A Green Eyed View - green ideas and advice

Spring of Sustainability

I'm writing to let you know about a FREE online series of events that can inspire you to live a greener, healthier, more spacious life and transform any frustration you may feel about the state of our planet.

It’s called the Spring of Sustainability, and it features more than 100 pioneers of sustainability - Jane Goodall, Ed Begley Jr., Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Vandana Shiva, John Robbins, Hazel Henderson, to name a few - who will share the most cutting-edge insights and tools for creating a sustainable and thriving world.

Learn more at this link: http://springofsustainability.com

This 3-month series of virtual and live events starts on March 26th. Each weekday, you'll have the chance to listen in and learn from an inspiring sustainability leader via your phone line or computer, or access the replays at a time more convenient for you. There's still time to become a part of the Spring of Sustainability.

 

US Department of Labor's Women's Bureau releases guide to help women prepare for, find and succeed in 'green' jobs

Clean energy economy offers women untapped employment opportunities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of “Why Green is Your Color: A Woman’s Guide to a Sustainable Career,” which is designed to help women find and keep higher paying jobs in the clean energy economy.

The online publication, available at http://www.dol.gov/wb/Green_Jobs_Guide, will help workers learn about a range of in-demand and emerging jobs, as well as job training opportunities and career development tools, in the clean energy economy. The guide also serves as a resource for workforce

Clean energy economy offers women untapped employment opportunities

development professionals, training providers, educators, career counselors and women’s advocacy organizations.

“Many occupations in the clean energy economy remain virtually untapped by women,” said Sara Manzano-Díaz, director of the Women’s Bureau. “This guide is an invaluable resource that workforce professionals can use to help women transition into higher paying jobs that serve as a pathway into the middle class. It is also a tool to help fight job segregation.”

The guide is an outcome of nationwide roundtables at which leaders from the public and private sectors discussed opportunities for women in the clean energy economy. These conversations revealed that an overall lack of awareness and information about nontraditional jobs was a significant challenge to women hoping to succeed in this marketplace. Information about the roundtables is available at http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/green.htm.

Additional resources to help women succeed in nontraditional and emerging job sectors are available by contacting the Women’s Bureau at 202-693-6710 or visiting its Web pages at http://www.dol.gov/wb.

The Women’s Bureau, established by Congress in 1920, is the only federal agency designated to represent the needs of working women. Today, the bureau’s goal is to empower all working women to achieve economic security by preparing them for higher paying jobs, ensuring fair compensation, promoting workplace flexibility and helping homeless women veterans reintegrate into the workforce.

Get Perks. Do Good.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Thanks for your support through 2011. We look forward to working with you in 2012 because we both know Home Health Matters.

HealthyHome.com is happy to announce our partnership with The Mutual. Check out our “perk”when you do good.

The Mutual is a social enterprise designed to help individuals and businesses live and operate more sustainably by connecting them to non-profits in an incentive based model.

You can donate money and get rewarded or spend money on a deal and have it go to charity. Either way It’s a win for you and the planet.

They call it Profitable Activism.

Join us at http://www.themutual.com/.

You donate as little as $10 / month to join the community.

Select the environmental charity you want your donation to go toward.

Get unlimited access to Perks provided by Partner Businesses.

Their Mission is to align the interests of businesses and people as a means of change to create a better world.

Perks and Positive Environmental Impact. Win Win!!

Species Finder Android App from the Center for Biological Diversity

My new favorite website (and you know that changes fast) is http://www.biologicaldiversity.org. At the Center for Biological Diversity you’ll find everything you need to know about their work to save threatened species of animals, plants and their habitats.

What started as a discovery of a rare Mexican spotted owl nest in an old-growth tree slated to be harvested by the lumber industry and the subsequent action to save them has grown into an international organization that regularly protects our biological diversity all over the planet.

Go check them out. You’ll be amazed at their accomplishments. Help out where you can also.

Now as a bonus for being such a conscientious citizen they have developed an Android App called “Species Finder”. With this app you can find endangered species wherever you are in a couple of clicks. Did I mention it’s FREE? Download it here and stay up to date no matter where you go. Here’s the link to the FREE Species Finder App - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cbd. It’s also available through the Center’s website, www.biologicaldiversity.org.

Stop Paying Cable Bills

How to Get Thousands of TV Channels on Your PC… And Never Pay Another Monthly Bill Again

In today’s rocky economic climate, most households are cutting back wherever they can. And with cable and satellite television costing anywhere from $65- $150 a month (more if you count premium movie channels) many people are making their television sets the first part of their homes to get the axe. But what if there was a way to enjoy thousands of television channels, including hard to find international shows and sports programming, and never pay another monthly cable bill again? This green idea is all about saving the green.

Welcome to Satellite Direct- the future of television.

With no subscription services or monthly bills, no hardware to install, and 24/7 unlimited access, is it any wonder that Internet Media Magazine hailed Satellite Direct as “unequivocally the best TV to PC software on the net”? Don’t be fooled by other so called “Great Deals” on satellite television service for your PC that give you only limited access to channels, or have dozens of hidden fees that end up costing you more than your current cable service.

For less than the price of one month’s subscription cable or satellite service, you can enjoy a lifetime of television- over 3,500 channels!- from the convenience of your laptop or desktop. And forget the hassles of waiting for installation, or hours on hold with the cable company. Installing Satellite Direct is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Register - Answer a few simple questions, and our easy registration system will process your ONE TIME payment. That’s right, no monthly bills- ever.

2. Download - Follow the easy, on screen instructions to download our software. No hardware to install, no equipment to buy.

3. Watch and Enjoy - Sit back and enjoy thousands of television channels, from soaps and sports to movies and dramas, any time, day or night.

With crystal clear picture and sound quality, exceptional customer service, and a lifetime of television for less than you’d pay for just one month of cable service, Satellite Direct is the best way to get the most for your TV dollar.

I love LucyPhone

Never wait on hold again. You waste so much time when the company you are trying to call puts you on hold. Switching to speaker phone and laying the phone down does allow you to get on with your life but you’re still on hold and you’re still listening to whatever nonsense they think is cool.

 

But now there is the option for no more astonishingly bad Muzak.  No more high blood pressure while listening to insincere lies about how important your call is to that impersonal call center thousands of miles away. No more cell phone dead batteries because all their customer care agents are assisting other callers. LucyPhone to the rescue and just in time.

 

 Sign up for free at LucyPhone.com and then when you place all your important 800 number calls, Lucy waits on hold until that elusive agent is available. When the company you are calling finally gets free to talk with you Lucy calls you back and voila’ you’re taking care of business.

 

It’s simple and free. Just take a minute to register and then when you need to get some business done, go ahead and make that call. Use the company's phone menu just as you normally would. Get put on hold? Press ** and your phone will be disconnected but Lucy will stay on the line. Once a live agent is on the line, Lucy will call you back immediately and connect you both. Get put on hold again, just press ** again!

 

They already have a list of companies who are registered with them but if you don’t see the company you need to contact, add them to their growing list.

 

I know patience is a virtue but waiting on hold is a waste of time and I’m not going to do it anymore. I love LucyPhone.

 

 

 

Watch the video

LucyPhone from Decogram Corporation on Vimeo.

Make Your Blog Carbon Neutral for FREE

My blog is Carbon Neutral and it was easy and free. It doesn’t get much better than this. Is your blog CO2 neutral? Follow the easy steps below and you can make it so.

 

How much carbon dioxide does your blog create?

According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). This can mainly be tracked back to the immense energy usage from (mainframe) computers, servers, and their cooling systems.

Does your blog have more than 15,000 visitors a month? Just e-mail us at CO2-neutral@kaufda.de. We make sure we neutralise your blog too.

 

How much carbon dioxide does a tree absorb?

Unfortunately, no precise answer is possible. The carbon dioxide absorption of a tree can differ a lot. The amount of carbon dioxide that a tree can absorb depends on the type of tree, light exposure, length of the vegetation period, latitude, water balance, and the soil conditions.

There are many different calculations for the saving potential of a tree. The assumed values vary between 10 and 30kg (20 and 70lb.) for a tree each year. It is certain however, that in its first two to three years a tree absorbs relatively little carbon dioxide. In the growth phase following this, the absorption rate increases rapidly. During this time, the tree safes a considerable amount of carbon dioxide. The absorption rate decrease again from the age of 18.

 

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assumes a yearly absorption of one tree of approximately 10kg (20lb.) carbon dioxide emissions. “Make it green”, the environmental programme of kaufDA, is using a yearly absorption value of 5kg (11lb.) for its “My blog is carbon neutral” initiative. This is a very conservative calculation, ensuring that the neutralisation of each blog is achieved.

 

One tree neutralises the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog

As demonstrated in the above calculation, the atmosphere can be relieved by an average of 5kg (11lb.) carbon dioxide every year by planting one tree. An average blog causes 3.6kg (8lb.) of carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, a tree neutralises the carbon dioxide emissions of a blog. Since a tree lives for an average of 50 years, carbon dioxide emissions of your blog can be completely neutralised for this time period.

So, are you ready? Follow the steps below and you’ve got the right to brag that your blog is carbon nuetral too.

 

Just a few easy steps to make it green:

1. Write a blog post about the initiative + insert your favourite button
2. E-mail the link to your post to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de
3. We plant a tree for your blog in Plumas’!

Click the button below to make your blog Carbon neutral too