(Not) My 2008 Green Gift Guide

If you haven’t noticed (since September), the holidays are upon us.  After watching The Story Of Stuff, it’s difficult to want to buy anything.  Since we “have” to – at least maybe we can support the green movement at the same time.  Perhaps I should offer some advice that I use on a daily basis. I happen to have a certain sense of humor that is very quick and often offensive.  In actuality, there is a filter.  Many people can’t believe there is a filter, but there is.  So here’s the advice.  Know your audience.  Here’s an example for the green gift guide.  If your relative is an SUV-driving oil lover who doesn’t care about the environment at all, then don’t buy them a TerraPass gift certificate for carbon credits.  Maybe you get them a nice Patagonia fleece made from recycled materials or a Sigg bottle or something? (but if you’re rich enough to buy a relative Patagonia – can I be your relative?)  They won’t know that the product is green and you’ll feel better buying it.

Why is this called the (Not) My 2008 Green Gift Guide?  Well – simply because I don’t think I need to reguritate the same gift guide that everyone else in the green community is doing.  So I’m going to link to a few of theirs.  Happy shopping and don’t let all of the commercialism get your holiday spirits down. 

• RECYCLEME Organic Tees
• ETSY (buy handmade)
• eBay (buy used)
• Green Heart
• Treehugger Green Gift Guide
• Sustainlane’s Guide
• The Daily Green (see related articles for more)
• Green Daily (not to be confused with aforementioned Daily Green)
• GreenGiftGuide.com
• CNET Green Gift Guide for Techies
• NRDC Gift Guide
• Yahoo! Green
• ThisNext.com Green Guide
• TerraPass Green Gifts
• GiggleFish (store)
• Reusable Bags (store)

More articles:

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The Paperless Paper is Near

Everyone knows about the Kindle eReader from Amazon.  The Kindle 2 is just around the corner.  These are eReaders from Amazon and they have their own marketing/distribution chain similar to iTunes.  The Kindle is primarily for reading books.  I’ve played with one a couple times – I really like them – but unfortunately, I don’t read enough books.  I’m more of a periodical kinda guy – it feeds my ADD.  I’m on the train every morning reading the newspaper.  Along comes the Plastic Logic eReader.  I’m sure there are others out there – I haven’t really researched them enough.  If I could get my morning paper in a paperless format and in an easy manor, I’d be all up for it.  I feel bad getting the paper each day from an environmental standpoint.  On a lost art form standpoint – I relish reading the paper.  The fact that my newspaper comes wrapped in a plastic bag each day doesn’t help my conscience.  So if Plastic Logic can launch – and I can wirelessly get the Chicago Tribune on the eReader and take it on the train – put me down for one – hell – send me one and I’ll blog about it  

More on eReaders from the New York Times

70′s Week: Saving Energy & Paper

What if everyone lived in one house?

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70′s Week: Woodsy Owl – Give A Hoot

70′s Week: The Crying Indian

1998 - Back By Popular Neglect

GOOD Magazine on E-Waste

Worth your 1:47 to learn a little…

FUEL The Film – Coming Soon

The documentary film, Fields of Fuel, has changed it’s name.  This is the same film we talked about it way back in January.  Seems its gathering some legs as it was on GreenDaily.com today under it’s new name.  It’s called FUEL – a film about oil.  This film is strewn with celebrity appearances – from Richard Branson to Larry David to Larry Haggman to Willie Nelson (although he incorrectly spelled it “Willy” on the site).  I’ve still only seen the trailer, but it’s really piqued my interest to see where it’s headed. 

Most Americans know we’ve got a problem: an addiction to oil that taxes the environment, entangles us in costly foreign policies, and threatens the nation’s long-term stability. But few are informed or empowered enough to do much about it. Enter Josh Tickell, an expert young activist who, driven by his own emotionally charged motives, shuttles us on a revelatory, whirlwind journey to unravel this addiction—from its historical origins to political constructs that support it, to alternatives available now and the steps we can take to change things. Tickell tracks the rising domination of the petrochemical industry—from Rockefeller’s strategy to halt ethanol use in Ford’s first cars to the mysterious death of Rudolph Diesel at the height of his biodiesel engine’s popularization, to our government’s choice to declare war after 9/11, rather than wean the country from fossil fuel. Never minimizing the complexities of ending oil dependence, Tickell uncovers a hopeful reality pointing toward a decentralized, sustainable energy infrastructure—like big rigs tanking up on biofuel at Carl’s Corner Texas truck stop, a new Brooklyn biodiesel plant serving three states, a miraculous Arizona algae-based fuel farm, and the Swedish public voting to be petroleum free by 2020. Sweeping and exhilarating, Tickell’s passionate film goes beyond great storytelling; it rings out like a bell that stirs consciousness and makes individual action suddenly seem consequential.

Source: Green Daily

You Baracked the Vote!

Congratulations to Mr Barack Obama of the fine City of Chicago on his momentous win last night.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

VOTE PEOPLE, VOTE!

The Chinese Dustbowl Photographer Wins Top Prize

The Chinese Dustbowl.  Photographer Benoit Anquin has won the inaugural competition for environmental photography for his depiction on the Chinese Dustbowl. 

This area in northern China was once a lush agricultural mecca.  It has been virtually destroyed – and one major factor has been the goats raised to provide cheap-ass cashmere to the United States. 

One amazing fact is that this dust has been found in the air in the US – all the way from China – it’s not a localized problem.  City streets all over the region are covered in dust – which is detrimental to the health of the citizens.  All for a sweater. 

I will probably have to reprise my story from last year – DON’T BUY CHINESE CASHMERE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.  Or ever, really.

Source: CNN