Unite

You've probably seen the Google ads lately with the claim that global warming is a myth. They all lead back to "The Douglass Report, Real Health News from Medicine's Most Notorious Myth-Buster." The self proclaimed know-it-all boasts that there is no reason to stay up at night worrying about your carbon footprint, and that "global warming flunkies" are just trying to take your money.

Green Groove would like to take a moment to warn against the good Dr. Douglass. That's right, it appears he is the one who appears to be after your money. In fact, his latest research update criticizing global warming scientists actually had this to say, "Just enter your e-mail address in the box below to get your free report. You will also get a FREE subscription to my Daily Dose, an e-letter written by yours truly that has all of the up-to-date health news and breakthrough solutions you need to look and feel great." I'm sure those solutions come real cheap.

The effects of pumping massive amounts of C02 into the atmosphere may, or may not, be hurting the planet, but think for a moment how much better life can be when living it green. Pretty soon we'll be out of oil, and have to find new (why not cleaner) modes of transportation. Soon, we'll be forced to recycle as there will be no place left to keep stacking our leftovers. Living green is just smart. It is unfortunate that we have educated doctors out there who are actually saying to stop worrying about your carbon footprint. Laughable, but still dangerous.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, you may feel overwhelmed with how to stay green in a season that is so commercially driven. Here are a few handy tips for staying environmentally conscious.

1. Wrap gifts with recyclable paper, or paper that is home-recycled (using newspaper or paper bags) and instead of ribbon, use twine or hemp rope. They come in a lot of colors, so your gifts will still look great.

2. Make your own gift cards and tags with recyclable paper.

3. Hand-made presents are greener than options you can buy at a store. Learn to knit or crochet and make scarves and hats. You could also sew re-usable shopping bags to give to your friends and family. Buy only the amount that you’ll need so you don’t have leftover waste, or if you do, make something for yourself!

4. Buy a potted tree that you can plant after the holidays, or get an artificial tree that you can use for more years than just this one.

5. Throwing a party? Buy your food in large quantities, and buy things that will last in your fridge or pantry if they’re not eaten, like boxed crackers and canned foods. Find reusable or compostable silverware and plate ware, which will cut down on washing after, but also garbage.

6. If you’re traveling, try to carpool with people heading the same direction. Many communities and colleges have a carpool board where you can find people who need to find travel companions. Make sure your tires are inflated, and filters are clean, before heading out. Separate your snack waste, and recycle what you can when you get to where you’re going.

This time of year, the best gift that you can give is your pledge to help this planet make it so your kids, or young nieces and nephews, can see a Christmas when they’re grown up. Enjoy the season, time with your friends and family, and the planet we all live on.

DVice.com has gathered ten ideas to help green your home, and you probably haven't heard of most of them. Here is a quick teaser, but do some Googling or go to DVice.com to learn more.

EcoDrain - Installs in the shower drain and uses leftover hot water to help heat the incoming water.

Solarwind Turbine - Think wind turbines covered in solar panels.

Water Reclamator - Waste water treatment in your own yard!

Swash Toilet Seat - Uses a small amount of water to wash your bum. No more TP.

Coolroof - Recycled rubber shingles that have solar cells embedded into them.

Granitecrete - This porous surface will soak up storm water runoff, instead of sending it straight to the city.

Ultratouch Insulation - This recycled denim product is like heating the home with your old Levis.

Green Walls - An exterior wall of plants to help purify air, and insulate your home.

Ceramic Paint - Exterior paint that lasts 25 years.

Plogs - Like a prefab mini-house made of used Douglas Fir.

Happy Thanksgiving! Wouldn't it be nice if everyone, everywhere in the world, could sit down, eat a nice meal, and give thanks with their friends and family today? There is A LOT of wasteful food and energy on this day, so please be responsible when celebrating Thanksgiving. Make every effort to compost the organics, and recycle/re-use everything else. One thing that unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with Thanksgiving is Black Friday, or the busiest shopping day of the year, that follows just one day after Thanksgiving. If you have plans to wake at 4am and shop till the sun goes down, please take a moment to think about the consequences. Most of the goods that are up for sale at 4am are items that were built cheap, which typically means built at the expense of the environment and people around the factory. Please don't run out and buy a bunch of items that have already taken a toll on our planet, and will eventually end up in a heap at your local landfill. Please, be responsible in your shopping. Thanks, and have a great couple of days.

The collection of December 07 photographs by photographer Chris Jordan, titled An American Self-Portrait, incredibly eye-opening for anyone who has not seen them. Just link over to the global intelligencer to see for yourself. Images included are:

- Two milion plastic bottles (used every five minute in US)

- 1.14 million paper bags (used every hour in US).

- 426,000 cell phones (disposed every day in US)

- 15 million sheets of paper (used every five minutes in US)

- 106,000 aluminum cans (used every 30 seconds in US)

There is more too. Please note that these figures are the ones listed alongside the photographs themselves. I wonder if those figures have gone up or down since 2007, what do you think?

An astounding 78 percent of voters, surveyed in post-election polls, believe investing in green technologies is needed in order to revitalize our broken economy. Many of those polled in the survey also claimed that global warming needed to be an area of great focus for this new U.S. administration. There was much support among the youngest voters, and that helps ensure that education and awareness is running strong with the generation of people who have the most at stake. Now we need to follow through on this! You can read more about the post-election poll at Zogby International.

This is taking things a bit farther than just old aluminum/tin can recycling, but it is just as easy. Find some type of a bins to place used bottles/jars and aluminum/tin cans in, and when you are getting ready to throw one away just put it in the bin. Once it fills up, take it down to the local recycle center.

You'd never imagine how much aluminum and plastic waste you have, until you start sorting it out. Just find a large bin to keep used plastic bottles/containers and aluminum/tin cans in, and when you are getting ready to throw one away, simply place it in the bin. It's that easy. Once you realize that a bin of plastic would just go sit in a landfill, instead of being recycled, it almost makes you sick.