It’s a Bird, A Plane, A House

You may or may not have seen this.  This woman has been on a number of TV shows.  She wanted to build a house…she told her architect that it should look “feminine.”  The architect came up with the idea of using an old 747.   I guess what’s more feminine than a phallus shaped hull of an airplane?  It has that certain je ne sais quois. 

This story has been all over the place, but I still think it’s an interesting story of recycling.  There are also architects using old shipping containers.  They can be cut into a ton of different configurations and it’s almost like using prefab.  What’s old is new again.

Julia Roberts Leads By Example

So I was reading Perez Hilton this morning - yes - it’s kind of a guilty pleasure now and again - and I saw this post about Julia Roberts.  I searched around and it looks like she regularly brings reusable bags to the grocery store. 

I also found this on Ecorazzi - maybe I should have started with that site - but I had to be honest.  My name is Jason and I read Perez Hilton.  I actually started reading that crap when it was still pagesixsixsix.com - then he got sued and changed it to PerezHilton.com.  Anyhoo…

I think it’s great that a celebrity is using and promoting the use of reusable bags.  She is doing her part…and hopefully encourages someone else out there to do the same. 

source: Perez Hilton, Ecorazzi

Giveaway Time: The Green Eaters Book and Organic Tote Bag

Who doesn’t like FREE STUFF?  Free GREEN stuff at that!  I know I do.  So here’s what we’re going to do - after this brilliant, cleverly written article about Chapter One Organics, I’m going to be giving away The Green Eaters Gift Bundle.

Chapter One Organics is primarily a clothing company for children…no, they don’t employ children, far from it.  The clothing is all made here in the good ole US of A.  They employ women who have trouble obtaining work to make their goods.  So you’re not only supporting something sustainable like buying organic cotton clothing for your kids, you’re supporting a sustainable paycheck for some deserving sole. 

They have a nice selection of cool clothes for tots on their site ready for purchase or if you want to see the merch in person - head over to this section and they may be available in your area.  I think that it is very important to vote with your dollars.  Organic cotton is so much better for everyone - the land, the air, the streams, the earth, and the person wearing it.  It’s soft and cuddly and not full of pesticides. 

Now let’s talk about The Green Eaters.  Rather than reinventing the wheel, this is what the site has to say:

“A fun and heart warming picture book for babies and young children that tells the story of five farm animal friends who dream of a better life outside of Dreary Day factory farm.

A fun and friendly way to introduce the importance of organic living to children!”

The founder of Chapter One Organics, Jennifer Murphy, penned this lovely childrens book.  For every book purchased, a tree will also be planted.  So I suggest buying enough to replant a forest. It’s a perfect gift for: your kids, your friends kids, a baby shower, a donation to a library, Christmas, Easter, Hanukka, Eid, Yom Kipur, Canada Day, Boxing Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Arbor Day…well you get the point!

GIVEAWAY TIME - HERE’S HOW IT WORKS…

Leave a comment below.  Tell me something about how you live sustainably or changes you’d like to make to your life to lead a more sustainable existence.  On July 4th, I will randomly pick a winner.  Make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you!

WHAT WILL I WIN?? You’ll win The Green Eaters Gift Bundle

Dick Cheney 25 Years Ago

This was in the latest Sierra Club Magazine.

McBush’s GOP = Gas and Oil Party

“President” Bush has asked the US Congress to open up the way to drill offshore, in the Rockies, and…surprise, surprise, surprise…ANWAR.  Why do we have to drill ANWAR when the oil companies already have a shit-ton of land they already own here in the US that they aren’t drilling on that have proven reserves?  Is the juice really worth the squeeze?

This speech comes just one day after McBush…err…McCain flip-flopped on his stance and called for Congress to open up drilling.  Glad to see the GOP is united in running this country through the hands of lobbyists for energy companies…not alternative energy companies - but oil and coal companies.  Maybe Georgie and Dick are looking past their terms and into their future private sector roles.  If the drilling is opened up, Bush can make even more money speaking at oil conventions.

Rep. Ed Markey of Mass, Chairman of the House committee on Energy Independence and Global warming had this to say…”After eight years, President Bush and Dick Cheney have turned the GOP into the Gas and Oil Party. That’s the legacy that they are going to leave…The White House has become a ventriloquist for the oil and gas industry, repeating the requests of the oil and gas industry, that they be allowed to destroy the most pristine areas of our country.”

Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, makes a very valid point as well…”Despite what President Bush, John McCain and their friends in the oil industry claim, we cannot drill our way out of this problem.“The math is simple: America has just three percent of the world’s oil reserves, but Americans use a quarter of its oil.”

Bush’s Speech on Call For Oil Production

 

Bush Loves Oil

Source: CNN

Listen Up Y’all It’s (Office) Sabotage

[Show as slideshow]

We recently moved offices for my “real” job.  So when we moved, we had vending machines installed.  With my little power and suggestions, I was able to get the snack machine lights removed today.  To keep people from thinking the machines are off, I created some signs and placed them on the machines.  I also created a little sign and put it above the coffee.  It reads, “Put sugar & cream in your cup before the coffee and you won’t need a stir stick.”  The nice touch was the old NBC PSA logo, “the more you know.” It’s a simple change.

Vending machines are tough, because they generally consume a ton of energy.  The energy consumption from non-cooled snacks like chips are easier to curb if you can get your vendor to turn the lights off in the machine.  Most of the energy from these machines all go into the lighting.  So that’s a quick win.  Soda machines that are refrigerated are bit tougher.  Apparently there are these retrofit things you can install - occupancy sensors - that will turn on and off the compressor.  So whenever the machine isn’t in use, the compressor shuts off.  If the machine is inactive for two hours, the compressor kicks back in and cools the machine to the proper temp and shuts back off.  That could save a lot of energy.  I settled for just having the lighting turned off.  That’s an energy savings of about $126/yr - or $10/mo.  The lights are on 24/7…not anymore.

 More info here…

Oh yeah…it’s sabotage because these little signs could go everywhere in the office to make people start to think about their choices…hrmm…what to place a sign on next?  Maybe drop signs around the city…

Ecoist: Ben Harper

I’ve always been a big fan of Ben Harper and his music.  This was even before I knew he was green.  I actually had the pleasure of meeting Ben last summer.   Here is more from the Sundance Channel’s Ecoist series:

Robert F Kennedy Jr Breaks It Down At NeoCon

Did I not mention this yesterday?  Well - I happened to be reading through the NeoCon magazine and never thought about how I had access to all of the speakers, etc.  This one totally slipped past me.  Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of Bobby Kennedy and the well-known environmentalist was speaking at NeoCon.  I looked through the book and initially thought I missed it - nope - 8am, Tuesday June 10th.  I’m in. 

I got up early to catch the 6:34am train into the office - which happens to be directly across the Chicago river from the Merchandise Mart, home of NeoCon.  I got to work in time to pickup my credentials and drop off my laptop.  I ran over to the Mart and waited for an elevator.  I got in and took the elevator up - the operator informs me that it only went to the 11th floor - I had to get to 14.  I exited at 11 and found my way to the 14th floor.  I got out and looked around and said “WTF?”  The hallway was empty - devoid of life - just shops with Christmas items - weird.  It’s now 8am and I look in the program again.  Oh shit! It’s at the Holiday Inn Merchandise Mart - connected, but in a different building.  I’m not waiting 10min for an elevator again, so I ran down 14 floors of stairs, across the street and made it to the correct venue.  Phew - I made it.  Guess what - the 8am program didn’t start until 8:25am.  A lot of running around for nothing.

If you’ve never heard Robert F Kennedy Jr speak, he has what I can only describe as a type of speech imediment - like he’s gasping for air.  He started out a little groggy, but once his words are rolling, he’s fine. I only bring this up because I was a little worried that the speech would lack something.  In retrospect, he could have been speaking German and I’d have been fine tuned to every last umlaut.  I guess in my case, he was speaking to the choir. 

I’m not a big fan of politics - never have been - but it is important to stay in touch with the world.  With the latest administration, it’s impossible not to speak about or speak up about, rather, the political landscape.  Kennedy made the point that Americans can tell you what color underwear that Lindsey Lohan is wearing, but can’t tell you much, if anything, about what is happening in the world (if you’re keeping score at home, the correct answer is, Lindsey doesn’t wear underwear).  I think his quote was, “we’re the most entertained and least informed society anywhere.”  People need to get out from under their rock which is general American media which is controlled by about 5 different companies. 

Kennedy went over so many facts about the current administration that I had no idea about.  He calls out all of these folks who are supporting environmental endeavors in the Bush administration as “former” lobbyists for bad people.  I put “former” in quotes because many of these people - when they leave their posts, they go back to where they came from.  They go back to the coal and oil companies. 

I can’t do any of his speech justice, so I’d suggest taking some time and watching it for yourself.   Some of these video clips are pretty much exactly the same speech I heard.

How the media fails us:

Here is a speech that is very similar to the speech he gave today:

Office Furniture Company Hires Dwight Shrute

Neocon, The World’s Trade Fair, began today in Chicago.  This is a pretty cool conference - a little pretentious overall - but cool.  There is a huge focus on sustainability.  Many of the companies are embracing Cradle to Cradle as well. 

My first stop today was the press room.  I was happy to see that they not only had someone manning the trash station to ensure proper recycling, but they were composting as well.  The plates were compostable.  The glasses were made from PLA corn-based plastics.  The flatware was made from potato starches and fully compostable. 

After that stop, I hit up a ton boothes and show rooms.  I saw everything from carpet made from recycles PET plastics, to sustainable fabrics, to plant-based foam cushioning mainly for office furniture.  I’m sure I’ll be writing more about those different products and I know I’ll have a giveaway of somekind - probably some tote bags.  Stay tuned.

So the title of this little article.  Rainn Wilson, star of The Office, was on hand to promote office furniture, I suppose.  He was recruited to be in the HON Furniture showroom.  I wrote about HON awhile back.  I’m not sure that Rainn will actually help them move any furniture or if people will even remember that they saw “Dwight Shrute” at the HON showroom.  They’ll just remember HON.  It was quite a surprise as I was being given a tour by a young girl who was barely out of college.  I’m not sure if she caught on that I really didn’t care about the latest furniture styles and designs.  I cared about their GREENGUARD certifications and what they are doing to be sustainable…then she sprung the surprise on me…”oh yeah - I wanted to show you that Rainn Wilson is here…he’s Dwight on The Office.”  I prefer to think of him as “Arthur on Six Feet Under” or closer to the heart is “he was that one celebrity blogger on that one Entourage episode.”  I think to myself - did she just say that “Dwight Shrute” is sitting 10 feet from me?  Oh - that’s what that long line is for?  I’m an indie movie fan and loved Rainn Wilson as the host of The Spirit Awards last year.  So yeah - I follow his career a bit - no intentionally - he just happens to be in good stuff - like Juno.  Anyway…

Tomorrow, I will be taking a tour of the Merchandise Mart (the home of Neocon).  The Merchandise Mart is so large that it has its own zip code - even zip+4, probably.  Anyway - why would I take a tour of this building?  It’s the largest LEED-EB Silver certified building - a retrofit, existing building, LEED certification.  I hope to provide more details on that after the tour.

PS - look for a photo gallery in the coming days.

G Love and Jack Johnson Tour of Brushfire Eco Studios

Garrett Dutton III, aka G Love, gives us a tour of Brushfire Records Studios.  Jack Johnson is the owner/founder of Brushfire.  Check out one of the world’s first sustainably, green built studios.