Kids nowadays have so many more options than we ever did, and so many more people reaching out to them in an effort to help them realize their dreams!  One such group is the team over at the website ConsciousLifestyle.org.  They are a non-profit group here in the US set out to empower students and schools to be more socially responsible.

For 2008 they have partnered with Youth Venture and are seeking applications for this exciting program that supports students around high school and college campuses that start environmentally friendly ventures:

“Are you passionate about making the world a better place? Have an idea about how to make your fellow students and your school more socially responsible? Want to turn that idea into a reality?”

Conscious Lifestyle is accepting applications for its 2008 venture program.

Submit an application for the chance to win:

* Up to $1,000 in start-up funding
* Web space on consciouslifestyle.org
* Monthly skill-building workshops
* Personalized support
* Access to a network of social entrepreneurs

To learn more and download an application, visit http://consciouslifestyle.org/ventures.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2008.

San Francisco is nicknamed “The City by the Bay”, it’s on t-shirts, totes, and postcards.  Now I think we could be known as the biodiesel city by the bay, if the city would just make people aware that we have the largest green fleet in the nation that runs on biodiesel.  Everything from our ambulances to the street sweepers!

It took a year to complete but it’s done, and very few people know about it.  The city uses soy oil bought from producers in the Midwest and produces a fuel called B20.  20% biofuel and 80% petroleum, the goal was to cut carbon emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2012.

Mayor Newsom also has a new project called SFGreasecycle.  The program collects grease and oil at no charge.  Instead of going down our drains and clogging up our systems they are being turned into fuel!

The Car-Wash Fundraiser is about as American as apple pie.  I don’t know of a student, boy/girl scout, or church group that hasn’t participated in one.  It’s a favorite way we like to raise money, not to mention just to have fun.  Sometimes I think it’s more about the fun than the “funds”.

So why are environmentalists trying to put a stop to this all American pastime?  It’s a particular hot issue here in the west where many feel that the run-off of soap and grime run into streams and poison the fish and wildlife.

The issue isn’t with commerical car wash facilities, since that water goes into the city’s sewer treatment system, but with the bucket and hose groups.  You see them in front of the church holding up hand made signs as you pass by!  They’re the ones being shut down.

Some cities are in the process of proposing a ban on washing your car in front of your home.  City officials have been known to say, “it is one of the biggest water-wasters and pollution generators.” (source:wall street journal)

People are mad at this ban and say it’s overblown and ridiculous!  One opponent is upset because if a dog does “it’s business” in front of his house then he can’t hose it off.  Of course, that’s the point!  Scoop it up and put it in the trash.  Why do people insist on using the water hose in front of their house as if it were a broom.  I see it ALL THE TIME!

Cities are proposing people change their habits and consider alternatives to water for their car-wash fundraisers, such as using waterless cleaners.  I even found online a steam cleaner for cars that uses one cup of water!  This is a hot topic that is going to make it’s way to the east coast soon, for the mean time someone needs to just hose down the naysayers!

We all know the New Year gives us a clean slate to work with when it comes to making improvements in our daily lives. Typically we resolve to exercise more, eat better, stick to a budget or pick up that new hobby. For this year I’ve compiled a list of 10 eco-friendly habits that are easy to adopt and stick to:

I resolve to kick the plastic water bottle habit: Plastic water bottles are bad for the environment, no question. Last year we Americans consumed over 50 billion of them. This is a serious habit we need to kick and quickly. Bring your own refillable stainless steel bottle filled with water from home whenever you go out. If the water from your tap isn’t to your liking then add a filtration system or get one of those pitchers that sit on the counter. Trust me; bottled water that you have purchased isn’t that much better than water from your tap!

I resolve to bring my own bags with me to the grocery store: This is a no brainer. Most of us by now should have already adopted this habit. Try to take it one step further by bringing your own bags whenever you go shopping for anything in general, not just food.

I resolve to walk, bike or use public transportation whenever possible: This is one that I will admit took me a while to get used to, as I love the privacy of being in my car alone; but after reading today’s headlines showing the cost of gas rising even higher, I’ll be riding the bus a whole lot more this year!

I resolve to make small changes at home: Small changes at home can have a huge impact overall if everybody did them. Start by unplugging appliances when not in use like the toaster, coffee maker or microwave. Also, connect your computer and peripherals to a power strip; that way at the end of the day you can disconnect them with just a flick of the switch (It’s best to turn your computer off instead of leaving it in hibernate or stand-by mode.) Wash your clothes in cold or the very least warm water and finally change out your light bulbs to CFLs.

I resolve to start composting: This is a hard one, I know. I falter with this one myself but I do keep trying to stick with it.

I resolve to use less paper: This one is easy and I have been having great success with it! First I buy recycled content paper for everything (home and office); next I use both sides of the paper. Meaning, if one side is still clean, then I put that in my printer or fax, and I only print out materials or emails if I absolutely must have a hard copy of the item.

I resolve to volunteer for something this year: Even if it’s just for one day, give your time to a beach or park clean-up team in your neighborhood. If you really want to make big difference then put in some time at your community garden where you can learn to be a steward for the earth and really utilize resolution #5! If your neighborhood doesn’t have a community garden then start one. I’m starting to see these pop up all over the place, especially in cities!

I resolve to use eco-friendly cleaning products at all times and to avoid chlorine: There are so many good and effective green products on the market now, that there is almost no excuse for this one. You can even do a lot with just baking soda, white vinegar, and water!

I resolve to pay attention to where my food comes from: I’m tempted to preach “buy local”, but realistically I know that is not always possible. But you can make sure that your food (and even clothing) is produced in an ethical and sustainable way. I believe if most people knew what really went on in factory farms they’d become vegans overnight! So pay attention to labels such as the USDA Organic, and Fair Trade.

I resolve to lead by example: It was Ghandi who once said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

I hope you all have a green and prosperous year!

A couple months ago I actually had a friend attend this conference (Sustainable Brands) in New Orleans.  I thought nothing of it because I hadn’t heard of it, so I really didn’t think it was such a big deal.

Well it turns out it is.  The Sustainable Brands Conference is the only conference that shows how to leverage all aspects of sustainability in business.  The focus is on building brand value, but yet moving beyond just “going green”, and addressing a holistic approach by integrating the environmental and social impact.  Some companies in attendance where: Coca Cola, Clorox, Wal-Mart, Pepsi Co., Dell, Nestle/Purina, and Time.

For those who like to plan ahead, the site for the 2008 conference has already been chosen:  Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort in Monterey, California, June 2-5, 2008.  Participation is expected to be doubled the inaugural event!

“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from sponsors, attendees and speakers following our launch in New Orleans has been extremely gratifying,” said KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, CEO of Sustainable Life Media

I think this conference could be of value to the small business owner as they will have small half-day workshops led by industry experts.  There will also be a concurrent Sustainable Solutions Showcase (S3) featuring innovative products in technology, office supplies, to fair trade coffee.

They are currently looking for speakers and sponorship opportunities are available.  Contact their website for more information.

Monterey is a beautiful location and great place to visit, so if you happen to be in my neck of the woods next summer I suggest you go.

My dictionary defines the word volt as a unit of electromotive force.  I think that about sums up the new electric car called the Volt that is currently in development now.

It is not lost on me that the car maker that is accused of killing the electric car is at the forefront of bringing it back !

The Chevrolet Volt is a battery powered, electric vehicle that uses a gas engine to create additional electricity to extend its range.  It uses what General Motors is calling the E-Flex system.  E for electricity and Flex for the many ways you can generate it.  The electricity to operate the Volt can come from a number of sources:  natural gas, biofuels, hydroelectric, wind, solar, and of course regular gas.  “The beauty of our E-Flex strategy is that is allows us to package various propulsion systems into the same space depending on what energy is available locally,” said Larry Burns, GM’s vice president of Research and Development and Strategic Planning.

This car is quite futuristic looking and most of my fellow green bloggers seem quite excited about it at events!  I on the other hand am very excited about the hydrogen fuel cells set to debut in 2010 (provided we can get the necessary infrastructure needed, such as fueling stations).  To see why read my environmental column at Bellaonline.com.

I had the chance to view what is still a concept car up close and it is a long way from the EV1 they produced in 1996, what a difference a decade can make!  The good news is they are committed to bringing this one to the public and for good this time.  Chevy realizes people really do want cars that can get 75 miles/kg despite what oil companies may say!  (snark)

If Chevy makes good (and it would be a huge embarassment if they don’t) on their promise then the combination of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion with a lithium-ion battery can provide up to 300 miles of petroleum and emission free electric driving!  Now this would be a “volt” to the transportation industry for sure!

(Target release date for the Volt is November 2010 and gm-volt.com is keeping a waitlist for the vehicle which is up to 6000!)

Ladies if you have never been to a car show then may I suggest you high tail it to the next one that comes to town.  It’s pretty amazing to see what’s up and coming in the automotive world and not to mention fun (plus the place is just swirling with men!).

I was lucky enough to be a guest of General Motors at the Los Angeles Car show a couple weeks ago.  Myself and other green bloggers (Hank Green of EcoGeek.org, Justin McHale of Planet Green/Treehugger.com and Nick Aster of Triple Pundit.com and the magazine Mother Jones), along with a number of auto-bloggers, were given the opportunity to preview most of GM’s vehicles before the show opened to the public.  This gave us a chance to get up close and personal with the cars and the team of engineers.

While walking around with all the guys and doing some comparative shopping, one of the guys actually said it must be hard writing about cars for women?  I giggled (like a girl) only because I felt the question was a little awkard.  Was he implying women could car less about cars because we are….well women!

I told him no, actually it’s not, in case he hadn’t heard women buy cars too!  It was also pretty exciting to see two of GM’s engineers who were working on the hybrid technology and the battery for the Chevy Volt where women!!

The car show proved General Motors is the leader in automotive technology.  In fact I had heard from a luxury car maker that many are waiting to see what GM comes up with as far as alternative fuels ESPECIALLY concerning the Chevy Volt (an all electric car).  GM is putting the most money into research and development.  Say what you want about coporate giants like GM, but we have to recognize that the building industry and transportation are the two largest contributors to global warming so we need to be happy when they join the environmental agenda.  Besides the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid didn’t win Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year 2008 for no reason!

(In case you’re wondering who judged the competition it was a very distinguished panel.)

I’m not surprised they won considering they had the most cars nominated out of any car maker.

As much as we would like to see less cars on the roads, lets face it that’s not going to happen anytime soon.  So all we can do is make sure the vehicles we are buying are the most fuel efficient if not fuel free (the Volt will be!), because at the risk of sounding too girly there are so many other things I could be spending my gas money on….like shoes!

I decided to take Vicky’s advice below and find out what’s happening on our side of the world on December 8th.  Brace yourselves and I mean that literally as we are not taking to the streets but the waters!

The International Day of Climate Change is being led by the National Polar Bear Plunge group.  Thousands of climate activists are going to jump into cold bodies of water or ski down slopes in shorts in order to raise awareness and funds.  Additional information can also be found at the Climate Crisis Coalition website.

Is it too early to start talking about Christmas yet?  I try to refrain because here in the USA holiday decorations start to go up the very next day after Halloween!

Every year this debate comes up:  The Christmas Tree!  Do you buy a real one or go plastic.

I actually think this debate was settled or at least a very convincing opinion was given by advice maven Umbra at Grist.org (I LOVE her column), and through her I even learned that there is such a thing as an organic Christmas Tree!

But alas dear readers I sit her writing with a bag over my head (canvas, of course) because I have a plastic tree!!  I’ve had it for YEARS.  I NOW know that real trees come from sustainable forests, but I didn’t know back then.  I thought I was doing the right thing by buying a plastic (oh the horror) tree, plus it really came down to economics with me.  I just couldn’t afford a real tree on a student’s budget, so I knew a fake tree would pay for itself over time (and it has).

But for those of us who inherited a fake one, take heart in knowing that you are at the very least reusing and recycling.  Even Jim Motavalli, the editor of E, The Environmental Magazine, brings out his fake tree he inherited from his grandparents. (source: Washingtonpost.com 11.29.07-The Greening of Christmas)

If you do not already own a fake tree, don’t go buy one.  I strongly advocate for the real thing.  Unfortunately here in America fake trees are gaining in popularity!  Good grief people, did you not learn anything from A Charlie Brown Christmas, besides you just can’t replicate that real tree scent and that actually is the best part about the tree anyway!

The Opinion of a certified green builder:

I must get this off my chest as it has been on my mind for some time now.  While watching TV one night a commercial came on for the building insulation product which features the Pink Panther cartoon character as its mascot.  I thought nothing of it until the very end of the commercial when the announcer said “Pink is Green”!

I nearly fell out of bed!  This was a very blatant example of  misleading the public and jumping onto the green bandwagon since it seems to be the fad du jour!  How you ask? The commercial advises its viewers to insulate their attic spaces to save on energy cost, this is good and well known across the board.  What I have a problem with is that I wouldn’t use this product to do it!!

Just because you tell your consumers to insulate their homes doesn’t all of the sudden make your product green!  That’s a freakin’ given in construction!  I went to Owens Corning website to investigate this further and despite their green efforts I became even more miffed.  I do applaud corporate giants that are at least trying to make a green difference but only when it’s done because it’s the right thing to do and not the latest trend.

Their website boasts of their use of recycled content fiberglass in their batts insulation.  So what!  So do the other brands.  Their site boasts of how their product is being used to help cut down energy costs in various applications, well guess what, so do the others!  What I couldn’t find on their site is one of the most important things that got me to switch to their competitor-Johns Manville (JM)- and is called out on construction specs for green buildings which is Formaldehyde Free! I even went as far as to call Owens Corning who told me that yes their product does contain formaldehyde, but the JM product is just a marketing ploy.  Oh really I asked, but why?  The response was their product is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified!  Excuse Me, but LEED only certifies buildings not products!! I was also told their product has the GreenGuard seal.  This one stopped me cold in my tracks until I went to the GreenGuard website.  Good grief it seemed like every insulation product ever made got their seal of approval.  I’m surprised toilet paper wasn’t on the list too!  Plus I also know that many third party certifications are industry funded.  Here’s a great article on that very topic which confirmed my suspicion.

What You Need To Know:

Truth be told there are even far better insulating products to use than fiberglass batts (I’ll save that for another discussion), but since this commercial showed the pink fluffy stuff lets stick with that – please be aware - regardless if it’s white, pink, or yellow, it doesn’t retain its R-value if it’s installed improperly.  Smashing it into the stud bays is the worse way to install batts, who cares if it’s the greenest, most sustainably made product in the world; it won’t do any good if it’s installed wrong.

I don’t hate the pink product and I am clapping with one hand for the efforts they have made thus far, and if I ever saw them at any of the many green building conferences I attend I would tell them (hmmm….I wonder why I never see the pink stuff displayed at the green building expos?).

I see my rant is long so I will stop now, but if I’m to believe that Pink is Green, then I guess I would also believe that burning coal is better for the planet because you’re not using wood from trees!

[No, I don't work for John Mansville , and stay tuned for my next post when I talk about all the wonderful things General Motors (another coporate giant) is doing to make cars eco-friendly.  I'm serious!]