Green Groove
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Free Gift! Give the Gift of Green Groove This Holiday
Trying to find a "green" gift? Search no longer. Simply sign up a friend or loved one with Green Groove. You can do this one of two ways. First, you can easily sign someone up on our signup page. Just create a user ID and password for them using their email, then all you have to do is email them the information along with our site address (www.greengroove.org) and tell them to get started. Secondly, you could go to our new start page to put together a quick plan for someone, create a user ID and password using their email address, and the plan will be emailed straight to them. They can roll with that plan, or come back, sign in, and create a new one. Nothing quick, easier, and most importantly greener.
Give the Gift of Carbon Neutrality!
That's right, your friends and family can be carbon neutral for a day by joining Brighter Planet in their latest "One Day Campaign." All you need to do is point your loved ones here to make it happen. It just takes a name and email, that's it. The goal is to give away 5,000 one day gifts, and to offset 680,000 lbs of CO2. Pass it on!
Weatherize - It's Cold In the Northern Hemisphere
Winter is approaching and record-breaking low temperatures are already popping up. Conserve energy in your home by making sure it's weatherized with a few classic tips. First, use caulk and weatherstripping to make sure there are no air leaks in the cracks between your windows and doors. Second, do what you can to insulate walls and ceilings. Third, use double-paned windows when replacing old and outdated glass. "Raising Baby Green," a book by Alan Green, claims that caulking and weatherstripping can save 1700 lbs of CO2, wall and ceiling insulation can save 2000 lbs of CO2, and double-paned windows can save 10,000 lbs of CO2. The book also claims that the reduction in CO2 will add up to roughly $1000 U.S. in saving. As a bonus to helping the planet, and your wallet, YOU WON'T FREEZE!
Laughable "Douglass Report" Attempts to Debunk Global Warming
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.
Green Home Ideas for the Obscure
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.
Black Friday Lurks... and Happy Thanksgiving
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.
Art As Education - Running the Numbers
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?
Investing in Clean Energy Crucial to Economy According to a Majority of Voters
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.


