Green and Ready - For people who care about Mother Earth

Reduce Re-Use Recycle is all it takes. Here are a bunch of tips that readers have submitted, do you have any to add? Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs. Install compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out. Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use. Wash colds in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash ... Read Full Story

More and more people are looking for products or services that are environmentally friendly. The general term for this is “green.” This could include recycled goods, reusable products, organic goods and hybrid vehicles. The market for “green” is growing, and now is a time to find a wholesale supplier who can provide the latest in environmental products. Read Full Story

Finding the People You Need to Know in the Green Economy - Part 2 This article is written and owned by Green Career Expert Carol McClelland, PhD In this article I share four ways you can use networking events to connect with other green professionals. One note before you begin evaluating networking options. I realize it’s often uncomfortable to show up at a new event, when you aren’t likely to know anyone. Here are a couple of strategies I’ve used over the years when I’ve shown up at new networking events. - Invite a friend to go to the meeting with you. - Introduce ... Read Full Story

Are you struggling to find a way to tap into the green movement in your area? Are you afraid one doesn’t exist—that you are all alone in your green values and goals? Read Full Story

I know it’s not Spring - but have a good clean out to get your home eco friendly! We all hoard things. Whether it is in the cupboard under the stairs, the garage or in the spare room! So why not release your unwanted items into the world where other people need them! What use is that tub of old paint, or that bag of clothes you don’t wear? They aren’t doing anything hidden away in boxes and bags - so get them out into the world where other people can use them rather than buying things new! How Do I Get Rid Of ... Read Full Story

by Aly Lewis Apart from my business casual attire and lack of a wide-brimmed straw hat, I felt like a legitimate gardener this morning. After months of (not so) diligent watering and much anticipation, my Earthbox tomato plant—formerly known as the Tomato Terror—is finally producing! This morning I plucked three plump and delicious cherry tomatoes from the sprawling vine. I also counted 30 plus almost-ripe baby green tomato balls ripening steadily on the vine. Salsa fresca anyone? In other news from the locally grown front, my roomies and I have invested in a CSA box, which allows us to receive an array of organic, ... Read Full Story

by Aly Lewis Remember the days of classroom parties: birthday celebrations after recess, root beer float and pizza parties for the class that read the most books throughout the year, and Thanksgiving potlucks that meant we got to skip out on an afternoon of learning the state capitals? What we probably don’t remember is the amount of trash produced by these parties: the paper plates and napkins, the plastic cups and silverware. A group from Julian Elementary School has come up with a cool new idea to reduce the amount of waste from classroom parties. As a part of National Geographic's “Green Effect” contest, ... Read Full Story

Sustain Lane Article Posted on June 10, 2009 by Scott Sabin Executive Director Plant With Purpose How reforestation efforts can help prevent disasters in areas prone to hurricanes. June marks the beginning of a period of dread for many communities around the world. It’s the start of hurricane season, and for the rural poor living in countries such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic , this means storms and flash flooding, mudslides and destruction, lost crops and animals, and even death. Already this year, 11 people have died in Haiti from flooding and the season is just beginning. During a recent trip to the ... Read Full Story

by Aly Lewis Working at Plant With Purpose has spurred a fine-tuning of my development vocabulary and equipped me with some pretty shnazzy terms to throw out in casual conversation: deforestation, microentrepreneur, beneficiaries, ecological latrine(okay, maybe I still haven’t found an appropriate way to integrate ecological latrine into a casual conversation, but I sure am trying). Here’s a doozy of a term for you: desertification. No, not dessertification, or the process by which someone either 1. becomes a dessert or 2. turns an ordinary food, say an apple, from a healthy snack into an ooey gooey, caramelized treat. Sadly, desertification is a much graver ... Read Full Story

Last Saturday, many of you here in San Diego participated in the first of many to come, Rock Church park cleanups. Over 1,000 volunteers came early in the morning to Balboa Park for planting, cleaning, landscaping, bbqing, and good times. The day got rolling around 8am when volunteers lined up to get their shirts and sign in. Then people broke off into 3 main groups which then were regrouped and sent to every corner of balboa park to get their task completed before lunch. It was amazing to see the amount of work that was done all over the park in such a short ... Read Full Story