Saturday, September 09, 2006

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Don't flush medications down the drain!

Proper Use and Disposal of Medication

When prescription or over-the-counter drugs are thrown into the garbage, or flushed down the sink or toilet, their chemical components may be added to the water supply or soil. The presence of these substances in the environment is emerging as an important national and international issue. Although the concentration levels of these products in the environment is very low, they may be enough to cause adverse effects in the environment and to human health. There are also concerns over the effects of medications ending up in drinking water sources.

Please do not put pharmaceuticals down the drain or down the toilet. This includes any prescription or nonprescription substance intended to be swallowed, inhaled, injected, applied to the skin or eyes, or otherwise absorbed by the body.

ALTERNATIVES...

Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug recycling program that disposes of unused or expired drugs in an environmentally safe manner.

In limited cases, unused or expired pharmaceuticals can be returned to pharmacies for "take-back." This may be your best option if it is available to you. The household hazardous waste collection facilities in your area might accept home generated pharmaceuticals, it varies from municipality to municipality. Check with your local Household Hazardous Waste Program

At least once a year, go through your medicine cabinet and remove prescription drugs that are old or that you no longer take. Check the expiry dates on non-prescription drugs and remove those that are outdated as well. Take them all back to your pharmacy or to your municipal waste disposal depot.

Where to Dispose Lotions, Cosmetics, and Similar PPCPs

Ultimately, there is no such thing as throwing something away. When we "throw away" something, we really just put it somewhere else for long-term storage. In the case of lotions and cosmetics, and in the case of sharps and pharmaceuticals that we do not take back as described above, the best "somewhere else" to throw these items is your household trash, which in most cases will eventually find its way to a landfill. Landfills are the best place we currently know of for a household to put PPCPs for which the people in the home have no further use.

Why is this "innocent" chemical contamination a concern? Not only are humans affected by the increased resistance to antibacterial medications in the world of disease, but wildlife are also affected.

Frogs, fish and pharmaceuticals are a troubling brew—A number of aquatic and amphibian species are being exposed to small amounts of everything from Prozac to perfume to birth control pills that make their way into U.S. rivers and streams...

These contaminants are also entering our drinking water supplies. This contamination happens when medications are flushed or dumped into the water system versus being trashed in landfills in their solid state.

Friday, September 08, 2006

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Health care - audacious thoughts...

California HealthCare Foundation presents some interesting facts about health care that I was not aware of.
Chronic conditions are the major cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States, despite the fact that much is known about how to prevent chronic disease and delay or avoid many related complications. CHCF examines systematic and comprehensive approaches to caring for patients with chronic disease.

Diabetes and Asthma are two of our leading chronic diseases.

Asthma has environmental components that deserve a look and another thought or two when we realize that diesel pollution and automotive exhaust contribute significantly to asthma episodes.

Diabetes is linked to poor diet -- too much sugar, too many processed foods. Another social behavior affected by our attitude about quality food sourcing.

Patient Self-Management

Around 90 percent of the care a person needs to manage a chronic disease must come directly from the patient. Evidence is growing that self-management interventions, such as self-monitoring and decision making, lead not only to improvements in health outcomes and health status, but also to increased patient satisfaction and reductions in hospital and emergency room costs.

I've been puzzling over the "health insurance" dilemna -- and can't quite accept the logic that everyone needs health insurance, no matter how much it costs.

The source of my angst comes from the example of my parents. They lived a simple life on an organic farm until their children were reared. They then sold most of the farm and it was developed ... and they had a modest income that kept them in food and simple housing at home until they reached their 90s. At which time they both died at home, by their own choice.

That actually sounds like a good example for how to live, even in this day of exotic drugs and million dollar equipment.

Another lesson I learned, unintentionally, is that they were both ready to die several years before their time came. They had fulfilled their mission on earth, were looking forward to their spiritual home, and felt they had no place in society any longer. Sad, but real.

This "natural lifespan" philosophy appeals to me. With the escalating population, the earth really can't afford to have all of us live forever -- and we have to ask the simple question, "How much is enough?"

The related question for me is, "How much health care is enough?"

As I age, my joints hurt a little, my moods shift, my digestion isn't what it used to be...and so forth. But with the lure of medicine advertising and health insurance, I'm led to believe that can all be wiped away if I just have wonderful insurance to pay for expensive tests and medications and follow up visits and more tests and another round for the next symptom of aging.

And we can work 50 and 60 hours a week to pay for all this testing. Does it occur to anyone else that maybe all this stress is part of what causes the aches and pains? Maybe living a simple life and tolerating a few aches and pains and accepting a normal lifespan is a realistic alternative to this merchandising madness.

The pressures to believe otherwise are very strong. I shutter as I write this. Even though, in my heart, I believe that simplicity and moderation are valuable and desirable, saying it outloud is heresy in the modern, urban, body perfect world.

There. I've said it. :-) I think I'll go have a walk in a park and forget about medicines and miracle cures for a few hours!

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Green Restaurants...how innovation can make green practical

Small Business California reports a variety of innovative green equipment features that can help improve reliability, and performance and profitability.

  • LED instrumentation lowers heat build-up -- which makes the refrigeration compressor work less and extends life. And reduces energy use.

  • Better wall insulation for compressors also extend life of the equipment...etc.

  • Better ramp up times on insulated hot food holding cabinets reduces energy use.

  • Better door gasket designs improve energy performance and provide longer gasket life. Cost savings.

  • Better insulation in ice bins means less melting and water use. Larger bins allow producing ice during off peak times. Energy and cost savings.

    Innovative design needs to identify and target specific performance hogs...and find simple solutions. Knowing how people work helps identify those innovation opportunities.

    Government subsidies and rebates to improve energy performance also help drive innovation. As old equipment is replaced with better equipment, manufacturers are able to afford the cost of continual research and development.

    We all work together ... business IS a natural system that benefits from a sustainable flow.

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    Who's in charge? Who is leading whom?

    California's Climate Action Team was formed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005 to coordinate strategy. The Governor directed the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate with the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture, Secretary of the Resources Agency, Chairperson of the Air Resources Board, Chairperson of the Energy Commission and President of the Public Utilities Commission .

    The goal for the Climate Action team is to implement global warming emission reduction programs and report on the progress made toward meeting the statewide greenhouse gas targets that were established in the executive order.

    The Executive Order established greenhouse gas targets:

    * By 2010, Reduce to 2000 Emission Levels
    * By 2020, Reduce to 1990 Emission Levels
    * By 2050, Reduce to 80 percent Below 1990 Levels

    Although there is some uncertainty about exactly how and when the earth's climate will respond to increasing concentrations of climate change emissions, observations--in conjunction with climate models--indicate that detectable changes are underway. These observed changes go beyond a global mean rise in temperature and include changes in regional temperature extremes, precipitation, soil moisture, and sea level. All of these changes could have significant adverse effects on
    water resources and ecological systems, as well as on human health and the economy. Implementation of precautionary and proactive measures is imperative if climate change emissions are to be reduced and communities are to adapt successfully to the adverse impacts.
    More than 15,000 comments were filed about the draft report. Some of the responses from nonprofits, government agencies, and associations are included on the website www.climatechange.ca.gov.

    Some of the supporting comments came from:

    Los Angeles Community College District -- who states that they have "taken leadership to invest in green buildings, clean, efficient and renewable emergy, and energy efficiency educational programs for our students. the LACCD Board of Trustees adopted two policies in 2001 effectively creating the largest sustainable development program in the world at the time. The first policy directed that the planned 44 new buidings to be bult under the District's local bond initiative be built to LEED standards. The second poicy directed that each of the nine campuses of the district have at least 10% of their energy generated from clean and renewable energy sources..."

    Interesting... here's more from the LA Community College District:

    the District has created for each campus: 1) a new efficient and clean central utility plant, 2) a minimum energy demand profile based on extensive retrofits to achive maxiumum efficiency and energy conservation, and 3) a 1MW solar/photovoltaic sysem to, in essence, take the colleges off the power grid.

    Hmmm....very interesting!

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    Bring Our $30 Billion Back Home to California

    Global Warming and Jobs...NRDC's a two page summary of the reason and way to bring our energy expenditures back home and reinvest in California's future.

    Every year, Californians send about $30 billion out of the state to purchase fossil fuels, including oil, natural gas and coal, the primary sources of the state’s global warming pollution. On average, that means that every California household sends $2,500 directly out of the state every year. Reducing global warming pollution with solutions such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, smart growth, and improved transit will bring that money back home to reinvest in our communities.


    I've watched the languishing and anguishing efforts of dedicated people working to improve community health issues such as urban runoff, indoor pollutants, open space, and alternatives to the car culture -- and I believe that it will take a statewide committment to finding alternatives on both a business and personal level to make the promise of this new economy happen.

    I'm glad to see that our lawmakers are also seeing the need to make clean living, clean working feasible. To give us a level, green playing field. Three hurrahs! Now, let's get back to work!

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    Clean technology will be California's next hightech economy

    Environmental Entrepreneurs has gathered background and related publications that lay out the promise of the new "green house gas reduction targets" in California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.


    First the Cloud


    Carbon dioxide and other air pollution collects in the atmosphere, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm. Scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century, leading to undesirable climatic, biodiversity and public health consequences. Effects such as warmer winters, longer wet seasons and changing ocean temperatures could have serious impacts on such American industries as tourism/recreation, agriculture and fishing. E2 contributed to the passage of California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and will continue to work on its implementation.

    Second, the Silver Lining


    Economists have found that limiting California’s global warming pollution to 1990 levels by 2020 will provide tens of thousands of new jobs for residents of the Golden State, while saving families and businesses billions of dollars. Today, California sends $30 billion out of the state every year to buy fossil fuels, the primary cause of our global warming pollution; this means that on average $2,500 from every California household is leaving the state. We can break that addiction and bring our money back home to invest in clean technologies, providing jobs and economic benefits for Californians. And by acting soon to limit global warming pollution, California can provide a clear market signal to spur entrepreneurs to deploy clean technologies. Leading the clean technology revolution will be the next hightech economy fueling California’s prosperity for decades to come. (According to the NRDC).



    What jobs will be created? Living clean takes work. Just ask the rural nurses of the early 19th century who worked hard to bring food safety and hygien practices to rural America. Ask mothers and fathers who nurture infants into adults. Good work is hard work.

    And in the economic sector, good work is also hard work. The Clean Air Act in 1970 set the stage for the hard work of removing harmful air pollution emissions from power platns, cars and factories. It took 130,000 people do do the cleanup.

    And today, because of that hard, early, innovative work, America has a global leadership position in the air pollution control industry.

    Good work -- hard work pays off in many ways and for many years.

    According to the NRDC, "No market exists in California today for clean technologies that reduce global warming pollution because the pollution can be emitted without charge. An enforceab le limit on global warming pollution will provide clear market incentives to reduce pollution, unleashing California's world-famous entrepreneurs to pursue clean technologies."

    Come on, California -- The work has just begun!

    Thursday, September 07, 2006

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    10th Annual Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network Conference

    10th Annual WRPPN Conference
    October 10-12, 2006


    The WRPPN network members are committed and enthusiastic about protecting the environment, enhancing small business competitiveness, and ensuring a clean, productive future for our children as they ever have been. This event is the chief forum for regional P2 programs to meet and discuss the major issues affecting the Western Region. The goal at this conference is to provide all attendees and presenters an outstanding opportunity to improve their knowledge, increase their contacts, and to participate in a productive network. The high caliber technical and training sessions will give you the most up-to-date information available in the region and give you an opportunity to meet your colleagues from our region.

    10th Annual WRPPN Conference

    October 10-12, 2006

    Double Tree Hotel

    7450 Hazard Center Drive

    San Diego, CA 92108

    Tel: 1-800-222-TREE (8733) or 1-619-297-5466

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    Hertz launches fuel-efficient, "green car" rentals

    PARK RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 7, 2006 - Hertz is launching a new collection of fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars, that can be reserved by specific make and model, with an EPA highway rating of 28 miles per gallon.

    The Hertz Green Collection features Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Buick LaCrosse and Hyundai Sonata. Most of the Camrys, Fusions and LaCrosses also carry EPA's SmartWay certification, indicating lower emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

    The Green Collection cars can be reserved by visiting the Company's webpage: Hertz.com, by calling Hertz at 1-800-654-3131 or by calling travel agents.

    SmartWay-certified vehicles receive high marks from the U.S. EPA for limiting both air pollution and greenhouse gases, in addition to providing impressive gas mileage. According to the EPA, "Vehicles that receive this designation are very good environmental performers relative to other vehicles."

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    California Nutrition for students receive "golden carrot" awards

    Golden Carrot awards go to food service professionals who approach child nutrition in an innovative way that encourages children to eat more healthfully. The winning programs feature low-fat meals; encourage kids to eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; provide vegetarian or vegan menu items; respect cultural diversity; offer non-dairy alternatives, and foster community partnerships.

    Winners include foodservice directors in Berkeley (CA), East Hampton (NY), Fairfax (VA), and Los Angeles.

    LA's award went to Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a district funded charter school.

    The Los Angeles Leadership Academy is a social-justice based charter middle school serving 195 students in grades 6-8. The school opened in 2002 and will continue to add students and grades over the next three years.

    Located in inner-city Los Angeles, the school serves one of the city’s most diverse districts. The population is 75 percent Latino, 14 percent African American, and 9 percent Asian American. The school’s mission is to prepare urban secondary students to succeed in college and on chosen career paths, to live fulfilling, self-directed lives, and to become effective leaders in the community.

    Boccato has set high nutritional standards—and it shows in the three meals she and her staff serve each day:

    • All menus consist of fresh vegetables and do not include sugar, refined flour, or sodas. Boccato uses only whole grains, such as brown rice.
    • Hydrogenated oils are not used. The food is never prepackaged, and the Los Angeles Leadership Academy may be the only school in the district that prepares food fresh daily.
    • Children are discouraged from bringing outside foods into the classroom, and they do not have access to vending machines.
    • Boccato has implemented a Farm-to-School program that allows her to provide fresh fruit and vegetables daily while supporting local low-income farmers. Early mornings also find Boccato patrolling local markets, where she purchases the fresh fruits and vegetables that appear on the daily salad bar, which has substantially increased the number of students who eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
    • Every day, the school’s menu offers at least one non-dairy vegetarian item, such as veggie chili. Vegetarian soups are prepared several times per week. Students may also select healthy, tasty options from the salad bar, such as tofu or beans, in addition to many different fruits and vegetables.
    • For those students who do not drink milk, juice is available

    Boccato understands that developing healthy eating habits in children requires more than just providing healthful foods. She and her staff also offer nutrition education and help students engage with the community:

    • She has organized field trips to local farms to connect children with their agricultural heritage.
    • Several Ethnic Food Days are also organized each year. For these events, a chef comes to the school to teach kids about healthy ethnic cooking.
    • The school has implemented a program to teach and train students’ parents about food handling, safety and preparation. Some parents are then employed the school’s food service, where they receive a living wage, benefits, and a life-long skill.
    • Boccato has also pioneered a partnership with the Nutrition Network, which has provided a grant for nutrition education and hands-on learning to students. As part of the program, 70 nutrition classes are offered each year. Students learn about cooking, coffee can gardening, understanding food labels, and safe food handling. Many of the classes are offered in Spanish and involve the student’s parents.

    Wednesday, September 06, 2006

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    Drought affects soil: Learning from the world...Germany

    California has suffered one on its longest droughts in recent years, so it is important to understand how our fertile agricultural regions have been affected. By understanding the stress put on the soil, we can understand more about global warming's coming impact...and how to research soil recovery in the near term to protect agricultural productivity.

    Europe, too, has suffered recent droughts. They are researching how soil has been affected, and how that affects the common chemicals absorbed and cleansed by agricultural soils and natural systems.

    Pesticides and soil...how do they interact after a drought?

    Soils lose ability to self-clean after drought, study finds (7 September 2006)

    Drought greatly reduces the natural ability of soils to degrade pesticides, a research study has found, suggesting the chemicals are more likely to accumulate as the climate becomes drier.

    Scientists took the commonly used herbicide isoproturon as a 'model substance for pesticides' and studied its degradation in soils near Munich, Germany, over a period of nine years, looking closely at the effects of weather conditions on the degradation process.

    While the microbial communities living in the soils degraded the herbicide very efficiently in conditions of normal humidity, the droughts of 2003 and 2006 the process had practically stopped in the top soil, the study found.

    Under normal conditions, 60% of the pesticide was gone two months after being applied, but during the drought of 2003 the degradation capacity of the soil dropped dramatically.

    The drought made the number of microorganisms in the soil drop and changed their composition - the bacteria that degrade isoproturon had practically disappeared from the top soil.

    The effect is likely to spread as droughts become increasingly common in a warming climate. "For very badly damaged soils the deliberate introduction of suitable microorganisms might be a possibility." Dr Schroll (the head researcher) predicted.

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    Tercel - first new fabric in 30 years -- and sustainable to boot?

    Of The Earth designs and markets clothing that allows people to live simply while dressing in style and comfort. The Bend, Oregon company is a leading developer of environmentally sustainable fabrics, having introduced new blends of organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool, ramie, linen, tencel, soy, bamboo, yak and cashmere. The company is establishing a new industry standard by seeking organic certification of all fibers used in its entire product line. Of The Earth currently has third-party USDA and IFOAM organic certification on soy, linen and cotton.

    Of The Earth garments and accessories are available worldwide under the company's brand name and a growing number of private labels. Of The Earth donates ten percent of its net profits to the Of The Earth Foundation in support of grass-roots environmental and humanitarian causes worldwide.

    But...what is Tencel?

    According to NewFibers.com Tencl is the first new fiber in over 30 years. TENCEL has been called this century's greatest advancement in fiber technology.

    Lyocell is produced from cellulose, the main material in plant cells, and constitutes a new fibre for clothing, hygiene, medical and technical applications. The production process for Lyocell is environmentally friendly -- the fibre has all the advantages of a natural material and is 100% bio-degradable.

    I got so excited when I read about this new fabric so, of course, I researched further and found this article at Organicclothing.blogs.com that says, "Sustainable but not necessarily healthy."

    Organic_Clothing brings us a thorough overview of this new "Tencel" fabric.

    Tencel(R) has gained favorable acceptance within the mainstream fashion industry and also in the eco-fashion industry as being a natural fiber that has a flattering drape and is soft, luxurious, breathable, naturally wrinkle-resistant, and environmentally sustainable.

    But fabric processes go one step further. After the slurry is made it must be turned into that flat sheet we call fabric. While production of lyocell fibers is generally eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable, the process of turning lyocell fibers into fabric and garments can use many of the same harsh, and even toxic, chemicals and processes used in conventional garments.

    Dyes in particular can be difficult to use with Lyocell fibers -- so the chemical processes used to color the fabric might not be so eco-friendly.

    Read more about this process and make up your own mind about the level of sustainability these products deliver with their finished products.

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    The Golden Carrot for School Lunch Programs

    The Golden Carrot for School Lunch Programs

    Nutrition in schools is big business. With approximately 15% of our population under the age of 18, and the majority of those children eating at least one meal and a snack away from home ... schools have become restaurants as well as educators. The social impact of school lunch programs is enormous. Not only is the health of the children at stake, but the long arm of food production is affected by which foods are selected and how they are prepared. Both processes can affect the sustainability of our communities and natural resources.


    Take a look at these two case studies, these two award winning school nutrition programs in California and think about how school nutrition programs can support local organic food systems, high efficiency cooling and food prep equipment, and the health care system that benefits from healthy families.


    The Golden Carrot Awards for Healthy School Lunches


    The Golden Carrot Awards presented by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine go to food service professionals who approach child nutrition in an innovative way that encourages children to eat more healthfully. The winning programs feature low-fat meals; encourage kids to eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; provide vegetarian or vegan menu items; respect cultural diversity; offer non-dairy alternatives, and foster community partnerships.

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    2006 Summit on emerging technologies in energy efficiency

    2006 Summit on emerging technologies in energy efficiency will be held October 26-27, 2006 in Long Beach, CA

    The Summit will bring together a diverse audience of policy makers, program planners and implementers, researchers, technology developers, financiers, manufacturers and end users to discuss the latest innovations in energy-efficient technologies and practices.

    The Summit will highlight key policy considerations at the state and national level, explore the role of various players in advancing markets for emerging technologies, and investigate channels for financing technology development and commercialization. A number of promising technologies and practices will also be introduced.

    ENERGY STAR and Golden Carrot Programs will be strategized.

    ...and Technologies and Practices will be examined:

    Some are new, sexy applications...

  • LED Lighting
  • Daylighting

    And many are standard applications that need new approaches...

  • Commercial HVAC
  • Wireless Building Controls
  • Data Centers
  • Commissioning and Retrocommissioning
  • New Commercial Buildings
  • New Homes
  • Residential HVAC
  • Residential Hot Water
  • Industrial Processes
  • Energy Storage Technologies for Peak Load Reduction
  • Demand Response: Enabling Technologies for the Customer
  • Demand Response: Meter-to-Grid Technologies
  • Water and Energy

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    US lags in energy efficiency

    The need for innovation and conservation continues to grow as the US GDP lags the rest of the world. Industrial applications still hos the energy resources, but consumers buy many of those products. For example: refigerators and air conditioners in both industrial and residential locations are still highly inefficient. Maybe sweat isn't as bad as we were led to believe! :-)
    Even after three decades of progress, an average American still consumes six times more energy than the average person in the rest of the world.

    CNN reports that the US is behind in energy conservation.

    Since the 1970s, per capita U.S. gross domestic product has grown far more quickly than energy use. "We're roughly half of where we were 30 years ago, in terms of BTUs per dollar of GDP," says Bill Prindle, deputy director of the Washington-based American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a non-profit group.

    Refrigerators are three times as efficient as comparable 1980 models. Air conditioners are twice as efficient. Compact fluorescent light bulbs save money and electricity, too.

    Of course, another big factor has helped as well - the shift from a manufacturing to a service economy. Making software requires less energy than making steel.

    Yet the rest of the developed world is much more efficient than we are, according to a UN report that attempts to measure energy efficiency across different economies. The U.S generated 4.4 units of GDP for each kilogram of oil, behind Australia (4.8 GDP units) Germany (6.2), Japan (6.4) and the UK (6.6). Ahead of them all is tiny, frugal Denmark (8.1)

    The EU's 25 nations managed to generate about $12.1 trillion in GDP in 2004, more than the U.S.'s $11.6 trillion, while using 22 percent less energy, according to the World Resources Institute's Earth Trends project.

    Tuesday, September 05, 2006

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    Sizzling media for sustainable living

    Opportunities to read about, and submit your marketing message to media concentrating on sustainable living and communities are beginning to blossom. Here are a few:

    The Lazy Environmentalist with Josh Dorfman, Vivavi founder offers not only a website, but Sirius satellite and Lime radio interviews.

    Body and Soul Magazinededicated to giving readers the tools they need to keep body and soul together as they live their natural, active, informed, and balanced whole lives, and Host of the Body & Soul Hour on Martha Stewart Living Radio.

    Natural Home offers today's health-conscious, environmentally concerned homeowners information they need to practice earth-inspired living. This bimonthly magazine and website feature sustainable, healthy homes, decorating tips, and the latest green products and services.

    Grist is the granddaddy of green media They say, "We butter the vegetables! And add salt! And strain metaphors!" The spotlight trends, tell stories and throw brickbats or bestow kudos as they see fit. Grist is a nonprofit org with contributors scattered around the world. As they say, their website and email services are free --"and worth every penny." :-)

    Vivavi, Modern Green Living Home Directory coming September 1, 2006. Connect with green interior designers, architects, builders, contractors and realtors. Locate luxury green apartments and condos, prefab homes and new residential developments.

    Stay tuned, we'll bring you more media opportunities as they come to our fingertips.

    Sunday, September 03, 2006

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    California's rocky road to innovative energy progress

    California'snew legislation to cut emissions substantially, will feature a mixture of mandatory regulations, incentives and market-based mechanisms, including a so-called cap-and-trade system that will allow companies to buy and sell carbon-emission allowances. The California Air Resources Board has until 2009 to draft regulations, which would become mandatory in 2012.

    The California plan, which won final legislative approval Thursday but which still faces a battle in the courts before it can take effect, calls for a 25 percent cut in emissions of carbon dioxide by 2020. It envisions controls on some of the largest industrial groups including utilities and oil refineries.


    With all the scientific research and communications supporting the concern about global warming, does anyone else think we're moving awfully slow about taking substantive action?

    I understand how hard it is...and will be. On the other hand, do we realize how hard life will be if we DON'T do everything we can from this day forth?

    The case studies being reported about innovative ways to save energy are blowing me away. Simple things like having the cleaning crew work during the day rather than burning lights all night long. And having the entire crew work on one floor at a time rather than spreading out. The results not only save electricity, but actually are more human hours for the workers and also promote communciation with the office workers.

    Such simple steps. Such significant results. How many more simple ideas can we implement if we put our heart into it?

    Let the political players go to court. Let's get busy doing the common sense work that the common folk have always done. Let's use our heart and our experience and our hands to make life better for our families and friends.

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    Will ocean energy replace fossil fuels?

    New projects seeking ways to use the ocean's thermal energy, tidal power and wave action are under way from Maine to Oregon to Hawaii in the United States and Europe. Ocean power is still in its infancy, but some commercial projects on a small scale are being implemented.

    A variety of technologies are being researched and tested.

    Ocean thermal power plants, which generate electricity from the temperature difference between the tropics' warm surface water and deep cold water, could be built on land in several hundred areas around the globe's equatorial zones and also could be constructed as floating plants.

    The idea is that hydrogen from ocean water could be produced in such scale that it is the only enegy source large enough to replace fossil fuels in our future.

    A recent study by Electric Power Research Institute has indicated good locations in California, as well as Maine, Alaska and Washington,for tidal power generation.

    To learn more about ocean power's potential, check out the full article "Interest in ocean power resurges" in The Honolulu Advertiser

    And "Ocean Energy Basics" from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory gives a great overview of ocean sourcing for energy.



    Energy Information Administration:

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory:

    Electric Power Research Institute on ocean energy:

    OCEES International Inc.:

    Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority:

    Ocean Power Technologies:

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