Keep NY Water Clean

From Environment New York:

Here in New York, it's easy to take our great drinking water for granted. But if gas companies are allowed to drill near our drinking water, it would pose a huge threat to this priceless resource.

Help us get a proposal in Albany over the finish line that will protect our drinking water supply by putting a temporary halt to drilling. Click here to urge the Speaker of the Assembly, Rep. Sheldon Silver, to pass the bill to protect our drinking water from dirty and dangerous gas drilling.

Gas companies are pushing to drill near the drinking water source for more than 8 million New Yorkers. This type of drilling has already led to drinking water contamination in other cities -- just next door in Pennsylvania, gas drilling pollution forced state officials to issue a drinking water advisory for more than 325,000 people in the Pittsburgh area.

The state Senate already passed the proposal with overwhelming bipartisan support this summer. Please click on this link and call on state Rep. Sheldon Silver to get this legislation past its final hurdle, and pass a moratorium to protect our drinking water from gas drilling.

Win a trip to Sri Lanka with Zhena's Gypsy Tea!

Are you a frequent customer at Tully's Coffee and do you love the many flavors offered by Zhena's Gypsy Tea? Well, they're eager to give you a great big thank you by giving you a chance to win a trip to Sri Lanka from January 7 to 14, 2011, where you can explore some wonderful tea gardens and learn more about the history of tea.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea founder and master blender Zhena Muzyka says, "“This contest will give tea lovers a chance to win a tea trek to the fair trade gardens in Sri Lanka, where I will guide them through the fields where we source a large variety of our Biodynamic® teas.”

So how can you get the chance to travel with Zhena to Sri Lanka? Sign up in your favorite Tully's Coffee shop and have a sip of the Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte, too, a new drink to support the contest! The trip includes

• a tour of the city of Colombo
• a visit to Nuwara Eliya, a popular Sri Lanka resort
• a visit to Hakgala botanical Gardens and the Horton plains
• a visit to an elephant orphanage
• relaxation on the beautiful Sri Lankan beaches and
• ample time to explore the area’s organic, biodynamic, fair trade tea plantations

You have plenty of time to sign up--the contest runs from September 8 to 30, 2010, and the winner will be announced on November 15, 2010.

B&B London Organic

Planning a visit to London anytime soon? Here's a tip in case you didn't already know: Lodging in Central London costs an arm and a leg. Here's another tip: There's an organic B&B in Ealing in West London called B&B London Organic. The rates are reasonable and the facilities look divine, plus you get a welcome tray of organic biscuits, chocolates, and teas. The food features fresh and natural produce, and you also have vegetarian and vegan menu options if you need it. Don't forget the linen made from organic cotton, too. And if you're worried about accessibility to Central London, you'll be pleased to know that you can hop on either the Central or District Line; Central's particularly convenient, stopping at Notting Hill Gate, Bond Street, and Oxford Circus.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea

Tea is terrific, tasty, tantalizing--think of all the warm, pleasant adjectives you can think of and you're describing a nice big mug of hot, soothing tea. It's a soothing drink that has quite a lot of interesting health benefits, and in the case of Zhena Muzyka, it helped save the life of her son. Ten years ago, Zhena's son was in dire need of a kidney operation, and to help fund it, she began to sell her tins of tea on California street corners. Today, Zhena's Gypsy Tea is not just known for its distinctive range of flavors, but also as a friend to the environment.

The brand has successfully made a name for itself as the first tea company in the U.S. to produce only 100% organic and fair trade certified products, and it even purchases green tags to support renewable energy sources as well as to offset its carbon footprint. The teas come in tins made from recycled steel, and are bagged in GMO-free corn silk sachets. Zhena's Gypsy Tea is also minority woman-owned, another feather in its cap, and because it's fair trade, it has also been instrumental in supporting the Indian and Sri Lankan families who grow and harvest its organic teas.

Check out the Zhena's Gypsy Tea website for more information.

Two-in one urinal

Guys already seem to pop into the men's room and be back out again in what seems to be no time at all. And this urinal-sink combo seems to be making it even faster for them to do their business. But apart from speeding up the process, this has something green going for it too. The water from the sink drains and is then used to flush the urinal.

List of least eco-friendly phones list released by O2

O2 has come out with an eco rating system for various mobile phones, ranking them from the most to the least eco-friendly. The system takes note of the phone's energy consumption, packaging, and how the mobile phone manufacturers work to better their local community. Topping the list of the least eco-friendly phones are LG Etna and Palm Pre Plus.