Recently, the “Hey Mr. Green” book by Bob Schildgen was brought to our attention,and it’s been interesting to thumb through. It’s a set of questions and answers so it’s easier to just open to a random space and get the tidbit of the day rather than read through linearly. Some of the information will most definitely be dated, but it will still give you much food for thought, and often a good basis for being able to ask even more clarifying questions. Overall, it’s a good read, and done with much humor and a down to earth attitude that I definitely appreciated. Check it out if you’re so inclined!

Technorati Tags: green, bob schildgen, sierra books

Check out the “One Less Plastic Bag” tote bag over at Lekker Politics! The tote bag comes in three different text colors, as well as coming on messenger bags. One… Less… Plastic… Bag… One… Less… Plastic… Bag… say it with me… LOL! Happy Earth Day!

There is much to like about The Mug Project, which is about bringing your own mug with you instead of using disposable cups. (Rather like fastening a stein to your belt and bringing it to taverns, like in medieval times - LOL.) Their slogan? “Use a mug. Reduce Waste. Get a discount!®” Much like getting a discount in grocery stores for bringing your own bags. You can find out a lot more resources for encouraging reusable mug usage in their forums.

And to the left, in the spirit of mugs, you’ll see my favorite mug - “Celtic Knotwork and Bare Branches”. I hand inked the design on paper and then put it on a mug in my online shop. Which, COINCIDENTALLY sells all kinds of crazy mugs with my art and funny stuff on them. ;-)

Technorati Tags: green, recycle, reusable, mugs, mug project, ceramic mug

I had been shopping for some new casual shoes/sneakers, but found nothing that I liked, or was in my size or price range, even at the outlet mall - sigh. I’m also pretty picky about what I was looking for, in a mundane sort of way - something normal, but passably interesting, comfortable, and definitely no plastic colors or gold lame’ - LOL. Then, John happened to mention that people at work often buy shoes online at Zappos, and that they had free shipping both ways. (I’m probably the last person in the online world to have heard of Zappos, but I’m so NOT a fashionista - LOL.) So I dove into their web site and after just a bit of clicking around I found just what I was looking for - a cool suede sneaker from a maker called Simple Shoes (See photo.)

Although the ones I bought weren’t from their extreme-ecological line (although they are made with water-based glues), they have a great philosophy and some wonderful casual shoes with a focus on recycling and sustainability - check them out! Also, although I opted for the free shipping, Zappos expedited my order and I got my shoes in no time. They’re comfy, a perfect fit, and they don’t make my feet look at big as they really are - quite a… ahem… feat! (sorry!)

Technorati Tags: shoes, sneakers, ecology, simple shoes, green

Little announcements like this tend to fly under the mass media radar, so I’m always happy when I happen to run across them: “HP just announced that it is using recycled plastics gathered from water bottles, recycled inkjet cartridges, and other materials to create new ink cartridges made from 100% recyclable plastics.” Read the entire article here. Nice to know even fewer plastic water bottles are ending up in landfills!

Technorati Tags: green, recycling, hewlitt packard, technology, water bottles, plastic

According to this article (and the articles linked in that article), a “new breakthrough in solar cell production that combines nanoparticles and organic dyes allows any number of colors or designs to be created with the panels themselves.” And these can be integrated into windows instead of having to be mounted on the roof - is that cool or what? At the moment, they have a really low efficiency rate in comparison with standard silicon solar cells, but the cool factor is still there, and I’m sure they’ll be making great leaps as they develop it further. (link courtesy of Barbara Burns)

Technorati Tags: solar energy, technology, science, stained glass, art, green

I love reading articles like this! “A biofuel startup in Illinois can make ethanol from just about anything organic for less than $1 per gallon, and it wouldn’t interfere with food supplies, company officials said.” Read the whole article for more details and links. I love that these types of technologies are popping up everywhere. (I’m also pleasantly surprised that General Motors is one of its backers.)

Technorati Tags: biofuel, ethanol, organic, coskata, e85, gas, gasoline, alternative

I realize we’re a little behind the eight ball but we finally bought some cloth shopping bags and broke away from using disposable shopping bags. (Hey, we managed to beat China!) Last week was the first time we actually used them, and we were pleasantly surprised to see a series of .03 rebates as compensation for bringing our own bags.

It’s not very much I know (but I’m sure it’s more than one plastic bag actually costs,) but I wasn’t expecting anything at all so it was a nice little surprise on the receipt.

Technorati Tags: recycling, plastic bags, grocery bags, green

Very cool idea! Nigel’s Ego Store has Christmas Tree Decorations made from recycled CDs and Circuit Boards. If you’re in the U.S., it might be a little late to get those shipped from across the pond for this year, but there’s always next year!

Until those cool cut-out ornaments arrive though, consider hanging up all of those old, useless CDs you have sitting around on your tree and pretend they are miniature techno-wreaths - they’ll reflect the tree lights (LEDs!) nicely. Shiny!

Technorati Tags: christmas, green, decorations, recycling, recycled, ornaments

Another reason Google is so cool…. Google has a new renewable energy initiative: Google’s Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal. “Google today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. They’re hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part of its capital planning process, the company also anticipates investing hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects which generate positive returns.” Click here to read entire article.

It’s wonderful to see a huge corporation put their money into forward thinking technologies. I think the alternative energy market is growing ever faster, but with Google putting more resources towards it, I look forward to even more rapid developments!

Technorati Tags: google, renewable energy, alternative energy, wind power, solar power