The Mighty Mighty Wind.

Arizona - Could the green movement be taking root in the desert sands of Kingman, AZ.? With recent tragic events surrounding the Japanese nuclear plants, the Gulf which suffered the largest oil spill in U.S. history and rising energy costs, alternative energy resources are taking more of a center stage in an ever growing energy crisis. Western Wind Energy Corporation, based out of Vancouver, Canada has purchased over one thousand acres of land, as well as leasing to the upwards of 22,000 acres to build a wind farm. The Steel Park project, once completed, will generate 215 megawatts of electricity annually, stretching over 1,500 acres.   

This energy revolution has already started in the Great Lakes region. 88 Danish-built windmills stretch 400 feet into the sky just east of Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. They're capable of producing enough energy from the airstream to power 36,000 homes, according to We Energies. Wisconsin currently has 469 megawatts of total wind capacity from similar projects. Hanging in the balance as Wisconsinites battle over a budget deficit, is 725 megawatts in proposed wind projects across the state. Estimating in over $1.8 billion in new investment comes 2 million hours of construction, electrician, and engineer and mechanic jobs. With high unemployment rates, this may be the deciding factor in the expansion of a more green-collar market in the state. Plans are already in the works to place several hundred more wind turbines along the lake coast.  

According to the WWE website, 50 secure green-collar and tech jobs will be produced for each project developed in the Kingman area. The opportunity to sell the utilities to states like California will help create jobs for not only Kingman, but for the surrounding areas. WWE is also scouting other locations in and around the Kingman area for additional wind projects. It is also said plans for a thermo solar project may be well under way. The potential advantages to planting the turbines all across the country will help spur countless job growth from this eco-investment and will help start repowering America and reduce its dependence on foreign oil.

Can you hear me now?

According to Gartner Group research, the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, electronics or e-waste is the fastest-growing part of our waste stream today.  Millions of computers, TV’S, cellar phones, microwaves, VCRs, DVD players, Fax machines, Mice and keyboards end up in U.S. landfills each year. That is an estimated 2 million tons. Studies show that up to 80% of the 400,000 tons of e-waste is shipped overseas to third-world countries or other developing nations to be redistributed or disassemble for the components or metals to be recycled.

The environmental importance of recycling e-waste prevents electronics that have been placed in a landfill, incinerated or illegally dumped from releasing toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the soil, ground water and air. In certain areas in China, groundwater has become so polluted around landfills; water must be shipped in from 20 miles away-all a direct result of introducing e-waste into landfills.

What can I E-cycle?

·         Televisions

·         Computer Monitors

·         Computers(Desktop, laptops, netbooks and tablet computers)

·         DVDs, DVD players, VCRs

·         Mice and Keyboards

·         Speakers

·         Modems

·         Hard Drives

·         Mobile devices

·         Cellphones

E-cycling begins with you and it is as easy as hitting the power button on your computer.  Companies like Dell developed the nation’s first completely free recycling program for e-waste. Best Buy, Sony and Samsung have teamed up with manufactures to set up programs all across the country. These programs do not accept televisions which are the most expensive recycled product and is usually unpopular in the market to be refurbished. Other grass-root organizations are Basel, Computer TakeBack Campaign are just a few. Ebay took a large role in e-cycling by promoting its Rethink project with members such as Dell, IBM, Intel and Hewlett-Packard.  To properly dispose of your used electronics, please contact your local municipalities to find out what guide lines are required.

Hey! Hey! Earth Day!

Hey Hey  Earth Day!!!

If someone asked you how you will make a difference, what would you say? What would you have done? People all over world have committed to unite in one voice and celebrate our planet by demonstrating a healthy lifestyle towards our environment. April 22, 2011 will mark the 51st year our world has come together to look to a new future-a future that will that will be environmentally conscious of itself and it all starts with you.

To be stewards of this blue bouncing ball, we must look to our daily lives and see what small steps at change could do to reduce, reuse or recycle our foot print on this planet. We have come to realize that in protecting our natural environment, we are also protecting our human environment. Just by recycling paper, we could help slow down global warming, deforestation and landfill space. Public transit and car pooling are other ways to revaluate carbon pollution in saving green for your wallet. Energy retrofitting your home saves money while increasing energy efficiency, conservation and promotes a green economy. Taking a walk with family and friends instead of potato planting yourself on the couch, this connects you in a way with family and nature that being green is all about.

Use cloth napkins and dish towels instead of paper towels. Reuse paper and plastic bags at the grocery store and say no to “Paper or Plastic”. Pay bills or do banking online and save a bird from losing its home. Turn the faucet off when you are brushing your teeth. Support “green businesses” by purchasing recycled products. In the 21^st century, there are thousands of ways you can “go green” today!

Earth day is a celebration of our planet, but more importantly, it is a celebration of people coming together as one.  

How will spend this Earth Day?

Be part of the movement! Recycle Paper today!

When paper decomposes, it releases Methane gas which is 20 times more potent than Carbon Dioxide in greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists globally accept that reducing greenhouse gases will slow down global warming. Such a small concept at recycling paper by just 10% in our daily lives could prevent the emissions of over 1 million tons greenhouse gases. That would be like taking over 200,000 cars off the road. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report estimating that America alone generated 426 million tons of trash in just 2005. The average American is responsible for 700lbs. of paper waste a year which accumulates 20% of landfill space.

By just recycling paper, it reduces 70% of energy and 55% less water usage than if creating new paper from virgin materials. This reduces air pollution by over 75% and over 30% of water pollution when new paper products are produced as reported by the EPA.  However, the demand for paper products in our ever growing population is outpacing the recycling steps needed to address this issue.

Here are a few quick tips on recycling paper as well as taking a moment to reconsider purchasing that next paper product.

·         Purchase washable paper plates and cups. Use cloth napkins instead of paper towel for those spills.

·         Buy paper products made from recycled paper. Look for the PCW (post-consumer waste) or TCF (Total Chlorine Free) label on the label to ensure that they originated from recycled products. There are also paper-free products that are made from hemp or kenaf that offer that same value of your original purchases.

·         Read newspapers and magazines online as well as share subscriptions with neighbors.

·         Don’t print out anything that you can easily read online or store on your computer.

·         Recycle paper to save trees from being cut down and the impact it has on air and water pollution.  This also save indigenous animals from having their habitat destroyed for such a simple item like a paper cup or paper towel.  

Second Time Around

Some would say that just because you bought it at a second hand store, it doesn’t make it cool. Well this time it does…buy recycled. By first purchasing that slightly worn pair of boots or those vintage jeans from your local resale store, you will take waste out of the system as well as reducing the amount of virgin materials being used. On average, it takes 10,850 liters of water to produce one pair of jeans for that popular “stone-wash” look. That is just one pair.

Instead, try and make it a rule that you will not purchase a new item until you at first look in a second hand store. Revive that boot-cut look, those bell-bottom flairs or that plaid button up. Earrings, neck-ties, shoes, books, the amount of resalable items available are limitless. Most popular tends right now are just a reinvention of past ideas, just marketed differently. Consider that your purchase will not only benefit the environment, but your local economy as well. By supporting charities like the GoodWill and the Salvation Army you are easily committing to going green.

Contribute further by donating used house-hold goods to these organizations and charities. More often than most, these same charities offer a tax break for your donations. Take a second look at that kitschy set of dishes or that dining room table sitting there collecting dust. Donate it. Organizations like www.freecycle.com and www.recyclersexchange.com exist to help you find uses for objects that you don’t want or have a need for anymore. Quite often, the items we would consider trash still have a usable life left. Not only does this extend the life of useful items, but again it reduces the resources needed to produce these goods. Make sure nothing that has the chance at being reused goes into the trash until you've given the community a fair shot at it. Also, don’t forget to use the “free stuff” section on Craiglist, or post it to resale for a quick buck.

These are just a few things you can do right now to inspire “going green” in your house. Connect with your neighbors to organize a block rummage sale. The ideas are limitless.

Food For Thought

Climate change threatens all forms of life on this planet. Man-made contributions involving pollution towards climate change is now an accepted reality. Mass Media is now just starting to intermittently cover some if any new ideas or the driving force behind this change. We are being told information disguised as five minute blurps, questionable criticisms and lengthy “no end in sight” debates.  The real issue should be that though we are exhaustively debating over this topic-we should realize the overwhelming evidence at the drastic impact that our growing global population and its demands are having on this planet and its limited natural resources. We still have to clean up years of our careless behavior.  Our scope should not only focus on what we need to do to reduce our impact, but what damage we have already done.

Mother Nature has evolved into checks and balances to sustain life. We are upsetting that balance. Mother Nature never anticipated nuclear waste, automobiles or pharmaceutical runoff in her lakes, rivers and ponds. We are going to the bathroom where we eat.

Creative Rubbish Collection in Christchurch

Contributed by Lynne Spano, “environmental vigilante”

“I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and I have been enlisted by mother earth to share and protect her beauty

One caretaker of trash has reinvented the definition of recycling in Christchurch on the South island of New Zealand.  Mr. Eco-Depot takes the act of disposal and turns it into a visual delight with his whimsical and fantastic lawn circus.  Where do you think a discarded lawn gnome or rubber chicken may end up after it’s been used and thrown away?  Why see for yourself and the next time you throw out your purple, metallic, punk rocker wig…it may just end up gracing the head of a misused mannequin.  Or better yet, create your own Rubbish Recycling work of art at home, in your garden, on your front lawn or in the local Community Park.  "Mr. Eco-Depot's recycled art in ChristChurch, New Zealand"

Why let all the fun be buried to never rot?

Power of the Green

In the last 2 years, we have witnessed the power of the grass-roots movement and how it has changed politics in this country. We have seen that a nation will always be the sum of its people and have witnessed one man’s dream to beat insurmountable odds to inspire a nation to look towards the greater good for not only its people, but for the world.

This power which is far greater than any one person is a force much larger than anything known in nature-the power of the human spirit, the spirit that we that I embrace-the spirit of 6 billion people-many minds with one goal.

Grass-roots campaigning is not necessarily the tool of the political machine. Those of us who believe in a better world can wield this implement to show that there are many voices carrying one message. The now famous mantra of “Yes we can!” should and now ring loudly; “Yes we will!”

We ask you to join greenbugz in not only inspiring a President and a hopeful nation, but an entire planet to commit to becoming stewards of our environment. Project Green is a chance for individuals to participate in the green movement and inspire us all.

Greenbugz is using a variety of methods to help spread our eco-message to every corner of the globe. We ask you to become a part of this, to help us, and the world reaches our goal of change by committing to be “Green” and show others how dedicated the people of this planet are in supporting our environment. Believe that today is the day for the start of something Bigger, Better and Greener.

Help us to empower the green movement. Take a few moments out of your day and show the planet that you are ready to be the change that you want to see in the world. I hope that you can help us inspire many, but understand this; it is your continued participation and support that inspires us all.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Catch you on the flop. Do me a solid and post this message to as many friends and family as you can.

It’s up to us to go at it green and keep the momentum strong!

Easy Steps to reduce, reuse, recycle our daily consumption

·         Put a “No Junk Mail” sticker on your mailbox. This will help reduce your daily trash.

·         Reuse old envelopes to re-mail letters-use to write notes and shopping lists.

·         Make banking and utility payments online. Send documents electronically. Print on both sides of paper.

·         Use cloth napkins or towels for eating or spills instead of paper towels. Toilet paper rolls can be recycled-they’re made of cardboard.

·         Reuse plastic containers from previous items for storage. Old containers can be used for left -over’s and lunches.

·         Egg cartons, holiday and birthday cards, magazines, newspapers and most small containers can be used for crafts, art projects and gifts for children, older adults and  for just about everyone.

·         Purchase products that have been made from recycled materials. Buy items that require the least amount of packaging. Shop consciously about what items will have an impact on the environment.

·         Use Less.

·         Purchase items from local resale shops. Support local fix-it shops to do repair on older items instead of replacing them.

·         Recycle old house hold items like bedding, kitchen appliances, washers, dryers, refrigerators and old clothing to your local social organizations or other organizations like Good Will or the Salvation Army.

·         Reuse plastic bags for other shopping trips, scrunched up for storage of antiques or other precious items, picking up your pet’s droppings, holding wet clothing on vacations.  Place bag at the bottom of a house hold plant or hanging basket for better drainage.

·         Companies like eBay and Best Buy will recycle electronics like computers, TV’s, phones and monitors in selected cities. Please check their sites and your local municipality for what recycling programs are in your area.

Solar Panels Are A Great Way to “Go Green”

“Going Green” is a buzzword of the decade. The phrase could refer to anything from recycling to carpooling to work. The only requirement is that the efforts better the environment. A focus of those involved with the green movement is to find energy sources that don’t harm the environment and are naturally found in the earth. What is more natural than the sun? Solar energy is an easy, inexpensive way to generate power for homes. Many people have found they can create their own solar powered system at home with solar panel kits.

As with anything, the solar panel kits have drawn some criticism. However, people who have used the kits have reported success. Some of the advantages include:

• The materials can be purchased for as little as $200. This is a small price to pay to do something good for the environment. You can find the materials at any hardware store.
• You can see results in your utility bills from the first month. Even if you just use one panel to power a laptop or appliance, you may see a drop of a couple of dollars—which can add over the course of a few months. If you add several panels, you will see bigger savings—enough to quickly cover the $200 you paid for the materials.
• The panels are environmentally and physically safe. The solar cells simply convert the sun’s energy into power. Electricity can shock us and injure. Gas can cause fires and death if there is a leak.
• You can use the panels to help with new home or building construction. What could be cheaper than having a home that is totally depending on solar power? Include a solar energy plan when heating your new home for lifetime utility savings.
• Do you have an RV? You can stop lugging those bulky generators and install solar panels on your motor home. Stay warm when camping in the chilly fall months. Use solar panels to power stoves to create great outdoor meals.

Creating the solar panels is a great weekend project for the entire family. Get everyone involved as part of a lesson on “going green.” Solar panel kits contain detailed steps that anyone can follow. The kits cost about $50. Add that to the $200 materials cost and you have an inexpensive way to save money on your utility bills for the rest of your life.

Saving the environment one stomach at a time.

Meet Raw Organic Chef Bryan Au who is pioneering in the latest eco-trend and Hollywood’s next diet sensation. This new national diet has been reported to be used by A-list celebrities like Britney Spears, Donna Karan, Cher, Sting, Forest Whitaker and Darryl Hannah who all love and recommended it. Even talk show host Montel Williams claims that this new diet has helped with his MS. It is the next Hollywood insider celebrity “secret” which is quickly becoming the next major national food trend. Everyone can now benefit from all natural anti-aging, re-energizing, rejuvenating, be happier, be healthier diet and since it is Eco/Green, it will help commit to saving the planet while enjoying the most in amazing new foods and cuisine! This is where Chef Bryan goes into action with his new book “Raw In Ten Minutes” which is available on amazon.com and can be purchased on his site rawinten.com

“When I designed my recipes and wrote my book I made sure each and every recipe was literally the best and most optimal as well as fast, easy and fun.’ says Chef Bryan. ‘None of my ingredients are high in mycotoxins, which is a fungal infection of most crops, as well as being high in sugar or require dehydration like in most raw recipes. If you look around at most other raw recipes on the internet or in books, all are just variations on cashews and dates which are not only high on price, but high in sugar and mycotoxins.”

RAW IN TEN MINUTES it is the most popular raw organic recipe book where all  Chef Bryan’s recipes have been researched and fine tuned to be the best. His originally unique and innovative creations such as his signature Macaroni and Cheese which is the world's only raw organic vegan version is there alongside other recipes like Spanish Lasagna, Pancakes, Crepes, Chili Cheese Fries, Oraweo, Grilled Cheese, Stuffing, Sheppard’s Pie and many more. Other international menu items include Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Japanese, Thai, Indian food and more! Chef Bryan believes that if you want to lose weight, lower cholesterol naturally, prevent or reverse major diseases, look and feel younger and get more energy, then RAW IN TEN MINUTES is for you.

Art With A Green Heart

By Nabanita Dutt/Eco-correspondent

ShopHandmade.com is the future of cross-pollinating art with the environment.

ShopHandmade has established itself as the trendiest new destination to buy and sell everything that is handmade, recycled and vintage. The website is growing faster than any handmade marketplace in the history of online retail. The company came up with the `Rewarding Creativity’ tagline, hoping to convey the message that `handmade’ was not just a money-making formula on ShopHandmade. To drive this point home, ShopHandmade set an example by forgoing profits itself. The site allowed craft-sellers to open their ShopHandmade stores at absolutely no cost. “We never dreamed it would take off like this, says David Kovanen, Director of ShopHandmade. ‘The site’s `art-with-an-obligation’ agenda is its unique selling point.”

For Kovanen, however, the job was still not over. His next big plan was to build so many `green’ links into the system that every transaction on ShopHandmade yielded direct benefits to the environment. To offset the carbon footprints of handicraft-production, for example, the site pledged to
save 25 square feet of rainforest for every item that sold on the website. The company also opened a parallel `second-hand’ marketplace called reSupply, where crafters could buy and sell leftover material from each other at nominal prices.

Thanks to reSupply, the ShopHandmade seller community could lighten their garbage load on the environment and cut down on all incidental expenditures of recycling – such as chemical and energy use. No longer did they need to throw all the extra bits of fabric, skeins of yarn or a used rubberstamp or two into the trashcan. By posting reusable craft `wastes’ on reSupply, they could make an ecologically inspired as well as an
economical choice.
 
 It is Kovanen’s belief that managing the environment at a grassroots level isn’t so different from managing a good home. “If we pick up the crumbs, carry out the garbage and put away the toys every day, we are not swamped by a mile-long list of weekend chores. Similarly, if we tidy up the environment and clean as we go, our to-do list of green chores does not spiral out of control and the merging of art and environment will become a seamless one.”

Battle of the Bottle

Ask any Baby-boomer what one of the only fads they never thought that would gain the momentum it has and you can guess that bottled water would be at the top of their list. An estimated 15 billion dollar a year industry worldwide, the bottled water phenomenon has surpassed the soft drink, alcohol and plastic bottled milk business. The average American, reported by the Beverage Marketing Corp, is estimated to consume 28.3 gallons of water per citizen in 2006 with an astonishing low 12% that was only being recycled-The remaining 40 million bottles ending up in a landfill or as litter.

The need for pure clean drinking water has fast became a recyclers nightmare where’s only 27% of all plastic bottles were recycled in 2008-concertably lower than any other recyclable products like paper and aluminum. In the US, the number of recycling business has more than doubled to reach over 1,600 nation-wide, recycling over an estimated 2.4 billion pounds of plastic bottles. Our consumption rate supersedes the national average of recycling, leaving tons of waste to be left curb-side in our growing global population.

Why should you recycle plastic?

• Recycling 1 ton of plastic will save 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
• Recycling plastic bottles can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.
• Recycled bottles uses two-thirds less energy than making new products from raw materials.
• PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles when recycled can create a variety of products including polyester thread used to make clothes, liners and an abundance of other house-hold items.

It’s just the right thing to do!

Make a difference @ work!!!

Businesses all across the globe generate huge volumes of paper waste each day.

Some Office Paper Facts

• Typical business and financial offices generate about over 2 pounds of waste paper per employee per day.
• Nearly half of typical office paper waste is comprised of high grade office paper, for which there is strong recycling demand.
• Eliminating office paper from your waste stream can cut your waste bill by 50 percent or more.
• Recycling one ton of paper typically saves $15 to $30 in landfill disposal costs and about 6.7 cubic yards of landfill space.
• Commercial paper waste accounts for over 40 percent of waste currently being landfill and by eliminating paper from waste would double the lives of current landfills.
• Every recycled ton of paper saves approximately 17 trees, approximately 462 gallons of oil. Recycling paper also reduces the air and water pollution due to paper manufacturing.

Here is a quick and easy guide to help that average office employee pioneer in the green movement. What better way to earn “green” points with your boss!!!

1.  Become the Office Recycling Coordinator

• Represent the program to both management and employees.
• Developing a plan of action with measurable goals, feasible timetable.
• Inform employees of the recycle system and their roles in the project.
• Monitoring program results to identify and resolve problems.

2.  Determine what is recyclable

·         Letterhead

·         Computer paper

·         Bond copier paper

·         Notepad or scratch paper

·         Tablet paper

·         Plain envelopes

·         Stationery

·         Typing paper

• Colored paper
• Business forms
• Manila folders

              3. If all else fails, get a box, sort your own paper, lead by example.