Environment: Step 2 Revisited - Another Carbon Footprint Calculator

Even though it's been around for a year or so, I've just started to watch some of Plant Green's TV shows (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/). The two that I'm currently addicted to are Wa$ted and Living with Ed. As part of performing an eco-intervention on its selected wayward family, Wa$ted states that it uses an internationally recognized EcoCalculator to first determine how big the family's problem is. I began to wonder if this EcoCalculator was available through Planet Green's web site and found that it was. It is actually provided by an independent web called the Global Footprint Network (www.footprintnetwork.com) and takes into consideration not only your energy usage for home and travel, but also your recycling habits, your grocery shopping habits, and your typical clothing, books, and electronic purchases. (Noticably absent - personal product purchases, including cosmetics, paper products, diapers, and cleaning supplies.) I took the quiz and it told me that my footprint was about 20 global acres. Compared to the people on Wa$ted, that is pretty good, but our family could always do better.

Check out this EcoCalculator. By using a variety of different calculators, I think it will give you a better impression of your overall environmental impact than just using one calculator.

Take Care, Kara

GreenDimes now Tonic/Mailstopper

GreenDimes has changed their name and expanded their scope. The junk mail stopping service is now called Tonic/Mailstopper (mailstopper.tonic.com), which is now part of a large company called Tonic (www.tonic.com). Tonic sells products which raise funds for various worthwhile causes, including education, hunger prevention, and environmental causes. The site also has articles on various social topics - visit and check them out!

Take Care, Kara

Giving - Step 8: Earn Free Kibble for Shelter Dogs & Cats

Here's another easy way for you to help out with just a few clicks from your computer! Visit Freekibble (www.freekibble.com) and Freekibblekat (www.freekibblekat.com) daily, answer the day's trivia question (right or wrong, doesn't matter), and earn 10 pieces of kibble for shelter dogs & cats. The sites are the brain-child of a young girl who simply wanted to help out animals in need; to date, these sites have raised $ for 86 tons of dog & cat food! You can even sign up to receive a daily reminder email, so you are sure to visit every day.

So take a minute out of your day and help some animals in need!

Take Care, Kara

Environment - Step 15: Opt Out of Receiving Yellow Pages

I just recently learned that you can opt-out of receiving the Yellow Pages by signing up at Paperless Petition (www.paperlesspetition.org). Just think about it - how often do you use your Yellow Pages? I know, for myself, it's maybe 5 times a year at most. Usually, I hear about companies through other means - friends, online, flyers, etc. And with the Yellow Pages online (www.yellowpages.com), you can always view them for those time that you really need to (and there's reviews in the online version, which may help you in selecting which company you want to give a try). Paperless Petition also offers the option to opt-out of the White Page as well - I also selected to do this since I couldn't even remember the last time I opened the White Pages!

Just think about how hefty those Yellow Pages are! If those of us who don't really use them stopped receiving them, thousands and thousands of trees would be saved each year, plus all of the energy used to create them. So, sign up today!

Take Care, Kara

Environment - Step 14: Bring a Reusable Mug When Going to the Coffee Shop

If you are a regular visitor to your local Starbucks, you have probably thrown away your fair share of disposable coffee cups. While one cup may not seem like much, think back to how many cups you probably threw away over the past year. Then, think of the millions of people who visit Starbucks or other coffee shops every year and throw away their coffee cups, too. That equates to billions and billions of cups entering our landfills every year! And don't forget the resources that are being used to make these cups. You can do your part to elimate this wasteful practice by bringing your own reusable mug the next time you get coffee. Sustainability is Sexy (http://www.sustainabilityissexy.com/) makes it its mission to get everyone using reusable mugs when visiting the coffee shop. Visit their site to get more details on the huge environmental problem that disposable cups are.

Starbucks is trying to do their part to reduce waste and encourage customers to use reusable mugs. You can check out their goals for reducing cup waste by visiting this site: http://www.starbucks.com/sharedplanet/environmentalInternal.aspx?story=greenerCups. Note that you will get a 10 cent discount if you bring in your own mug - depending on how often you visit, you could make the cost of the mug back pretty quickly! Also, if you are staying in the store, you can ask to have your drink put in a ceramic mug. I've read on the web that not all stores have ceramic mugs available, so you may want to talk to the store manager and find out what their plans are to get mugs in your local store. And you can go online at http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaHome and tell Starbuck that you want mugs at your local store.

Just make sure that you put your mug in a place that will ensure you use it every time you visit the coffee shop. And have a regular schedule for washing it and putting it back in its place each night. Over time, it will become a habit - a habit which helps the planet.

Take Care,
Kara

Giving - Step 7: Help Offset CO2 with Trivia Answers

I'm always on the lookout for ways to raise money for great causes for free. I've blogged about http://www.freerice.com/ before, and now I've found another one - Let's Offset (http://www.letsoffset.com/). The site asks trivia questions in the areas of entertainment, sports, history, and science/environment. For each question you answer correctly, the site will purchase a carbon offset for 15 grams of CO2. The site raises the funds to purchase these offsets through advertising and private dontations. The offsets are purchased through CarbonFund (http://www.carbonfund.org/), who I've purchased carbon offsets from in the past.

So, if you are a Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy junky, check this site out and help the environment at the same time!

Take Care, Kara

Giving - Step 6: The Small Things Challenge

There's another "mouse fundraising" initiative that you can participate in called "The Small Things Challenge". For every person who visits the challenge's web site and clicks on the designated button, Intel Corp. will donate 25 cents Kiva and Save the Children, two organizations that help improve life in third world countries. This fundraiser will last through the end of this year.

Please take a moment to visit the web site located at http://www.smallthingschallenge.com/ and get 25 more cents contributed!

Take Care,
Kara