Going Green Magazine Launches!

A new magazine called Boho hit the newsstands with its October issue, focused on green fashion and beauty. Featuring articles on home, lifestyle and strong green women, Boho aims to elevate the look of green fashion by spinning runway advice with a green spin. Gina La Morte, Boho's founder and editor in chief, wants her readers to accept that their love of clothes and passion for the environment don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Boho is published by Seed Media and uses 100% recycled paper, packaging, soy inks and an uncoated, non-glossy cover.

http://bohomag.com/

What is your carbon footprint?

What is your carbon footprint? Huh, you ask? What is a carbon footprint and why should I care?

• What - Carbon footprint is a measure of the greenhouse gases we individually produce in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.
• Why care - Two reasons: 1) Fossil fuels are limited - they are being used faster than they are formed (formation takes millions of years!), so they are referred to as non-renewable. 2) The rate we are burning fossil fuels is twice the rate that natural processes can only absorb, resulting in a net increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that contributes to global warming. (Why care about global warming, you ask? That's another discussion....)

So, how do you figure out what your carbon footprint is and how to reduce it? Being a database techie geek, I found three notable website calculators, ranked by my preference:
#1 http://www.thecarbonaccount.com/
Easy to navigate. Definite cool factor.
#2 http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
Easy, big buttons.
#3 http://www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=14
Clumsy, but good tips.

Squeaky Green!

I love this company! It is called Method. Their first book is titled: Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home. These guys have great marketing, as I see them all over the place! The Nest, HSN, SmartPlanet, Delight.com and so on. I love that they take a stand - give their opinion, rather than try to please everyone. For example, they oppose animal testing...and say it.
Here a sample from an article they contributed to for The Nest magazine:

• Today: Unplug any electronics that you're not using. Leaving them plugged in - yes, even if they are turned off - wastes lots of energy and ups your monthly bill as well.
• This month: Buy a vacuum that sucks...dust particles, that is. It needs a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to collect and trap dust.
• This year: If you're painting, shop around for no-VOC and low-VOC formulas. Most paints have VOC's, such as formaldehyde.

To get the book, I'd recommend going to hsn.com because it comes as a set with a tote bag. http://home-solutions.hsn.com/method-squeaky-green-book-and-tote-bag-set_p-4240683_xp.aspx

And check out their YouTube video about the book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ejV6D2VUbg

Hybrid-Electric Supercar

Gumpert entered a hybrid version of its supercar, the Apollo, in the Nurburgring 24-Hour race. It has a 3.3-liter V8 with around 630-HP, in addition to a 100kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Says Formula 1 champion Heinz-Harald Frentzen, "I see a chance that our sport will go back to the forefront of technical development, making cars outside of the racetrack much more energy efficient." MORE

2 Million Jobs in 2 Years, if Congress Opts for Green Stimulus

Dollar for Dollar, Investing in Green Yields More Jobs Than Either Oil Subsidies or Tax Rebates: Report September 9, 2008 by Dan Shapley
Congress can spend less money than it did on the last economic stimulus package, create more jobs and help stave off catastrophe via climate change. That's the gist of an authoritative new report from U-Mass Amherst and the Center for American Progress.
Green Recovery outlines how to spend $100 billion over two years to create nearly 2 million new jobs. Invest the same money in the oil industry, and you get just 542,00 jobs (and a commitment to more fossil fuel pollution). Invest the same money in tax rebates and you get 1.7 million jobs (and a whole lot more consumption).

The report recommends investing in four priority infrastructure projects:

• Retrofitting Buildings
• Mass Transit and Freight Rail
• Smart Grids
• Renewable Energy

Because the jobs created by these types of investments — everything from construction and steel workers to civil engineers and chemists — would be distributed wherever there are homes, public buildings, public transportation, and wherever there is wind and sun, the program could create jobs across the entire U.S.
Enough jobs, its authors say, to drive down unemployment from the five-year high of 6.1% to 4.4%!
Read more at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/shapley/green-collar-stimulus-47090905

Green Cash for Going Green!

Interested in installing electricity-generating photovoltaic solar panels on your home or small business? Want to get cash back for doing so? Many state and local agencies offer funding, cash incentives and tax breaks for energy-efficiency efforts. Find out more at:

http://www.green-energy-news.com/content/fundopps.html

Biodiesel Mustang racecar!

An eco-hero in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, was piloted by popstar Smudo of Die Fantastischen Vier (think The Beastie Boys, only German). He took to the track in his biodiesel powered Mustang. Yes, we did say biodiesel powered Mustang. For a tree-hugger that's one mean looking car!

Weighing in at just 1,170kg its 260bhp four-cylinder biodiesel engine is enough to give a top speed of around 150mph too. Even the body work is eco friendly, being made of a pioneering bio-composite made up of natural fibres soaked in what are called 'bio-plastics' to create a strong, light and totally recyclable bodywork.

Businesses must now focus on environmental issues

Success Magazine

“From a business point of view, a focus on the environment is no longer optional. Virtually every company and every industry face environmental issues that are business imperatives.”

- Daniel C. Esty, co-author with Andrew S. Winston of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage

http://www.successmagazine.com/Greening-Your-Business/PARAMS/article/338/channel/15

The EDF launches consumer green website

The Environmental Defense Fund today launched CarbonOffsetList.org to "help businesses and consumers identify and purchase carbon offsets that represent real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."
Full story - http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/carbon-offset-47091002?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

Leilani's race to save the planet!

Leilani Munter is an amazing woman and personal friend. Check out her Huffington Post blog at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leilani-munter/my-race-to-save-the-plane_b_117066.html

Wikia Green!

Wikia Green!
Wikia announced the launch of a new eco-focused wiki featuring everything in the environmental and sustainable universe. Founder Jimmy Wales believes sustainable living will soon be seen as something that is integrated into everything in mainstream society, as opposed to merely a separate category. READ MORE

Be your own power company!

Think about what it would be like to cut your electric bill by harnessing the sun or wind and selling any leftover energy back to the power company! Energy independence isn't just for nations anymore - it's for households like yours and mine! Read more at: http://realestate.msn.com/Improve/Green/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=4913557

Students create solar-powered racecar!

http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/27420064.html