Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: krisdecurtis

Our weekly round-up is back - just in time for the holiday madness that is upon us.  Check out these cool ideas out in the green blogosphere to help you celebrate an eco-friendly holiday season.

• Holiday Cards - Ecopreneurist.com suggests six green holiday card options, from ecards to Hallmark’s link of green holiday cards.
• Holiday Shopping - Ecofabulous.com released their list of top ten holiday shopping sites for green gifts.
• Christmas Decorations - Yahoo! Green’s “The Conscious Consumer” shares crafty ideas for decorating your sustainable Christmas tree this year.
• Holiday Deals - Lime.com reveals a few cool ways to save money as you employ your eco-friendly decorating techniques.
• Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping - Try out the Furoshiki Japanese gift-wrapping technique.  Watch and learn from this video, courtesy of RecycleNow.com.

Download Video

photo credit: _sarchi

For those of you who read my September 19th posting, “The Brita Filter Dilemma,” I have good news to report.  Clorox, the parent company of Brita in the U.S.,  has recently announced a Filter Recycling Program in partnership with Preserve — a manufacturer of household consumer goods made completely out of recycled materials. 

Here are the details of the program as described in a press release from Clorox:

Each Filter Recycled

Preserve will recycle 100 percent of each Brita plastic pitcher filter casing collected. The No. 5 polypropylene plastic from the casing will be used by Preserve in their line of products. The filter ingredients – activated carbon for creating great-tasting water and additional ion-exchange resin that reduces lead, mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc that might be found in tap water – will be regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy.

Drop Off or Mail Options for Recycling

Consumers can drop off their used, dry Brita pitcher filters at participating Whole Foods Market stores or mail them directly to Preserve. Full details and instructions on both options, including a complete list of Gimme 5 stores, will be available at www.brita.com in early January 2009.

• Drop off: Through the Preserve Gimme 5 program, select Whole Foods Market stores will begin

collecting No. 5 plastics and used Brita pitcher filters.

• Mail in: Consumers who wish to mail in used Brita pitcher filters are encouraged to package the filter in a small, used box and send it via ground shipping. The box will also be recycled by Preserve.

 For more information, visit www.FilterForGood.com.

Winter in Juneau, Alaska

Winter is here (or almost here) for many people across the United States.  While it doesn’t quite feel like it in sunny Los Angeles, it’s pretty hard to ignore, having just returned from a icy vacation in Alaska where I witnessed the first snow of the season. 

This week, we’ve gathered eco-friendly tips across the web to help you cope through the impending chilly season:

• The Daily Green posted a slide show, highlighting natural remedies for 12 Winter Aches and Chills.
• VegNews shared some chic earth-friendly fabric ideas to keep you feeling toasty throughout the season.
• Yahoo! Green revealed a few helpful home tips for saving heat during those cold, blustery nights.
• TreeHugger outlined ways to get better gas mileage under these cold conditions that overwork your vehicle.
• Care2 unveiled a a natural remedy for dry winter skin, as recommended by health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Dr. Brent  - goat milk soap.  Who knew?!?!

This week, I am blogging from Juneau, Alaska with a special round-up/aggregate of news and videos petaining to the environment on this side of the planet:

• TreeHugger.com reported on the legal settlement between the Secretary of the Interior, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and the NRDC to designate “critical habitat” for the endangered polar bear by March 31, 2010.

photo credit: jessicafm

• Ecopreneurist.com introduced Toby Foster’s organic vodka, made from locally grown Alaska potatoes and glacier water, marketed under the name Permafrost vodka.
• Yahoo!Green re-posted this time-lapse video from The New York Times’ Dot Earth blog, which documents the erosion of the Alaskan coastline from late June to late July of 2008.

• The Beluga whale was recently added to the list of endangered species in Alaska.  Check out these adorable creatures in a video posted by GreenDaily.com.

photo credit: Mannequin-

In the spirit of the fast-approaching Election Day 2008, here are a few links to recent election/political chatter across the environmental blogosphere - non-partisan, yet informative - just how we like it!

• TreeHugger highlights Obama and McCain’s discussion on environmental issues from an exclusive interview in Backpacker Magazine.
• Plenty reminds us of the good news that both presidential candidates support science, despite their differing environmental policies.
• Red Green and Blue links to the WWF’s environmental mandate to our candidates entitled, “Greenprint.” Topics covered include Climate Change, Agriculture, Foreign Policy and Conservation, Water and Food.
• The Christian Science Monitor’s “Bright Green Blog” posted an interesting article on “clean coal.”  Just what exactly is it?
• And last, on a lighter note, Planet Green listed “10 Ways to Get Green Tax Breaks.”  Hopefully there will be even more incentives for people to save the planet no matter who gets elected in two weeks!

photo credit: zenera

Because animals like to hug trees too:

• The Altertative Consumer featured artistic sustainable doghouse designs from Sustainable Pet Design.
• TreeHugger linked to the latest issue of Readymade on-line, which gives detailed instructions on how to craft fantastic accessories for your pets, including a jet-set dog bed, scratching post and quilted dog jacket.
• Fig and Sage posted a rave review for Dog on Holiday dog shampoo from Scrub Your Butt Soap Co. (not a joke!).
• Eco Salon listed “Ten Great Tips for Reducing Carbon Paw Prints.”
• Ecorazzi revealed the 2009 Celebrity Pet Calendar, featuring A-list celebrities who have donated their time to help raise money for the Animal Rescue Fund.

photo credit: WTL photos

A recent article published by the Los Angeles Times about Air New Zealand’s new eco-conscious initiatives has gotten me really excited about the future state of air travel and its impact on the environment.  

The carrier has developed new technology and procedures in tandem with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to save fuel and cut down on carbon emissions on each flight.  They are experimenting with various alternative fuel sources and are planning to fly a Boeing 747 partially powered by jet fuel refined from the seed of the jatropha weed plant later this year.  Air New Zealand is aiming to use these alternative “biofuels” including fuel refined from algae for approximately 10% of its needs by 2013.

Air New Zealand has also begun installing electric blow dryers in the ceiling of its planes, enabling the reduction of cabin condensation that can weigh down an aircraft with more than 440 pounds of water, thereby allowing each aircraft to cut down its fuel usage.

While New Zealand may not be on top of your list as a vacation or business trip destination, the airline is raising the bar for other airlines in the battle to cut down on carbon emissions across the aviation industry.  And by the way, Air New Zealand has a service route between Los Angeles and London - something to consider the next time you are booking a flight into Europe, whether you are flying to London or stopping over for a connecting flight.

In the mean time, for those of you that rely on air travel and are worried about your carbon footprint, there are several organizations that you can donate to that invest in “clean energy” projects to off-set carbon emissions:

CarbonFund.org - Calculate your carbon footprint for a particular trip and then donate the specified amount of money needed to offset that amount of carbon emissions.

e-BlueHorizons.com - They will donate 50 percent of the net proceeds from your transaction to The Conservation Fund.

TerraPass.com - In addition to flights, you can purchase carbon offsets for home energy and dorm rooms.

The holiday season is upon us, beginning with Halloween.  In response to Anne’s blog about the billions of dollars consumers are set to spend this year on my favorite holiday,  here are some thrifty ideas across the blogosphere for an affordable green Halloween: 

The Daily Green has a really funny slide show up, showcasing recycled Halloween costume ideas submitted by their readership.  Vote for your favorite.  This one gets my vote!        

Green Halloween is packed with cool ideas, including a decorative hand-made garlic wreath to ward of vampires. 

River Wired features additional eco-friendly decoration ideas, featuring crafty ways to create pumpkins and bats out of egg cartons. 

The Lean Green Family offers an array of green tips, including trick-or-treat ideas.  Leave the car at home when scouting yummy treats to fill up your reusable shopping bags!

For the socially conscious cinephile, the 5th Annual Artivist Film Festival has returned to Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre today.  Dedicated to addressing Human Rights, Children’s Advocacy, Environmental Preservation, and Animal Rights, this international film festival will showcase forty films from around the world.  The festival concludes on Sunday with the 2008 Artivist Awards, honoring the winning films of the Artivist Film Festival as well as the work of advocate artists.

Here is a preview of some the festival’s films that focus on environmental issues:

MEAT THE TRUTH (Friday, October 3rd, 6pm) 

Directed by Gertjan Zwanikken; Karen Soeters

MEAT THE TRUTH, presented by Marianne Thieme - leader of the Dutch Party for the Animals, is a climate change film that focuses on factory farming.

ESCAPE FROM SUBURBIA (Saturday, October 4th, 5:45pm)

Directed by Graham Greene

An exploration of how the suburban lifestyle, which is dependent on fossil fuels, is detrimental to the environment.

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This week, we’ve canvassed the blogosphere for a few savvy ideas for ”greening” your home:

1. The Budget Ecoist posted a product review on the Sweep Dreams Broom - a broom made of 100% renewable sorghum and bamboo and available in an assortment of colors.
2. Lighter Footstep recommended a programmable thermostat, which can save you $150 a year while you reduce greenhouse emissions.
3. Green Your Decor introduced an affordable, yet tasteful eco-friendly bed - the Hinode platform bed from Sachi Organics, which is handmade from locally sourced woods.
4. Green Vaccine shared a really great “green” vacuum cleaner find - the Miele Luna 34580.  Made from recyclable materials, this model is designed to last 10-20 years and is energy efficient.
5. Eco Friend unveiled their 20 top choices for green lamps and lighting solutions.