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!

A few of my favorite things...

Bambu Earth soap. So fresh and so green clean! Handmade soap is superior to the commercial soaps we typically buy because they use a cold process, which enables the soap to retain all of its naturally occurring glycerin - the humectant that draws in moisture. This leaves your skin conditioned and soft.

The other great thing about Bambu Earth's soap is their packaging! Each bar is packaged in a handmade paper label that grows basil or wildflowers. The outer label is made from recycled cereal boxes! Get some Bambu Earth soap from their website.

Go green! Get clean!

Seagull-inspired LED light merges beauty and function

The Seagull Light is a beautifully designed LED light. It has two knobs on the body - one for adjusting brightness and one for adjusting the "wings" or lighting angles.

Get one here.

Going Green when you Travel: Five Favorite Eco-hostels

by Isabel Clift

As demand for greener travel services grows, a new kind of affordable, environmentally-friendly accommodation is springing up in the form of eco-hostels.

Eco-hostels reduce the environmental damage generated by hostel stays in a number of ways, from cutting down on water-usage to recycling waste to running off renewable energy. Rural eco-hostels also help protect and sustain their local area’s wildlife.

Staying at an eco-hostel helps you lighten your trip’s carbon footprint, plus you get to save a few pennies and enjoy the fun and friendliness of budget travel. Browse the list below to discover five fantastic eco-hostels from around the world, and get inspired to plan a greener trip…

Canada: HI Montreal lets you explore all sides of Canada’s coolest city, from bar crawls through its party-central downtown location to picnics and urban bike tours. The hostel uses only biodegradable cleaning products and energy-efficient light-bulbs, and there’s Fairtrade coffee on offer in the café. It even gives you reusable grocery bags for runs to the shops!

England: A converted 17th century stable on Norfolk’s eco award-winning Deepdale farm, Deepdale backpackers sits on a gorgeous stretch of coast where you can enjoy everything from watersports to traditional pub lunches. The hostel saves energy with solar panels, low-consumption lighting and ultra-efficient roof insulation and under-floor heating, and there’s a recycling program in place. You’re also encouraged to leave the car at home and explore the local area by bike or public transport.

Ecuador: With 2000 hectares of privately-owned land surrounding the lodge, Sierr Azul Cloud Forest Reserve is the perfect base for discovering the unique plants and wildlife of Ecuador’s best-protected cloud forest. Wildlife-spotting includes spectacled bears and pumas (though you’re more likely to see their tracks!), plus over 300 bird species. Explore on horseback or go on a guided eco-trail deep into the forest, which you can take as a daytrip or a three-night camping expedition.

Italy: Part-way through renovations that’ll give it LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Milan’s Hi Hostel Piero Rotta has grand plans to become one of Italy’s most environmentally-friendly places to stay. The checklist of what’s being installed is impressive to say the least: geothermal heat-pumps will heat the building in winter and cool it in summer, while solar panels will generate energy to run them as well as heat water for showers. Renovations are going on bit by bit so as to cause the least disruption when you stay.

Brazil: Close to Imbassai Beach, the sea and the mouth of the Imbassai River, and situated in a palm grove with monkeys and primates for neighbours, Eco Hostel Lujimba lets you discover a diverse cross-section of the Brazilian natural world. Water is heated by solar panels on the roof, and you can spot humpback whales off the coast in June and July or see baby turtles hatch on the beach from November through to March.

- Isabel Clift writes for HostelBookers, the best place on the web for booking hostels and budget accommodation. As a London-based travel writer and blogger, she’s obsessed with all things Scandinavian and has reviewed hotels from New York to Berlin to Tetbury on past travels. She also has a thing for long-distance train journeys.

Going Green with a push reel mower

A conventional gas powered lawn mower emits on average nearly 90 pounds of carbon dioxide and over 50 pounds of other pollutants into our air every year according to the EPA.

Manual reel mowers are making a comeback and have come a long way in the last few decades. Today's reel mowers are a far cry from the one your grandfather used. "Reel mowers are light, quiet, and virtually maintenance-free," notes L Hundley, Chief Gardening Evangelist at Clean Air Gardening. "The mowers are environmentally friendly, and also better for your grass.

"Rotary mowers tear the grass -- reel mowers cut grass like scissors, leaving a fine spray of clippings as mulch for your yard," he explains. They do take some effort, but they aren't any harder to push than an 80-pound gas mower that isn't self-propelled.

While it does take a bit longer to mow with a manual mower than a power mower, it is a much more pleasant experience. Instead of the roar of a mower, you hear the pleasant mechanical sound of the blades, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects. Instead of the smell of gas exhaust, you have the smell of fresh air and fresh-cut grass.

With a reel mower, you have a lower purchase price, lower maintenance costs, and much lower environmental costs. And it saves you a trip to the gym.

Have an old C-119 airplane that you need to get rid of? Up-cycle it! That's what MotoArt is doing just that with pieces of old DC-9's, 747's and other aircraft parts destined for the scrap heap. They
even make clocks out of pistons
(internal engine parts
for those of you who
are non-mechanical).

Eco Conscious Biodiversity - Guest article from Kori Bubnack

“In other environmental issues we tell people to stop something, reduce their impact, reduce their damage,” states US Ecologist Gary Nabhan in a recent interview. Nabhan is a ethnobotanist/gardener whose promotion of biodiversity has caught the attention of many over the years. He is known for his work in biodiversity as an ethnobotanist. Since Coming Home to Eat was published in 2001, the local food movement has ignited, causing a worldwide green epidemic.

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic rise in the number of organizations and businesses that have contributed to the promotion of sustainability through conservation. The Earth Day Network has been playing a large part in bringing conservationist and green enthusiasts together, sharing ideas and discussing new ways to support the planet. Other large organizations and non-profits like Doug Band and the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) have been working on successful emission reduction projects in the San Francisco Bay area. While climate control has continued to worsen, collaborative and individual acts are vital for any successful green campaign. As human beings, we’re constantly told to reduce our carbon footprint, consume less unhealthy foods, and spend less time in the shower! But let’s take a minute to step back and look at this from a different perspective; one that Gary Nabhan strongly suggests.

According to The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, only about a quarter of crop diversity is left and that a dozen species now gives 90% of the animal protein eaten globally. In accordance, just 4 crop species supply half of plant based calories in the human diet.

Nabhan suggests that eating foods that are home-grown will have a greater impact on sustainability for our planet as a whole. Otherwise known as “eat what you conserve,” is a well-established theory in that by eating the fruits and vegetables that we are attempting to conserve/save, we’re promoting the granular dissemination of various plant species.

Agriculturist Marco Contiero also mentions that “biodiversity is an essential characteristic of any sustainable agricultural system, especially in the context of climate change.”[1] According to Conterio’s theory, this would suggest that as individuals we our own crops/plants, and should make sure to purchase localized farm products at supermarkets and groceries. In the end, this condenses export/import reliance, thus reducing our carbon footprint.

Nabhan and Contiero’s theories both rely profoundly on an action oriented approach at conservation and sustainability. With an abundance of green movements following Earth Day 2010, organizations and individuals have taken a stronger following to expert opinions like the ones demonstrated by both of these highly influential agriculturalists. So remember, as the fall season approaches, be sure to visit your local farmers marketing to purchase your fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, as eco-conscious individuals, don’t hesitate to stop the next time you drive by a yard stand with fresh crops. Promoting biodiversity and localized farming is a crucial piece of the conservation puzzle.

- Submitted by Kori Bubnack