By the Center of American Progress--It’s Easy Being Green: Kid-Tested, Mother Nature Approved

Branch, a San Francisco-based sustainable design company, makes children’s toys out of natural wool and bamboo. Their products are hand-knitted by women who belong to a collective in rural Kenya that is connected to the East Africa Hub, a non-profit organization of socially responsible businesses. Nest and ChildTrek are similar companies offering natural toys made out of wood and other sustainable materials. ChildTrek even offers a blog and a parents’ resource on their website. Another company, Like-A-Bike, manufactures sustainable, plastic-free bikes made from birch plywood. Sensing the growing consumer demand, even Toys ‘R’ Us has “gone green,” launching a new line of natural wood toys and dolls.
To read the full article click here.

Kimora Goes Green

Check this video out! Celebs going green...
Part 1
Smells Like Fabulosity


Part 2

Fun Green websites worth checking out

Hello Everyone,

I was doing some Green e-net surfing and found some really cool and fun websites that are totally worth checking out. There is so much information out there and many websites are filled with spam or just plain overcrowded and overwhelming. Lets face it most of us do not have enough time to be in front of the computer looking through hundreds of websites just to find some useful information. The following websites are environmental friendly and dedicated to help people go green. Check them out!



The Green IQ: is a website that includes many tips on how to be a greener person. Cool tips about beauty, gifts, home, work, etc. The best part about this website is that in the beginning of the website theres a quiz about your green IQ, if you take the quiz they will plant a tree for contributing your time. This is great cause, I encourage you to take the quiz, its another tree in our earth.
http://www.greeniq.com/greeniq/




G-Liviing: This site is very trendy and up-to-date with the latest fashion, beauty secrets, celebrity articles and more. Everything on this site is about Green living with style.
http://www.gliving.tv/


Rehash: This site allows people to trade their clothes or other accessories with others. Based on the reviews I read from "rehashers", its a system that really works. Trading your items instead of throwing them away is a great way to practice being green and get a new wardrobe at the same time without spending a dime.
http://www.rehashclothes.com/


So let me know what you think about these websites. Would you trade your clothes online? its worth a try and all for a good cause :)

Build Community and Network Through Cycling!

May is National Bike Commute Month and Bike to Work Day is today May 15. Bicycling is a fun, sustainable and healthy form of transportation.

On Bike to Work Day, events took place throughout the nine-county Bay Area to celebrate this fun and active way to commute. Energizer Stations were strategically located along several routes in the Bay Area between the hours of 6:30-7:30 a.m. or 7:00-9:00 a.m. (depending on location) to encourage novice and advanced cyclists as they pedaled their way around town and to local transit stations.

Cheers to those who braved the HEAT today, with their COOL commutes!

Will cars have to pass a 35 mpg efficiency standard by the year 2020?

So there has been a debate in congress passing an energy bill that will affect the largest auto makers, general motors, ford, and Chrysler. These three companies are spending millions so that this bill will not be passed. I think that this would be a great idea but it would cost these companies a lot of money that they are not willing to spend. It seems like the year 2020 is so far away and that we have the technology to do better but at least this is a start. Here are some of the reasons that it would be better for our economy. www.35mpgby2020.com/the-facts.html#jobs

· It creates jobs
· A 35mpgby2020 fuel economy boost would create 241,000 jobs in the U.S., including 23,900 in the auto industry in 2020
· According to University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) research, raising fuel economy fleet wide to 35mpgby2020 would save up to 35,000 jobs
· 35mpgby2020 would reinvigorate the U.S. auto industry
· Without fuel efficiency gains, Detroit stands to lose $3.6 billion if gas prices stay high
· The National Academy of Sciences says our automakers already have the technology to get their cars and light trucks to average 35mpgby2020 without sacrificing vehicle size, safety or horsepower
· According to UMTRI research, raising fuel economy fleet wide to 35mpgby2020 would boost domestic automakers' profits by $12 billion through 2018
· An increase in fuel economy standards would save American 1.2 million barrels a day which is more than we currently import from Iraq

I think this would be a great idea, not only for the environment but also for our economy.

Eco-Adventures

Our family is discovering new ways to protect the planet and is having a great time doing it!

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. We decided that as an alternative to an expensive evening out, we’d celebrate the day in a “green” way by going out on an eco-adventure. We slipped on our walking shoes and went for a long day’s walk. Where we would go or end up, we didn’t exactly know. What we knew was that we’d leave the car keys and credit cards behind, take sweaters for evening weather, carry water and snacks and experience something new.

We walked through town for miles strolling through memory lane, meanwhile learning where the bus stops are located. We hopped on a bus, watched people board and exit, talked to the bus driver and discovered the route of County Connection 121. We disembarked to walk through a different town and just had fun along the way.

It was GREAT family time for my husband, daughter and I. We spent hours walking talking and getting much needed exercise. We enjoyed not having to stick to a rigid schedule. Not having a plan was the plan, and so was protecting the environment while saving a little money.

Celebrity Hypocrites, attention getters, or just plain misunderstood?

Saving the environment has become more of a stylish seasonal trend to celebrities than an actual life style for a good cause. It seems that if some celebrities are only claiming to go "Green" in order to be included in the "cool list" of people who are actually making efforts. Many may call these celebrities a bunch of hypocrites that pretend to care, but in fact the environment its the least of their worries. In a recent Daily Mail article, they featured a list of celebreties like Madonna, Brangelina (Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie), John Travolta, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, and Barba Straisand amongs the biggest ECO-hypocrites.

John Travolta: Everyone knows that he is very much involved in eco-friendly projects and groups. That he tries to make a change by speaking out about global warming, etc. But does showing your face in public events to convince the world that we are killing the planet makes it Okay for him to fly around in a private jet? Do you think he tries to make himself feel better about his contribution to pollution by being part of these eco-friendly groups/events? That his interest for GREEN is more of a personal interest then for his love for humanity?

Barbara Streisand: Famous singer catering to the older generation, known for her classic singing ways is also among the list of eco-passionate celebrities. Her involvement in environmentalism have put her back in the limelight. The diva's efforts are appreciated by her fans and the public. What Daily Mail pointed out that placed her in the hypocrite list was that she owns X number of mansions and not one of them having eco-friendly construction. She drives in limos everywhere, private jets, you name it. She is rich enough to afford some solar panels, drive hybrid cars and live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Critics ask her to practice what she preaches and really join the environmentalist by acting on it.

Madonna: She was part of the Live Earth condert last year. Because of her participation in this event, she has receive a lot of Boo's on behave of the green activists community. People call her a hypocrite for claiming to care for the environment by being part of this event. Yet in fact she is well known for buying exotic animal fur coats and having stock shares in Coporate companies that have a huge impact on the environment. Another article by Fox News said that for Madonna "Green means money, not environmentalism", they said how Modanna uses the eco-friendly card to get more cash in her bank. She was also featured in the "Green" issue of Vanity Fair 2008, hypocrite anyone? It just makes you wonder if in fact she really cares.

So the most eco-hypocrite award goes to....... The material girl, Madonna!!!!
I personally think she should of keep it real and not try to convince people that she actually cares about the environment, but thats just my opinion.

What do you think about celebrities being involved in Green efforts? What would you do if you were in those celebrity's shoes?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288295,00.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=564215&in_page_id=1773

Karla,