Going Green this holiday season

It is easy to save green going green this holiday season. Just check out Inhabitat.com for several green gift ideas under $50. For example, you can save green and help them save green with the Kill-A-Watt plug-in electricity meter that monitors how much energy their appliances are using and lets them know which electronics are worth leaving on and which should be turned off.

Or, if you know someone who loves olives, there is an organic deluxe gift set of three jars of the savory little orbs including lemon-citrus, garlic-stuffed, and sun-dried black olives in a reusable woven bag, plus a koa wood boat for serving!

For more green gift ideas, head over to inhabitat.com.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS - ZERO EMISSIONS RACE NEARING HALF-WAY MARK

The first ever Zero Emissions Race is rolling into Las Vegas, NV on November 22, half-way through the North American leg of an International road tour. The race began on August 16th, 2010 at Geneva, Switzerland, with three international teams driving electric vehicles up to 300 miles a day fueled by renewable energies. Their goal is to complete a race around the world in just 80 days of driving time.

According to Tour Director Louis Palmer, the ZERO Race aims to prove the efficiency and reliability of electric mobility: “The purpose of the race is to show that zero emission vehicles running on renewable energy use technologies that are available and reliable today. With shrinking resources and the impacts of global climate change, the ZERO Race strives to present the solutions for a better, and greener future. This is the powerful message that we want to bring to the World Climate Change Conference in Cancun at the beginning of December.”

The ZERO Race teams and vehicles are judged on speed but also on vehicle reliability, energy efficiency, utility to every day life, design and safety. Almost each day, the teams face these challenges and receive points according to their performance during each trial.

The ZERO Race is a “green” event, and participants are doing everything possible to travel in a responsible way. Any greenhouse gas emissions created from the event, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate. Each team has already produced enough power for their vehicle from renewable energy sources including solar and wind, and this has been fed into the grid in their home country.The race will come to an end in January where it started: at the United Nations Palace in Geneva, Switzerland.

MGM Resorts International supports the mission of the Zero Emissions Race. Created with a vision to bring a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Strip in Las Vegas, CityCenter is one of the world’s largest sustainable developments, from design and construction to operations and guest amenities. The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED® Gold certification to ARIA Resort & Casino’s hotel tower, convention center and theater, Vdara Hotel & Spa, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, Veer Towers and Crystals retail and entertainment district. This marks the highest LEED achievement of any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas.

You can follow the ZERO EMISSIONS RACE ONLINE at http://www.zero-race.com/. The entire ZERO Race is documented with stories and photos on Zero Race Daily Blog.

ZERO RACE COMMUNITY - Join the Zero Race community for more daily updates and photos about the race. The next Zero Emissions Race is already being planned, and will take place in 2011.

November 15 is America Recycles Day!

Since 1997, communities across the country have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. More than a celebration, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. One day to inform and educate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and community leaders excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year.Small, simple, daily choices and actions make a huge difference.

By pledging to do more to recycle in your daily life, you are part of the solution! Be proud of your commitment, knowing that you stand with millions of others just like you. Be sure to tell your friends, family and coworkers to take the pledge, too!

Celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15th, but do your part EVERY day to reduce, reuse, and recycle!