Written on
November 13, 2008 by
SusanC
Christmas is Not Your Birthday is an initiative started by the brains behind CoolPeopleCare.org, in an attempt to redirect the typical holiday hub-bub and excessive consumerism surrounding the holiday season with local outreach, outward thinking, and overall giving.
In 2006 they asked readers from all over the world to simply think outside of themselves, and outside their needs and wants, for that particular holiday season. In 2007 they asked everyone to buy gifts for their friends and family that made a difference to the local and global community, to commit to buying better gifts, purchases that gave back in some way.
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I am, by no means, perfect when it comes to green living.
There are many, many things I know I can easily replace in my home that consume energy. I can easily do more.
So why don’t I? Because I’m used to convenience. I like my food processor and my coffee maker. I love my vacuum and my lawnmower. I had once made a vow to begin replacing items in my home with green equivalents, if or when they broke down or got used up. Old habits die hard. My first instinct is to head to Walmart and pick up a replacement at a very low, low price.
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Written on
November 6, 2008 by
SusanC
The Home Depot is running a “Save Money. Save Energy. Win Big!” video contest until midnight PST on Sunday, November 9th. The contest winner will receive a $5,000 Home Depot gift card and up to $2,000 for installed insulation or radiant barrier products from The Home Depot Home Services.
How to win these awesome eco-prizes?
Just shoot a short video to show how you are saving money and helping the environment by making your home more energy efficient, and enter it at www.homedepot.com/youtube. That’s it!
The videos should focus on conserving energy in your home and addressing issues to prevent high energy bills – such as the use of dimmer switches, ceiling fans, water conservation and/or insulation.
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I’m not ashamed to admit I’m blogging for The Man.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have been offered the opportunity to blog for Brita’s “Filter For Good” campaign for the next few months. What makes this job sweeter is that for the first time, I’m making money writing about what I love. Every little bit counts, and even though the NINE PAGE contract I signed freaked me out a bit, I felt empowered by my skills as a writer, and felt my passion could be used to influence the masses (or at least, my readers) into taking their green living a step further by pledging to bring filters instead of disposable bottles in their homes.
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Have you ever wondered what kind of stuff people find in dumpster bins? Think it’s all rot, filth and mold? Better think again! I thought I was in the know about all the different lifestyle choices out there but I learned a new word the other day – Freegan. Perhaps you know of one?
The term Freegan is coined by combining the two words, vegan and free. According to one Freegan site “Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.”
In order to free themselves as much as possible from the ethical issues that come along with participating in the conventional economy, a Freegan opts for only eco friendly transportation such as bikes, train hopping and veggie oil vehicles, squatting or low cost housing, community gardening and reclaiming green spaces, and minimal to no employment.
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Written on
October 17, 2008 by
SusanC
Recently, I walked through our backyard and checked every tree and there wasn’t one coin or bill dangling from the limbs. We just took our last vacation for the “summer” to the Bay Area and I’m tired of it; not the vacation, but the Bay Area. I’ve lived it and done it several times over. I want to visit some place exotic like Bolivar, TN where my in-laws live. The only problem is that what I want to do isn’t what I can afford to do right now. I want economic change in my life and I want it now.
Just to let you know, I’ve tried it and wishing upon a tree hasn’t created any monetary blooms.
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Written on
October 16, 2008 by
SusanC
It’s the middle of October and election day is fast approaching. With November 4th comes one of the most highly anticipated and unprecedented presidential elections this country has ever seen. This year perhaps more than any other year before it, environmental issues–the idea of a nation learning daily how to go green and greener still–will play a significant role in choosing candidacy, as no doubt our nation’s leadership will help propel or hinder our forward motion in the areas of eco-friendly living and preservation on a global scale.
Feeling strongly that you should make the decision for yourself–and hopefully you already have–I am not here to sway you to one candidate’s side or the other; nor am I here to debate along partisan lines.
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Car payments, leases, insurance, gas, parking, washes, maintenance, I-Pass… it all adds up. Before you know it, you are in over your head. When I look at all the extras in owning our car, I always come back to the basic philosophy our family recently adopted. We want less.
However, this simple life strategy isn’t quick or easy to achieve. Take for example, the 2007 Lexus parked in our garage. Thank heavens it is leased so that in a couple months (don’t say years, it sounds too long) we can happily hand it back to the dealership and politely say no thank you to their pitch for the newest model.
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Remember when someone would dare you? Taunt you. Tell you, you can’t do something. You wanted to prove them wrong. Well, that’s sort of my theory behind this post. I’m going to dare you. Taunt you. I want you to prove me wrong and join the EnviroMom Challenge of reducing your waste.
I’m bet you can’t do it.
Nah. Nah. Boo. Boo.
EnviroMom has is challenging families to cut back. Reduce, reuse and recycle. If the friendly garbage mans collects one can a week from your curb, make it one can a month now. The same can you use now just fill it once a month not once a week.
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While I walked 20 miles each day for the Michigan Breast Cancer 3 day this weekend, I had a lot of time to look around and just think. One of my big realizations over the weekend was that we were the only ones walking around in the downtown, neighborhood and nature areas along our path.
Coming from living in downtown Chicago where we all walk around like crazy, it made me wonder. Let me clarify that I don’t think it has anything to do with Michigan suburbs. I actually think it has more to do with our country than anything. Take for example, the new campaign I saw for the first time last night as I cozied on the couch to rest my weary gams.
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