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