Socially Responsible Shopping

Buy from The Rainforest Site and your purchase goes further. Here’s a description from the organization’s site:

Originally launched in May 2000, The Rainforest Site focuses the power of the Internet on a specific ecological need: the preservation of the world’s rainforests. Individuals from around the world visit the site each day to click the “Click Here to Give—it’s FREE” button and help rescue imperiled land. In just its first year of operation, The Rainforest Site generated funds to purchase and preserve over 5,650 acres of endangered land.…

When you shop at The Rainforest Site store, each item you buy also helps fund habitat preservation—at no extra cost to you!

Shown here is a beautiful pin in the form of an orchid. Says Rainforest, “The exotic orchid comes in thousands of fantastic structures, shapes and colors. Explore the unique beauty of one of the most diverse flowers in the world with our pin of sterling silver and vibrant pink spondilus shell. Handmade by a trio of sisters working together in Cuzco, Peru, it’s a loving tribute to the orchid’s timeless beauty. Sterling silver and spondilus shell pin measures 1.5″ L (3.8 cm), and has a pin-and-hook back clasp. Handmade in and fair-trade imported from Peru.”

Other items sold at Rainforest include this tote bag. Says the site:

Our Bohemian Patchwork Tote is a fun and funky bag that’s sure to turn heads. Featuring colorful bands of fabric with different floral designs, this blossomy bag will surely become a favorite! Made in Bali, Indonesia by women who are part of a fair trade cooperative that creates a market for their beautiful handicrafts in order to help them create sustainable incomes and encourage keeping traditional crafts and skills alive. Bag interior is lined with deep, brown 100% cotton, and features a side pouch for wallet or cell phone.…Bag measures 15″ W x 9″ H x 2.5″ D (38.1 x 22.9 x 6.4 cm). Made in and fairly traded from Indonesia

Black balloons

From a message to me from the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Take 45 seconds and check out this video.

http://www.climateprotect.org/ah12

What’s invisible now has form. Global warming pollution becomes vivid, graspable, close to home. People watch this ad and say, “Oh now I get it.” Do your friends get it? Do your parents and neighbors? Send them this link so they too can understand the link between current energy use and the climate crisis. We think Larry King got it – he premiered the ad on his show last month. Can you tell whose voice it is?!

CURRENT TV ECOSPOT CONTEST DEADLINE APPROACHING

Make your own ad. See it on the air. Win prizes. The Current TV Ecospot contest deadline is approaching. Entries must be uploaded by 12:01 PM PDT on September 12, 2007 or, if mailed, postmarked on September 12, 2007. Info about the competition is at Current TV.

‘KISS MY FACE’ LIP BALMS

Kiss My Face has partnered with Whole Foods to bring you a new lip balm called Lip Action. $1 of every Lip Action, sold exclusively at Whole Foods’ check-out counters nationwide, will be donated to the Alliance. Lip Action comes in Mango Melt, Glacial Mint, Berry Warm, Solar Citrus, Coconut Crisis, and Eco-Cocoa. It’s SPF 15, parabens and petroleum free, and has minimal packaging. Buy Lip Action and support the Alliance.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend.

Best,

Cathy Zoi
CEO, Alliance for Climate Protection

P.S. Pass the message on to your friends and check out climateprotect.org for more ways to make the difference in solving the climate crisis.

Plant-me pets

From the website of a company called Branch, whose slogan is “sustainable design for living.”

design:

Martí Guixé, 2003

manufacture:

Cha Chá, Barcelona, Spain

materials:

Pet made from compostable natural latex rubber, seeds, glue, and small plastic “squeaker”. Container of recyclable cardboard with plastic top and bottom.

dimensions:

Melon: 5.5″ tall x 2.125″ wide x 1.75″ thick
Tomato: 4.5″ tall x 1.875″ wide x 1.325″ thick
Pumpkin: 6″ tall x 2.5″ wide x 2″ thick.

about:

These little creatures amazed us when we discovered them: they’re quirky sculptures made of natural latex rubber. The “eyes” are actual seeds (melon, tomato, and pumpkin seeds), and their “skin” is soft and pliable. You can squeeze their bodies and they’ll squeak.

If and when you get tired of looking at your Plant-Me Pet on your desk or shelf, you can literally bury the sculpture in a pot of soil (head-first, so as to cover the seeds), water it and place it in the sun, and — voilá! — the rubber will decompose and a plant will sprout.

Plant-Me Pets are the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list. They come packaged in an appropriately quirky container with planting instructions in convenient “graphic novel” form. Available in three varieties: Melon (specifically, Cantaloupe), Tomato, and Pumpkin.

To market, to market

One of the most popular farmers’ markets on O‘ahu is at Kapi‘olani Community College. Click here for information about this Saturday’s event.

Cosponsored by The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College. Call (808) 848-2074 for more information.

Green technologies and businesses

The following is from a message sent to me by Ode magazine.

Dear Ode friend,

Ode is pleased to support GoingGreen Executive Summit on September 10-12, hosted by AlwaysOn and U.C. Davis Graduate School of Management, and we wanted to make sure you were invited.

GoingGreen is where cutting-edge greentech CEOs meet the movers and shakers from the biggest industries on earth. Green technology innovators are transforming the global energy, water, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and resource recovery establishments – trillion dollar industries. This two-and-a-half-day executive event features CEO presentations and high-level debates on the most promising emerging green technologies and new entrepreneurial opportunities.

As an important partner of Ode, we are pleased to extend to you and your associates a 50% savings on tickets to the GoingGreen Executive Summit. Click here to take advantage of the discounted ticket price we have reserved for you and any of your associates.

If you are an executive, entrepreneurial CEO, business development officer, eminent researcher in greentech, or an investor or I-Banker playing in the venture-backed company space, this is an event you can’t afford to miss.

Sincerely,
Jurriaan Kamp, Founder and CEO

2007 AlwaysOn GoingGreen Summit
Greener Pastures for Global Business

What to Expect
GoingGreen is where cutting-edge greentech CEOs meet the movers and shakers from the biggest industries on earth. Green technology innovators are transforming the global energy, water, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and resource-recovery establishments. This two-and-a-half-day executive event features CEO presentations and high-level debates on the most promising emerging green technologies and new entrepreneurial opportunities.

At GoingGreen, our editors will also honor the GoingGreen 100 Top Companies. Fifty of the top CEOs from the GoingGreen 100 will pitch their market strategies to a panel of industry experts in our CEO Showcase.

Who Attends
Seven hundred greentech CEOs, business development officers, eminent researchers, venture capital and private-equity investors, and leading members of the press and blogging community will attend GoingGreen. Over 20,000 webcast viewers from over 100 countries will also tune in and interact with the program. Executives attend GoingGreen to identify and debate emerging trends, build high-level relationships, and create new business opportunities.

Trends and Topics

• The Green Energy of Tomorrow
• Batteries
• Water Supply, Storage & Treatment
• Photovoltaics
• The Green City
• Growing Biofuel
• Alternative Fuels – Landfill Waste, Animal Fat, Plant Fiber
• Organic & Biofuel Impacts on Global Agriculture
• Global Warming Challenges
• Water Entrepreneurs
• Wastewater Treatment Opportunities
• Distributed Energy Infrastructure
• The Virtual Utility
• Wind Power
• Fuel Cells vs. Batteries
• Green Consumer Products
• The Next Generation Automobile
• Biofuel Refining
• The Green Home
• Waste and Pollution Treatment
• The 500,000 Year Timeline
• Green Energy Companies
• Mega-Projects – Watering & Cooling the World
• Big vs. Small – Synergies for Green Civilization
• Fuel Cells
• Public & Private, Who is Greenest?
• What are the Most Lucrative, Transformative Green Technologies?

National climate contest

New American Dream’s National Climate Contest
Urges Americans to Curb their Cars

Be Carbon Conscious to Win a Free Oregon Bike Tour for Two

 

 

On August 2^nd, the Center for a New American Dream launched Step 2—DOWNSHIFT your driving—of its national “C3” campaign, Carbon Conscious Consumer. New American Dream’s C3 engages and challenges individuals to reduce their carbon footprint with six easy steps over six months that will have a measurable, positive impact on the climate—with cool eco-friendly prizes as incentives. The steps are:

		#1 In July: Eat Locally – Buy one pound of local food a week.				#2 In August: Downshift your Driving – Carve out one car-free day a week.
		#3 In September: Junk Your Junk Mail – Use online forms to eliminate most of your unwanted ad mail.				#4 In October: Break the Bottled Water Habit – use a non-toxic reusable bottle for water on the go!
		#5 In November: Clean Green – Cold wash your clothes and choose the no-heat dry cycle on your dishwasher.				#6 In December: Bring Your Own Bag – Neither paper nor plastic when you take part in “The New BYOB.”

 

This month, DOWNSHIFT your driving for a chance to win an incredible all-expenses paid 1 week bike excursion across beautiful Oregon, generously donated by Sustainable Energy in Motion Bike Tours. New Dream will award the outdoor bike tour to the contestant—and a companion—who encourages the most friends and family to sign up and join the campaign before August 31^st. The second place winner will be awarded a Villager U-Frame Breezer Bike valued at $1,000. Other prizes also available.

Ways you can participate to positively affect climate change:

· Blog about the campaign

· Include a banner ad on your organization’s site

· Add our campaign logo and link to your site

· Send an email alert to your members and supporters

· Make a statement we can share with our members in support of this campaign

· Take the pledge!

 

To take the pledge and sign up to win prizes, visit the New American Dream website at www.newdream.org . A toolkit including banner ads, badges, logos, and sample language for blogs and promotional materials is available at http://c3.newdream.org/more/kit.php .

 

About the Center for a New American Dream. The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice. We work with individuals, institutions, communities, and businesses to conserve natural resources, counter the commercialization of our culture, and promote positive changes in the way goods are produced and consumed. Visit us at www.newdream.org.

 

Patagonia

Patagonia is running a campaign to help protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Our goal,” says its website, “is to help permanently protect the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain of the Refuge by designating it Wilderness.”

Five dollars from the sale of each Arctic Wildlife T-shirt goes to the Alaska Wilderness League, a national organization “leading the effort to preserve Alaska’s wilderness by engaging citizens, educating the public, and providing a courageous, constant and victorious voice for Alaska in the nation’s capital.”

Organically made in Hawai‘i

The following is from the website of the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to protect the life of the land and the health of our communities through education about organic land care practices. We believe that developing and strengthening certified organic farms will enhance Hawaii’s many fragile ecosystems and be a base for a local sustainable economy.

History and Purpose

Hawaii has a long history of feeding her people with an abundance of wholesome, organically grown food. Only in the past century has self-sustaining agriculture been replaced by chemically based monoculture and the importation of basic foods. Now, in these changing times Hawaii’s farmers, and her organic farmers in particular, are again looking to supply a great variety of foods from land and sea to meet the local needs of an expanding health conscious population.

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) was formed in September 1993 in response to the federally mandated Organic Food Production Act (OFPA) of 1990. The purpose of OFPA is to set consistent organic production standards nationwide and to boost consumer confidence in food claimed to be “organically grown.” Soon any produce in the USA claiming to be “organic” must be certified.

What is HOFA?

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) is a non-profit membership organization that administers organic certification in the State of Hawaii. HOFA promotes organic and sustainable agriculture through research, education, and by providing organic certification services in compliance with the Federal Organic Rule enacted in 2000.

What Services Does HOFA Provide?

• Certification

HOFA is federally accredited to offer Basic Crop, Apiary, Livestock, and Processing/Handling certifications. For more information, please see the HOFA Seven Steps to Organic Certification brochure.

• Farm Apprentice Program

HOFA’s Farm Apprenticeship Program is a collaborative arrangement between HOFA certified farms and individuals seeking work trade opportunities on organic farms in Hawaii. The Farm Apprenticeship Program is for people of all ages to learn the basics of sustainable organic agriculture through hands-on experience and instruction.

• Information & Education

HOFA offers many publications and resources to assist producers and consumers with tropical organic agriculture. HOFA conducts workshops, conferences and participates in tradeshows. HOFA has a video, Growing toward the Light, which showcases Hawaii’s organic farms.

• Research

HOFA collaborates with farmers and researchers on projects pertaining to organic and sustainable tropical agriculture.

Who Is HOFA?

HOFA members are people like you who care about the food they eat and its impact on the environment. Our membership is made up of local organic farmers, distributors, retailers, students, and consumers wishing to support and promote organic agriculture in Hawaii. You do not need to be an organic producer to be a member. Members receive regular newsletters and notices of events, workshops, conferences and seminars.

HOFA is organized with a seven-member volunteer Board of Directors. The Board represents all of the counties in the State of Hawaii. HOFA has three part-time administrators to facilitate day-to-day operations of the organization.

HOFA’s Organic Certification Program is administered by qualified HOFA members appointed to the Certification Committee. A team of independent and IOIA trained inspectors provide contract services to HOFA’s Certification Program.

Why Is Organic Agriculture Important?

Organic agriculture provides healthy food for people who care. Over the last decade the increase of toxic chemicals in our food systems has resulted in increased contamination of our soil, water, and air. Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide due to a growing concern from consumers and farmers alike.

Organic certification by a federally accredited agency now gives consumers the assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict standards that prohibit the use of toxic materials. Farmers are required by the USDA Final Rule to minimize soil erosion, implement crop rotations, and prevent contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant and animal nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.

Organic agriculture respects the balance of a healthy ecosystem by encouraging wildlife, creating plant and animal diversity, building healthy soils, and through the protection and conservation of water resources.

Organic farming is an important building block for the health and future of all resources on our planet while developing economic viability and quality of life for our rural communities.

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA)
P.O. Box 6863, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 969-7789 Fax: (808) 969-7759
Email: hofa@hawaiiorganicfarmers.org

Mountain top removal

My conservationist friend George Beetham Jr. provided this explanation of MTR. The photo here is from the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.

What they do is cut down the forest and burn it off. Then they remove the overburden, dumping it into the adjacent valley (thus burying the stream and polluting it). This is illegal, but the Bumbleya cabal looks the other way (as do state regulators).

Then they take the coal from the seam thus exposed, removing more overburden to get to the next seam, etc. until the coal is gone.

This leads to a number of environmental disasters. First is pollution and burying of streams. Second, without forest cover and topsoil, rain flows through the rock and floods downstream. People have died in WVa and Kentucky because of this.

Third, the water table is dropped, so nothing really lives on top. They seed it with grass mats, but the grass cannot reach any groundwater so it dies. Similarly, pine trees they plant also die.

And of course, all the creatures that once lived on these mountains cannot survive in what is left behind. It’s a wasteland, pure and simple.

We (the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy) and other environmental groups have been fighting this abortion tooth and nail. We’ve won a few battles, lost a lot more, and will continue to slog it out until it either stops or we all die.

Chief among the groups battling MTR is the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC for short). They are an amalgamation of all the groups fighting MTR. We contribute funding to them and whatever else we can.

• http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/mountaintop_removal/index.html
• http://media.cnpapers.com/mattea/
• http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007071820

Sixty seconds to do it right

Al and I don’t know each other personally, but this message appeared in my mailbox. Can a sixty-second ad galvanize people? I doubt it, but it’s worth a try.

Dear X,

In order to ultimately force our leaders to take action to solve the climate crisis, we have to use every medium—including television, radio, and the Internet—to build public support. And that’s just what the Alliance for Climate Protection will do.

The Alliance is a three-year campaign that will push the climate crisis to the top of the nation’s agenda using a combination of paid advertising, public service announcements, and grassroots power.

Your voices have carried our movement this far. So as we begin to create our media campaigns, I didn’t want to only turn to an advertising firm—I wanted to turn to you.

If you had 60 seconds to convince all of your friends that they needed to take action to stop the climate crisis, what would you say? How would you get the attention of millions of people all over the world?

Well, now you have the chance! Current TV and the Alliance for Climate Protection have teamed up to sponsor 60 Seconds to Save the Earth.

The premise is simple: make the best 15, 30, or 60-second ad showcasing how you or someone you know is taking action to alleviate the climate crisis—or create an original, persuasive message that will open eyes, inspire change and empower your audience.

Get the details and create your ad by visiting:

http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest

After you submit your ad, our panel of celebrity judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists. Then you will be able to help pick the winner through an online vote. The top ads will be aired internationally on Current TV, featured in the Alliance’s national campaign, and showcased on MySpace’s Impact channel.

In addition, the grand-prize winner will receive a Toyota hybrid car, while three finalists will win Sony electronic products, and 16 semi-finalists will receive T-Mobile Sidekicks.

So get started—in 60 seconds you can save the planet. Learn about this incredible contest and submit your ad today by visiting:

http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest

Thank you,

Al Gore