldn't be too bright, since the paper is like newsprint," Anna said. "But as you can see, it turned out fine." It was the second sign I noticed that made me feel satisfied that I'm indeed in an eco-friendly office, the first one being the fact that the office didn't have the lights on, working instead with the bright 10 a.m. daylight streaming through the windows.

I heart Human ♥ Nature (part 1)

My sisters have been testing products like crazy, and have instant access to health stores where they can purchase organic goods and eco-friendly beauty products and household cleaning supplies. They've successfully made the switch to eco-friendly products, and me? Pfft. I know I'm not alone in wanting to see more green and organic products here, but unfortunately, not a lot of entrepreneurs have pointed their business plans in that direction. There are some health stores here that do carry green brands from abroad, but, predictably, those are extremely expensive. Paying 500 pesos for a toothpaste doesn't seem worth it when regular toothpaste normally costs 80 pesos here.

So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled on a beauty brand that is not just eco-friendly, but locally made and affordable too: Human Nature.

Pave a new, green career path

The advent of environmental awareness and new developments in helping people and companies go green has given rise to a lot of new kinds of jobs opening up specifically targeting the green sector. If you're looking to make a career change, you're in luck: There are lots of jobs available and because it's a whole new industry, even people without experience in it can qualify. The Los Angeles Times has the lowdown on how green careers have grown and what else is waiting for green jobseekers out there.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a...plastic bag!

In China, as in everywhere else, plastic bags cause quite a lot of headache, especially when they're not being disposed of properly. But 71-year-old Han Fushan has found a different use for them, turning used plastic bags into kites. Each kite takes up to two days to complete and only 15 cents to make, with the thinner bags being used for kites to be flown in light winds and thicker bags for more heavy-duty kite action.

Green ski home for "South Park" creators

I'm a big fan of "South Park" and Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but I've never really pegged the two guys as being environment advocates, but apparently they are. They have a ski home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with ceilings made of Douglas fir timbers that came from a rail trestle along the Great Salt Lake. The house also uses recycled carpets and radiant heating.

Print green with HP's new printers

The HP LaserJet P2055 dn and LaserJet P2055 n were unveiled to the world two days ago. How green are these monochrome printers? Apparently, they offer 50% energy savings compared to other printers and support automatic duplexing, helping you save paper.

Green footwear in 12th Street Shoes

Haven't you ever wished that more shoe stores would offer greener footwear? It turns out that if enough people clamor for them, it will happen. Eco-friendly footwear has sprouted up in 12th Street Shoes, located in the district of Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington. The store now carries product lines such as Groundhog; RocknSocks, makers of socks made out of recycled cotton; and amykathryn and Tutela, handbag manufacturers who make their bags out of faux leathers and recycled vintage fabrics.

How about a trip to Tennessee's Montgomery Bell State Park?

I ran into this link about eight new eco-friendly villas in Tennessee's Montgomery Bell State Park and showed my sister. We immediately agreed that we had no interest in going to rural Tennessee, but changed our minds when we saw what the villas look like.

Does that look like a villa for a state park to you? That's absolutely gorgeous, and green too.

The largest innovation is the geothermal system that includes a 450-foot well at each villa to take advantage of the year-round stable temperatures underground.

The system will result in 40 to 60 percent less energy being used for heating and cooling, which reduces pollution and costs, the announcement said. Also, it will provide hot water in summer for free.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs and outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic are part of the other green touches.

And these are just the first of green villas being built in Tennessee's state parks.

Agoda's top 10 list of eco-friendliest Asian resorts is out!

Hotel reservations website Agoda has published its list of the top 10 eco-friendliest resorts in Asia. Among those that made the cut are The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai, India; Banyan Tree on Indonesia's Bintan Island; and El Nido in Palawan, Philippines *pauses to beam proudly* Not sure why an Australian hotel is on the list, though.

ekoVenture

Hankering for a taste of adventure and to experience the great outdoors in other parts of the world? You should make ekoVenture your first stop. ekoVenture works with more than 450 tour operators around the world in order to help you plan your adventure/holiday. You also get to see people's reviews of the different tour packages they've enjoyed, so call it something a like a travel/social networking site. It's quite easy to get started; just type in the type of activities you're looking to do in a certain location and--presto! results! I looked for "diving" in the Philippines and the site churned out quite a lot of results, the first of them involving an underwater digital photography course which had me utterly excited. I'd gone diving once and had a disposable camera with me, and getting to take pictures underwater was completely exciting and different. Definitely sounds like a course I might want to take someday if I ever get around to taking a diving course first.

So anyway, back to ekoVenture. Check out the site now and plan your adventure! The best part of it is they give 10% of their profits to the local community in your destination.

Million Baby Crawl

Protect future generations. Join Seventh Generation's virtual Million Baby Crawl. Click here to tell Congress to reform policies on toxic chemicals. You can even create and customize your own little crawler.

(photo from Amazon)

Lusting after e-book readers

I lost most of my clothes, things, and books in a fire at our house last year, and when Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana swept through the Philippines on September 26, many houses were swallowed up by floods, and I know quite a few people who were affected, with most of their belongings ruined by floodwaters--and those belongings definitely include their books, too.

So that why I've been eyeing e-book readers like crazy these days. E-book readers would not only make it easy to stash your whole library in one slim gadget, it would also make it easy for people to flee their houses in the event of an emergency or calamity. I figured e-book readers have to be fairly green as well; sure it's an electronic gadget, but you certainly don't need to buy actual books anymore since you can access the digital version; less waste, less use of paper? Now if someone can tell me if the amount of energy used to charge an e-reader or the materials used to construct each one will be a problem.

Chevrolet Equinox: A green car?

We don't know about that, but Vancouver has recently snapped up eight of these fuel-cell babies as part of the 4,600-car fleet for the 2010 Winter Olympics in the city. People are currently abuzz at the possibility that the auto industry hasn't turned its back on fuel cells. Just think: Water coming out of the exhaust pipe rather than noxious, lung-crushing death. Sounds good already, but not really truly green, as it has been argued that cars powered by alternative fuels can never be really green, just eco-friendlier than regular vehicles.

MetroCard Mania

I am guilty of being somewhat of a New York subway MetroCard hoarder. Not intentionally; it's just that there's little amounts left in each one and I just haven't refilled them. (In my defense, I do not live in the city now. When I used to live there, I reused a card until it expired. And when the cards expired, I disposed of them at the subway station receptacles after checking the balance.) This weekend, I was happy to see a sign on a subway advertising the EasyPay Xpress, an automatic-recharging program. This way, regular riders need to keep only one card.

Recycle the Fall

I understand that the fall season is well underway in the U.S., which means crisp weather, the turning of the leaves, and the subsequent falling and sweeping up of the aforementioned leaves. With all the leaves that you'll be gathering, what are you supposed to do with them?

Boise, Idaho's got a good idea how you can deal with all those leaves. The city has been running its program called Recycle the Fall for a few years now. Residents are given $10 coupons for compostable paper leaf bags where they can stash their leaves for pick-up. The program runs from November 4 to December 2.

Glad to have Met you

It's nice to see that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is recycling/reusing the buttons they give out for admission.