HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May your new year's eve be memorable and 2008 bring you peace, love and joy.

Sincerely,
Us@sponsible.org

O CHRISTMAS TREE BLUES

So Christmas has come and gone and you're faced with your annual dilemma–when to take down the tree and what to do with it. While we can't help you with the first half of your problem we can give you sponsible choices for the second.

The National Christmas Tree Association (Yes, there really is one) can provide you not just with myriad facts and figures relating to Christmas trees and the "treecycling" of them (see below), but a simple resource for finding a tree recycling service in your area.

Just enter your zip code in this nifty search engine, courtesy of earth911.org and let the tree continue to give its gifts long after its life and the Christmas season have ended.

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>>>RECYCLE YOUR TREE NOW<<<

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Treecycling

Treecycling is the act of recycling your Christmas trees so that they can be turned into compost or mulch. These trees contain valuable nutrients that can be used in other capacities. Before we learn more about the benefits of treecycling, here are some fun facts about Christmas trees:

• There are approximately 30-35 million real Christmas trees sold in North America every year.
• Approximately 175,000 real Christmas trees are sold via e-commerce or catalog and shipped mail-order.
• North-American real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. Eighty-five percent of artificial trees are manufactured in China.
• Real Christmas trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics.
• For every real Christmas tree harvested, up to three seedlings are planted in its place the following spring.
• There are about 500,000 acres in production for growing Christmas trees. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
• There are about 21,000 Christmas Tree growers in North America, and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry.
• It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (six feet), but the average growing time is seven years.
• The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
• The top selling Christmas trees are: balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine, and white pine.

Christmas Tree Recycling Facts

In a national survey, 93 percent of consumers who used a real Christmas tree recycled theirs in some type of community program.

Christmas trees are recycled for five main types of large-scale uses for post-harvest trees. These are:

1. Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
2. Beachfront erosion prevention
3. Lake and river shoreline stabilization
4. Fish habitat
5. River delta sedimentation management

   

Today around 98 percent of real Christmas trees are grown on farms throughout all 50 states and Canada. Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource, and real trees are planted to be harvested just as corn and/or pumpkins are cultivated for a harvest.

For each real Christmas tree harvested, up to three new seedlings are planted in its place, depending on farm size and current field rotation. Young trees in their rapid growth years have a high rate of photosynthesis and thus produce more oxygen than older trees.

This year, over 60 million new seedlings were planted by Christmas tree farmers all over North America.

Source:
National Christmas Tree Association

HEY YOU! GET SPONSIBLE!

By now you probably get the idea behind sponsible. It's about taking action while others sit on their hands. Sponsible people take every opportunity they can to inform, inspire and make positive change. Whether it's at a grocery store, in the office, or in our homes we're always poised to see solutions where others see problems; make change where stasis rules.

As we enter the last day of 2007 and roll into a bright new year we'd like to ask you to consider making one of your resolutions (along with getting to the gym and sticking with your diet) a sponsible one. What do we mean? Glad you asked. Here are a few examples:

1. I will speak up
Say, you're chowing down at your local Denny's (this is hypothetical, remember) and the waitress drops you a stack of 10 napkins with your meal. Even if you don't use nine of the napkins odds are they'll end up in the trash. Immediately hand nine back to her and let her know your fondness for trees. Hit her with a stat like, "If everyone in the United States used an average of one fewer napkin per day, we'd save a stack of napkins as big as the Empire State Building from going into landfills." Everyone loves stats like that.

2. I will lead with my actions
You're in the office kitchen one Monday morning, heating up your Hot Pocket (hypothetical...) when you notice the stack of plastic soda bottles bulging over the top of the garbage bin. Chagrined over the thought of the growing mountain of recyclables that will never be recycled, you remember that your company has no such policy in place.

You head back to your cubicle and Google "plastic bottle recycling" and find a recycler just blocks from your office. They send you a free bin, signs and stickers and by the end of the week your office has a recycling program.

3. I will directly affect the lives of those in need
You're going into your local supermarket when you see a donation container on the counter. The proprietor tells you that the family of one of the clerks lost their home in a fire. He, his wife and two young daughters are living with family, trying to pick up the pieces on a grocer's salary.

The container is halfway filled with change, a few singles and a lone five dollar bill. You had plans to spend about $100 in groceries that day. Instead you get by with $50, stop by the mall and get a couple of toys and a $30 mall gift card, which you bring back to the supermarket the next day.

4. I will extend myself
You know that senior center the next town over? Did you know it's full of interesting people with fascinating stories who rarely get the chance to share them? Stop by one Saturday morning and makes someone's week, not to mention your own.

5. I will be heard
Let us know how you get sponsible. Share your ideas with the world so that your good intentions have the chance to multiply over and again, by way of fellow sponsible readers. Being sponsible means being heard, seen and felt. Don't let 2008 go by without letting someone know, in some way, that you truly care.

Happy New Year!

Terra Firms

Ever wonder just how big is your carbon footprint? Actually, let's back it up a step: Ever wonder what a carbon footprint is? No? Regardless, the term "Carbon footprint" refers to the amount of CO2 you release into the atmosphere throughout your life, not including breathing of course. What this does include is travel, both auto and air, electricity, fuel, and even things like clothing and food. The UK site Carbonfootprint.com illustrates a breakdown of a typical person's carbon footprint in a simple pie chart.

Now that you know what a carbon footprint is, it's time to find out just how big is yours. In this instance, bigger is definitely not better. To find how much carbon you're responsible for emitting into the atmosphere each year you can go to Terrapass.com, or for any Brits reading this, stick with Carbonfootprint.com.

Once you know the size of your carbon footprint you can assuage your guilty eco-conscience and help some worthy causes by offsetting it. Both sites provide an ingenious solution for effectively neutralizing your impact, by selling something called carbon offsets. And much like Sweden, your neutrality will make you the envy of neighboring countries, or at least your eco-conscious neighbors.

We recently purchased a year of carbon offsets for only $29.95 to neutralize the environmental impact of our new Honda Civic Hybrid through Terrapass. In addition to paying down our carbon debt we also get a neat sticker that will signify our car as being carbon neutral. As if having a hybrid wasn't cool enough!

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Places to offset your carbon footprint:

Terrapass.com
Carbonfootprint.com
Begreennow.com
Standard Carbon
DriveNeutral.org
e-BlueHorizons
Carbonfund.org - nonprofit
AtmosClear Climate Club
Plant-a-tree-today.org

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Ed Begley Jr. explains the concepts of carbon footprint and buying carbon offsets:

Suggested Reading

As we straddle the period between Christmas and e Year's we find ourselves, for once, with a bit o' spare time. Not much, mind you, but maybe just enough to catch up on some of the reading we meant to do over the past year.

If we may be so bold, we'd like to offer a few suggestions, from a list of books we're currently doing our best to open (in between blogging and making trips to the recycling center):

LIVING GREEN: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
This is the book we wish we'd written. Former GNC honcho Greg Horn compiled the information in this book based on his own experiences with chemical insensitivities, a belief in the vegetarian lifestyle and a keen interest in leaving the world a better place than the way he found it. Clocking in at a sleek 172 pages it includes a comprehensive resource and product guide and extensive references. This one's a keeper, so much so that we hope to interview Greg right here in '08.

SAVE THE ANIMALS! 101 Easy Things You Can Do
Written by PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk, this 1990 paperback is the ultimate instruction manual for anyone who holds animal life in high regard. Each chapter covers a different issue and is broken down into "The Problem" and "The Solution," which makes the book an invaluable reference guide. Some may find it extreme in parts, like where Newkirk calls for a boycott of zoos, but the sentiments are genuine and the strategies well thought out.

Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference
Sociology professors Ellis Jones (UC Davis), Ross Haenfler (University of Mississippi) and Brett Johnson (Luther College), have put together an amazing book that covers such diverse topics as Relationships, Body Care, and Finance, providing easy-to-follow instructions for improving your life and your surroundings. If everyone were to follow just one of the pearls within the books pages the world truly would be better.

The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience
The Rough Guides are a series of books with practical information for travelers and music lovers. More recently they've gotten into sustainable living, which includes making shopping choices to better effect your body and the planet. Lots of links are included in a no-nonsense format, perfect for reading in snippets.

It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
Author Crissy Trask gives us what may be the handiest, most accessible book on our list. The small format and earthy paper stock are both eco-friendly and nicely visceral. Lots of good ideas, some novel, some more obvious, including installing rain gutters and rain barrels to collect rainwater from your roof to use in the garden, making your own household cleaners instead of relying on toxic commercial products and submerging a plastic bottle in your toilet tank to save one quart of water per flush and thousands of gallons a year.

Happy reading!

SPONSIBLE AWARDS VII

2007 Sponsible Award - Political Leader

Winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lately the man with the reputation as being the greenest of the United States' 50 governors has come under attack. Despite having proposed such initiatives as a $95 million state grant to support green research, an aggressive green house gas reduction plan and an impassioned address before the U.N. this past September in which he warned of the dangers of global warming, his critics still wail.

Pointing to his fuel-hungry NetJets and fleet of Hummers (which he recently had converted to run on hydrogen fuel cells), they shout that he doesn't practice what he preaches. Here's our take: Governor Schwarzenegger has the energy of three governors and travels accordingly. He also manages to get a proportional amount of work done. We at sponsible realize that saving the planet doesn't have to equate extremism nor should it. Being sponsible means making sound choices for the greater good. If the use of a private jet allows Governor Schwarzenegger time to better carry out his vast agenda then the potential excess of greenhouse gases could well be offset by the legislation he negotiates at his destinations.

More important, we feel, is the fact that Governor Schwarzenegger is essentially the first American political leader to take Al Gore's message and turn it into a major platform. He has boldly stepped up to the plate and taken a swing at the former President-Elect's (elected by the people, that is) pitch. Others have since stepped into the batter's box, and all should be commended.

Those same critics may argue that the California Governor is posturing as an environmentalist for political gain. remember, however, how very new the green phenomenon is, on both our cultural and political landscapes. Just two years ago it was barely on the radar – not very sexy at all. Now it's headline news every day of the week. Governor Schwarzenegger jumped on the bandwagon being pulled by Gore, David Suzuki and others in a very public way, putting his reputation and standing within his party on the line, before green was the "It" color.

Even if we were to play cynic and agree that the Governor is promoting green initiatives for purely political purposes, the fact is, with the exception of Gore, no one has had a more profound impact on the American public's perception of the burgeoning green movement. For that alone Governor Schwarzenegger deserves this award.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

We at SPONSIBLE.ORG would like to wish everyone the happiest of holidays. In this season of giving, please remember to give not just to loved ones, but to those in need as well.


Sincerely,
us@sponsible.org

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS VI

2007 Sponsible Award - Corporate Leader

Winner: John Mackey (Whole Foods)

Each time we walk into a Whole Foods we find not just a broad array of healthy, sustainable foods and products, but inspiration. At every turn the store shows its commitment to the environment and fair trade practices with bins for nearly every category of recyclable, reusable shopping bags and a wealth of info on all things sponsible at the information booth.

Since starting a little health-food store he called "Safer Way" in a garage in Austin, Texas in 1978 Whole Foods' founder and CEO John Mackey has watched it grow into the largest natural and organic market chain in the world, while holding to its original vision the whole way. Whole Foods' motto of Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet is not just their own guiding principle but inspiration for retailers across the U.S. The demand for sustainable farming practices and organic products has sparked a revolution in the food industry with natural and organic products now being seen in all major supermarket chains.

Mackey's vision doesn't stop within the walls of his 265 stores throughout North America and the U.K. however. The Animal Compassion Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life of farm animals and the Whole Planet Foundation's mission is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply Whole Foods stores with product.

In addition, individual stores hold 5% Days (or CommUnity Giving Days), donating 5% of that day's net sales to a local or regional non-profit or educational organization.

Sponsible.org would like to congratulate John Mackey and Whole Foods for their holistic vision for their company as it relates to the rest of the world. We hope more corporations follow their lead.

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS V

2007 Sponsible Award - Animal Protection
Winner: Jeff Corwin

You may know Jeff Corwin as the jovial host and executive producer of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's Quest, two of Animal Planet's more popular programs. Yet while he provides a good dose of intelligent entertainment for millions of viewers each week, he's also a pioneering conservationist, using television to inspire those same viewers to join his cause. And his cause is to protect animals, period.

Much like the late Steve Irwin, Corwin makes good use of his oversized personality to draw his audience in to subject matter with which they otherwise have no exposure. As Irwin's specialty was crocodiles, Irwin's is also cold-blooded animals – snakes in particular. Through his engaging style of education, which often includes a healthy smattering of movie lines, impressions and funny voices, he defuses the creepiest of crawlies and ultimately gains them countless human allies.

Outside of his own programs Corwin has spread the word of animal protection via pop culture magazines, including People (in which he was named one of its"50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002) and Entertainment Weekly. He's also appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning Show, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Access Hollywood, Extra and Oprah, and in October 2003, Jeff made a guest appearance as himself on the popular television series CSI: Miami.

There are countless heroes in the world of animal protection, all deserving of recognition an support. We congratulate Jeff Corwin on his successful efforts to present his love for wildlife before a mainstream audience, work whose fruits will continue to ripen for years to come.

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS IV

And now, education...

2007 Sponsible Award - Education
Winner: Rafe Esquith

Rafe Esquith is one of those teacher you read about. Literally. He's been profiled in newspapers like the NY Times and Washington Post, magazines such as TIME and on radio and TV. And for good reason. The elementary school teacher's passion for teaching has resulted in extraordinary academic success for his students, 92% of whom come from low-income households in L.A.'s inner city.

As a fifth grade teacher at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, the second-largest elementary school in the U.S., Esquith has rewritten the book on teaching, also literally, with There Are No Shortcuts and Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. His teaching honors include the 1992 Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, a Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University, Oprah Winfrey’s $100,000 Use Your Life Award, Parents Magazine’s As You Grow Award, National Medal of Arts, and Esquith was made an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.

Thanks to his motivational techniques, Esquith's students consistently score in the top 5% to 10% of the country in standardized tests. Many of them voluntarily come to class as early as 6:30am, more than two hours before the official start of the school day. Most of his students come from immigrant Central American and Korean families and are learning English as a second language. They volunteer to come early, work through recess and stay as late as 5:30 pm, also coming to class during vacations and holidays.

We congratulate Rafe Esquith on his excellence. So many teachers, when faced with extraordinary challenges, throw up their hands and continue forging ahead under less than ideal circumstances, hoping for the best. Rafe has decided to forge ahead as well, but while accepting nothing less than the best from his students, and getting it.

You can support teachers like Rafe by letting them and their immediate supervisors and district administrators know that you appreciate their work. A letter or, better yet, an in-person message to your child's favorite teachers and those to whom they are accountable can support their efforts by way of raises and/or commendations – the kinds of things that will encourage teachers like Rafe Esquith to continue inspiring our children to be their best.

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS III

Today we continue our year-end awards with an achiever in human rights...

2007 Sponsible Award - Human Rights
Winner: Asma Jahangir

Asma Jahangir is the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and is the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion. She was among the first people rounded up in the state of emergency declared by General Pervez Musharraf.

Jahangir has a long record of human rights activism, inherited by her father, who was an activist himself and paid the price by way of repeated visits to Pakistani prisons. It was while working with lawyers to release her father at the age of 18 that Jahangir found her calling.

In 1980, Jahangir and her sister, Hina Jilani, got together with few fellow activists and lawyers and formed the first law firm established by women in Pakistan. She began taking now-President Musharraf to task back in 2000 with in an article for Dawn, published October 2, 2000 titled "Whither are We!” in which she demands that the government of General Musharraf work to improve the record of human rights domestically.

On Nov. 3, upon imposing a state of emergency, President-General Pervez Musharaf suspended the constitution, dismissed the Chief Justice, censored the media, and arrested opposition leaders and lawyers, including Jahangir. She was released two weeks later, but not before issuing a string statement on her blog on November 8th:

… The Musharaf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges. While the terrorists remain on the loose and continue to occupy more space in Pakistan, senior lawyers are being tortured ...

Jahangir continues to remain a thorn in Musharaf's side, and as an ever more visible public figure, is helping bring the world's attention to the human rights abuses going on within her nation, always at her own physical peril.

Help support human rights causes in Pakistan by logging onto Amnesty International's Pakistan page and around the world by going to Amnesty.org.

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS II

In continuing with our gala 2007 Sponsible Awards online festival, we would now like to present you with our second winner – this time in Environmental Concerns.

2007 Sponsible Award - Environmental Concerns
Winner: DAVID SUZUKI

While the folks over in Sweden decided to co-award their 2007 Peace Prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore, we decided to go with a slightly lower-profile, yet equally sponsible, individual whose tireless campaign on behalf of Mother Earth has spanned the better part of four decades.

Dr. David Suzuki is a scholar very much in the vein of the late Stephen Jay Gould, popularizing sometimes esoteric scientific concepts by explaining them to his audience in layman's language with the flair of a performer. He's educated his native Canada and the world as to the dangers of irresponsible industrialization to the planet, most notably in the 1979 CBC series The Nature of Things, which brought widespread attention to his causes.

Dr. Suzuki has long been a voice in the call for self-imposed caps on carbon emissions worldwide and his David Suzuki offices themselves have a carbon-neutral footprint. This year, he made a cross-country tour in a diesel bus, speaking to Canadians about climate change and urging compliance with the Kyoto Accord.

His "David Suzuki's Nature Challenge"and "David Suzuki's Nature Challenge for Kids" suggest simple steps people can take to protect nature and improve their quality of life.

Sponsible.org salutes Dr. David Suzuki on his invaluable mission and we urge you to check out http://davidsuzuki.org to learn simple ways in which you can reduce your own carbon footprint and help create action on an even larger scale.

2007 SPONSIBLE AWARDS

As we enter the second-to-last week of 2007 we thought it would be a good time to present our 2007 Sponsible Awards. The awards are broken into eight categories: Housing, Environment, Human Rights, Education, Healthcare, Animal Protection, Corporate Leader and Political Leader. Over the course of the next week and a half we'll present you profiles on the winners in each category with links to help these sponsible individuals further their causes.

While we have chosen winners we are by no means discounting the incredible work done by countless others in each of these areas. In fact, we fully appreciate that our awards by no means should be considered anything close to definitive. What we hope it does do however, is shine new light on the initiatives championed by our winners.

Sponsible Award - Housing
Winner: BRAD PITT

We watched helplessly as Hurricane Katrina choked the life out of New Orleans' ninth ward. We donated money and even time to help the nearly one million people left homeless by the unusually fierce storm. And of course we grew increasingly frustrated as the government fumbled and bumbled its responsibility to its citizens in need.

One person, however, decided he'd had enough of the gloomy news and took action. As if defining "sponsibility" itself, Brad Pitt commissioned 13 architecture firms to held rebuild the ninth ward.

His project, called Make It Right, aims to build 150 affordable, environmentally sound houses over the next two years. He's teamed with green design expert William McDonough, L.A. architecture firm Graft, and Cherokee, an investment firm based in Raleigh, N.C., that specializes in sustainable redevelopment with John Williams, a New Orleans-based architect, directing the project.

Kudos to the entire Make It Right team and especially to Mr. Pitt for having the vision to be a cause for good, rather than waiting for others to.

BABY STEP

Well, it's better than nothing we suppose, but the new fuel efficiency bill that just passed through Congress is so meager in its scope that the president isn't even expected to veto it. It states that auto makers would need to adhere to a 35 mpg rating for all automobiles by 2030. It's amazing how small positive advances must be to get through all divisions of our legislature, but another mild boost to a 40 mpg standard followed by another 5 mpg raise in a few more years could start to make a real difference.

It seems we're more a nation of baby steps than "giant leaps" these days.There's also a nice ethanol provision built into the bill, but it too is very modest. However, by letting your congresspeople know that you support raising CAFE standards and funding biofuel research you, as an individual, can make an impact on the future of our nation's fuel consumption habits.

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ENERGY BILL HEADS TO WHITE HOUSE
Measure Tightens Rules on Auto Fuel Economy

Associated Press
December 18, 2007 2:08 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Congress by a wide margin approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years Tuesday, and President Bush has signaled he will accept the mandates on the auto industry.

The energy bill, boosting mileage by 40% to 35 miles per gallon, passed the House 314-100 and now goes to the White House, following the Senate's approved last week.

In a dramatic shift to spur increased demand for nonfossil fuels, the bill also requires a sixfold increase in ethanol use to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, a boon to farmers. And it requires new energy efficiency standards for an array of appliances, lighting and commercial and government buildings.

"This is a choice between yesterday and tomorrow" on energy policy, declared House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who was closely involved in crafting the legislation. "It's groundbreaking in what it will do."

While some GOP lawmakers criticized the bill for failing to address the need for more domestic oil and natural gas production, 95 GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in support of the bill.

"This legislation is a historic turning point in energy policy," said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland because it will cut demand for foreign oil and promote nonfossil fuels that will cut greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

It increases energy efficiency "from light bulbs to light trucks," said Rep. John Dingell (D., Mich.), a longtime protector of the auto industry who was key to a compromise on vehicle efficiency increases.

Copyright © 2007 Associated Press

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Rep. Edward J. Markey, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and chief advocate of a higher national fuel economy average for cars and SUVs, speaks on the historic energy bill passed by the House and sent to the president on 12/18/07.

DUDE... I GOT A HYBRID!

After a week of deliberating in the case of veggie fuel vs. hybrid I've made a decision and the result is a brand new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. Let it be known that this was not a decision entered into lightly. Furrowed brow and gnawed pencils were the order of the day for a good many minutes each day as I weighed the cost, convenience and of course, environmental benefits of the two options. It was a whisper-close decision in the end, but I chose the Civic and after driving it home from the dealership have not second-guessed myself once.

The choice wasn't so much between a veggie car and the Civic as it was between a particular 1983 red Mercedes Benz 300 series for sale on ebay that had been professionally converted to run on anything from diesel to biodiesel to vegetable oil to used crank case grease. When I was a kid the Mercedes, with it's cool hood ornament, represented the ultimate in driving to me, so there was an strong emotional tie to the notion that I could actually own a Mercedes, and for under $4000 no less. However it is yet a dream deferred. Maybe next year...

Four-Part Decision
I used an arbitrary four-part decision process in weighing my options. The first was cost. This was tied into my existing Civic lease. By upgrading through Honda I could get the company to absorb the remaining six months of my lease (which was over $1000), ignore the dings and scrapes (which would have been noticed and charged for had I not re-leased) and since the car was closing in on 48,000 for my extended four-year lease, I avoided paying overage charges of 15¢ per mile. While the Benz in question wound up going for only $3400, I could add at least the $1000 in unpaid lease fees for my Honda to it plus body damage expenses.

Environmental impact was another factor. The Mercedes got, according to its owner, in the upper-20's to 30mpg. The Honda is listed at 40 city/45 hwy. Yet while a review of hybrid and biofuel message boards left me somewhat inconclusive, I decided that if I were to primarily fuel the Mercedes with veggie oil it would be by far the cleaner option. If I used biodiesel maybe a bit better, and if I resorted to diesel, which I probably would part of the time since stations with biodiesel are few in L.A., then the Civic would be a greener choice.

Which leads to third factor - convenience. In speaking with the guy who converted the Benz I learned that processing used restaurant grease (a likely source of veggie fuel for me) was no simple process. First, you have to proposition restaurants, hoping a few will agree to give you their used grease on a regular basis. Probably not much of a problem, but there's a time expenditure there - stopping by Arby's or Szechuan Surprise weekly in search of veggie oil.

Once you get the oil home (in several 5-gallon containers), you pour the stuff into a 55-gallon drum, where you let it sit for a few days. After the oil settles you pump it through a filter into another 55-gallon drum. This then becomes your car's fuel. Since I rent an apartment I don't have the space for one, let alone two, 55-gallon drums, plus a pump and replacement filters.

At this point the Civic started to move way out in front of the green Benz. It was only Factor #4 that made it a horse race down the stretch.

It should be no secret to anyone that most of America's foreign policy decisions, and many domestic ones, revolve around our oil lust. We have let ourselves become inextricably tied up in one war overseas and are on the verge of another, all in the name of fossil fuel. And with all of the money we're pouring into the OPEC nations we're actually funding many of those who swear themselves to be our enemies. It's a twisted system of which we are fully responsible.

Biofuel presents a brilliant way in which we can not only eliminate our dependence on the Middle East, but create an entirely new export. Plus, a flourishing biofuel industry would bolster our farmers, essentially returning the power that is currently with OPEC nations, back to America's working class. And with clean-burning veggie fuel we'll lower greenhouse emissions to boot.

LESS IS MORE
In the end, after carefully weighing all factors in the balance I decided to go with the Civic, just barely, based on a single factor: time. I've committed myself to doing as much as I can to help make the world a better place. While driving a veggie-fuel car would certainly contribute to this goal, the requirements would impact significantly on my time, be it stopping at restaurants, filtering my fuel, finding a place to store the drums, or even driving out of my way to a biofuel station. While I could lessen my own carbon footprint with a biodiesel, I would become less able to carry out my work in reaching large numbers of people. In the end it became a numbers game. Less time spent maintaining my ride means more time available to save the world.

And the fact is, the Honda Civic Hybrid is a Near-Zero emissions vehicle. While it's not a perfect solution to either our environmental or geopolitical issues, it's a good step in the right direction. And it is a pretty slick-looking machine, if I do say so myself.

So while I've said "Yes" to hybrid, I by no means am saying "No" to biofuel. It is in my future, of that I'm sure, and the very near future at that.

-Shawn Perine

GIVE A LITTLE BIT

How can you give more by giving less? How can you put a smile on someone's face and help save the world at the same time? How can you give from the heart, not just to your intended recipients, but to to recipients you may never meet as well?

This year, instead of shopping 'til you drop, consider making a donation to the charity of your giftee's choice. By making a pledge to a reputable charity in the name of a loved one you do so many things, none of which involve parking lot musical chairs or 1-hour sales. And your gift of an adoption, tree planting or research funding is a one-size-fits-all proposition. No need for exchanges or refunds, and like Aunt Fran's preternaturally sweet iced cake, a donation won't rot your teeth or upset your stomach.

Donations, particularly the online kind, can also be a lifesaver, not just for a child in Somalia or a seal pup in the Antarctic. They can save your hide as well since they can be purchased literally minutes before Old Saint Nick cleans the inside of your chimney with his XXXL red felt suit.

We've listed a few of our favorite charities below, but this is a mere drop in the bucket. We suggest giving to one with whom your recipient would find a connection. If they're a surfer, then the Surfrider Foundation might do the trick. If they're a Chicago Bears fan then the National Wildlife Federation or Chi Town's A Safe Haven could work. Get creative and have fun with it. There are tons of great options covering myriad causes.

Now that you've figured out what gifts to get everyone this year, the only thing left to do is to figure out an excuse to avoid Aunt Fran's cake this year.

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SPONSIBLE CHARITIES

• UNICEF- The United Nations Children's Fund works for children's rights, their survival, development and protection
• World Wildlife Fund- The WWF's ultimate goal is to build a future where people live in harmony with nature
• The Orangutan Conservancy- Working to forestall the total extinction of this severly endangered species
• Conservation International- S to protect Earth's biodiversity "hotspots," high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe
• Global Green USA- Aimed at stemming global climate change, eliminating weapons of mass destruction and providing clean, safe drinking water
• Doctors Without Borders- An independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries
• Save the Manatees- Working to protect Florida's gentle sea cow from propellers and pollution
• Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS- DIFFA pairs the design industry with a disease that has claimed many of its members with the hope of finding a cure
• American Cancer Society- Working toward a cure for the deadliest disease in the world
• American Civil Liberties Union- Protects America's freedom to life, and liberty and from warrantless wiretapping
• The Humane Society of the United States- Protects not just dogs and cats from abuse and abandonment, but monkeys and rabbits from inhumane testing practices
• African Wildlife Federation- Fighting to save numerous species of African wildlife from the ravages of human encroachment

A WORLD OF GIFTS

Today we attended the Eco Gift Expo at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Cool. Very, very cool, both literally and figuratively.

As you would suspect by the name, the expo featured products and service from 150 eco-conscious companies and was sponsored by Whole Foods and the Los Angeles Times. The selection of items, from eco-friendly and educational toys to green fashion, cosmetics, home and cleaning products was both broad and inspiring. To speak with so many people who went out on a limb and started their companies because "it was the right thing to do" ended up leaving us with not just a great shopping experience, but a motivating one as well. How often can you say that after leaving a chain store?

Some of our favorite product lines include Lucky Earth Waterless Car Wash, Journey Light Inc., Clean George and Kopali Organics. And we loved the action campaign, Save A Snowman. This novel concept involves the building and naming of a snowman which can be "adopted" by a schoolchild. Through their adoption they learn about the processes that go to work in the melting of them. Brilliant stuff.

The fest continues tomorrow, Sunday the 16th, from 9 to 5. If you're in the SoCal region we strongly recommend you pay a visit and spend a little green to get a little green.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

ALTERED OCEANS is a five-part series on the crisis facing our oceans. It's produced by the Los Angeles Times and is available for viewing in its entirety at latimes.com. Kudos to the L.A. Times, known as a rather conservative paper, for bringing this imminent crisis to light.

GIVE FOOD FOR A CHANGE

Having lived in both NYC and L.A., the U.S. cities with the largest homeless populations (L.A. was ranked first in a 2005 survey with over 90k while NY was a distant second with 48k), we have born witness to the tragedy of homelessness firsthand and can assure you that it's not a pretty thing.

But while the homeless problem in the U.S. is an easy one to identify, it's not quite as easy to solve. The government seems largely unwilling to take comprehensive action in the matter, which often times leaves the fate of our homeless men, women and children in the hands of private charities and citizens.

For individuals living in metropolitan areas the matter often boils down to a choice: To Give or Not to Give?

Plenty of "authorities" on the matter will tell you not to give the homeless your spare change – that you'll only "encourage" them to continue their ways. Others will tell you that it's the responsibility of the state or the federal government to handle the "problem." Still others contend that all homeless people are essentially addicts and as such will only buy crack or liquor with your donation.

GET SPONSIBLE!

While we agree that handouts are by no means a solution to a problem as big as homelessness (although we strongly disagree with the propaganda), it's simply inhumane to ignore a person in need who happens to be lying on the sidewalk at your feet.

Our suggestion is to give in two ways. First, find a charity dedicated to protecting the homeless and, more importantly, helping them get off the street and into a job. One of our favorites is The Doe Fund, which has done remarkable work in helping homeless NYC men find employment and regain their self respect.

Secondly, consider giving sustenance rather than spare change. When you buy food and drink for a person you never have to wonder how your money is being spent, and you're assured of giving them something they need. Plus, the smile you'll get in return is well worth whatever you spent at the grocer.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a nice clip showing why Ready, Willing & Able, the Doe Fund's initiative, is one solution to the homeless problem that should be embraced throughout the nation.

Biodiesel vs. Hybrid? Ummm...

We're currently in the market for a new car. The extended, 4-year lease on our 2004 Honda Civic (a fuel-conscious if not wildly green auto) is almost up. So the choice right now comes down to two: Either a diesel car into which we'll put biodiesel, or a new Civic Hybrid.

We took the 2008 Civic out for a test drive today and were impressed. It's a sturdy, solid car that has a significantly greater luxury car-feel than our 2004 model. It's also got an automatic transmission (as opposed to our stick) and is a 4-door, which is standard on the new Civic Hybrids. The window sticker lists the MPG as 40 city and 45 highway, respectable numbers if slightly below those of the Toyota Prius.

What impressed us the most was the sound - or lack thereof - of the engine. When the thing kicked into electric mode, which it does when idling, it was virtually silent. You could hardly tell the car was running at all!

We made it clear to our Honda sales representative that our main intention is to simply turn in our old car and pick up a used diesel. After seeing Josh Tickell's amazing documentary Fields of Fuel just a week ago the biodiesel option is first and foremost in our minds. However, the test drive did open us up to a new possibility, one in which we have the option of supporting a fairly progressive-minded company (Honda) in the growth of their modest support of the green movement.

To be continued...

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LINK OF THE DAY
GreenStyleMag.com

Green Style Mag is a blog that's in the process of growing into a website. Their message is simple: Go green while keeping your sense of style. We like.

GREEN TRAVELS

We all travel; some of us for vacation, some for work, some as part of a multi-nation tour with a multi-platinum band. Regardless, whenever we find ourselves staying at a hotel (or motel, as is usually the case for us) the temptation is strong to abandon the rules we've established for our home life.

Running faucets, strewn towels, A/C left blasting all day and night are just some of the indulgences we allow ourselves while on the road. Yet waste is waste is waste, no matter where we may be, even at the Grand Hyatt. So we've compiled a quick list of painless ways in which you can help protect the environment while living out of a suitcase. Happy travels! Oh, and if you should stay at a Motel 6, please tell Tom Bodett not to leave the light on for you.

7 TIPS FOR GREEN GUESTS

1. Don't put down the towel mat You know that big, thick mat they leave draped over the tub? It's nice and all for keeping your feet dry when you exit the shower, but it doesn't do anything a smaller hand towel or even a washcloth can't. If you can survive without foot fabric, better still. And make sure to leave the mat neatly folded on the edge of the tub where you found it so housekeeping won't be compelled to replace it.

2. Use only the hand towel(s) you need Don't use them all for the novelty of using a clean hand towel every time you wash up (as novel as that is).

3. Reuse your bath towel You probably don't wash your bath towels after every use when you're home...

4. One bar only Most hotels provided separate sink and tub bars of soap. No need to open both when a quick transfer between porcelain basins will suffice.

5. Refrain from using ALL of the glasses and mugs in the room.

6. Put... the lotion... down! Do you really need all those sample sizes of conditioner? Leave the tea bags, coffee pouches and sweetener packets too, unless you're really ga-ga for Mini Moo creamers, of course.

7. Lights out And the TV and turn down the A/C or heat when you leave the room for long periods. Again, think of how you would leave your house in the morning. The hotel bedbugs don't need the thermostat set to 72º (although they do prefer it).

Of course it's easy to not consider conservation when you're on the road, and especially when on vacation. But the compromises are pretty small compared to the benefit. And that warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get knowing you were sponsible, even while living it up at the Duluth Holiday Inn (where there happen to be NO bedbugs we hear) will make your stay that much more rewarding. Really.

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LINK OF THE DAY
TransfairUSA.org

Fair trade is a term used to cover a lot of aspects of commerce, all of them grounded in practices that are equitable and just for all. Sustainability and respect for worker's rights are just two principles behind fair trade companies. Fair Trade Certified™ certifies companies who adhere to these practices. Their site highlights many companies that practice Fair Trade, including Starbucks, Peet's Coffee and Ben & Jerry's. Apparently fair trade can be delicious too.

10 WAYS TO GREEN YOUR OFFICE

Option #1: Reuse your styrofoam cup throughout the day, or even week.

Better Option #1: Don't use styrofoam cups at all - they’re very ecologically costly.

Option #2: Rinse and Reuse plastic utensils when possible.

Better Option #2: Keep silverware handy. There's also a great travel organic bamboo utensil set that we've ordered here: GRASSROOTSSTORE

Option #3: Don't throw out the blank sheets or mistakes that come out of the printer. Either reprint on them or save them for note taking.

Option #4: Instead of throwing paper in the garbage when you're finished, please put it in those white boxes you have (if you don't, there are some in the copy room). I'm in the process of finding a paper recycling plant and will personally make sure everything gets recycled.

Option #5: Recycle used batteries. Mark a container for used batteries and notify everyone of where you're putting it.To find a place near you that recycles batteries (and other things) check out Earth911.org.

Option #6: Consider the lowly paper towel. Next time you dry your hands, try taking one sheet at a time rather than maybe grabbing a bunch.

Option #7: Turn off your monitor at the end of the day. All monitors have a power button on the front. By hitting it before we go home we can save electricity, which is ecologically expensive to produce.

Option #8: Turn off power strips at the end of the day. Of course if you leave your computer in sleep mode you won’t want to. Instead, consider unplugging chargers and the like- things that aren’t even on. Such devices are energy “vampires,” sucking power even when asleep!

Option #9: Bag it. By bringing your own lunch rather than going out for it you save money on food, ensure you’re eating healthy, save on eco-expensive food prep resources (or prepackaged resources) and save gas. It’s a bit of a hassle, but a win-win-win-win situation.

Option #10: Sometimes, of course, getting outside is both necessary and desirable. If your destination is within a mile, consider going for a stroll. You get that exercise you can never seem to squeeze into the day and you save the earth from extra fossil fuel residue.

There are plenty more ways to conserve we haven’t mentioned here, but we're sure you’ll notice them in your own daily office doings. If we each we pick our three favorite ideas from this list (or your own list) and apply them, collectively we can go a long way towards leaving this earth a better place than the way we found it.

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LINK OF THE DAY
Earth911.org

They call themselves "The Nation's Premier Environmental Resource." And that's no lie...

HAPPY HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Each December 10th the world celebrates Human Rights Day, a day in which we recognize places where human rights are tromped, as well as celebrate the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today's is of extra significance in that it marks the 60th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

When we say "we recognize" however, we aren't referring to us here in the U.S. A quick Google search done on Human Rights Day, 2007 of "Human Rights Day" news stories brought up a first page of 29 specific article links with not a single one a product of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Fox, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun, etc, etc. In fact, not one North American corporate news organization came through with a news story until page 5, where the Orlando Sentinel, a Tribune-owned paper, pulls through with an articled titled, Today is Human Rights Day, penned by Kris Hey.

Voice of America, however, does save Western Civilization from total ignominy with a couple of first page articles, and a host of International and European news agencies pay tribute to this important milestone as well.

GET SPONSIBLE!
There are a few different tacts you can take to show your sense of sponsibility when it comes to human rights issues. One is to donate to one of several human rights watchdog groups out there. Human Rights Watch is a comprehensive one with a global reach.

You can also let your local newspapers and news stations that human rights is an issue that matters to you. Call or email them. Don't be shy. They exist for the benefit of their readers and if their readers aren't pleased with the way news is being reported then its their job to speak up. Speaking up is a theme you'll see repeated over and over here. Better start carrying some throat lozenges with you...

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's Jim Carrey speaking eloquently on human rights violations in Burma:

60 Cheers for 60 Minutes

Kudos to CBS' 60 Minutes and Anderson Cooper for taking a trip to the Congo to report on the status of the Mountain Gorilla, which is critically endangered. While fewer than 700 of these incredible animals remain, poaching and encroachment on their habitat by farmers and diamond miners is keeping them on the critically endangered list. On top of this, tragic warring between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes is decimating their close subspecies, the lowland gorilla. Some estimates forecast the total extinction of the mountain gorilla by 2050 if meaningful steps aren't taken today to save their meager population. Here's a clip from the episode:

GET SPONSIBLE!

Next to chimpanzees, gorillas are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, genetically speaking. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 remaining in the world (and none at all in zoos), this entire subspecies (one of two, along with the lowland gorilla) could easily disappear from the earth with a single tragedy.


Take action now by giving generously to one of several excellent conservation organizations set up to protect gorillas. Our favorites include the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the African Wildlife Foundation as well a the Africa Conservation Fund and The Gorilla Foundation.
Saving these gentle animals is a top priority on our list. The gas tank is on empty and we're running on fumes. Let's help fill the tank up (biodiesel of course) and pull the mountain gorilla back from the precipice of extinction.

SPONSIBLE CHALLENGE #1

Here at SPONSIBLE we practice what we preach. If we didn't this whole blog wouldn't make much sense really. So here's what we're gonna do:

Periodically we will be issuing something called the SPONSIBLE CHALLENGE. Whenever we see something that we believe needs to be changed for the betterment of the world, we'll come up with a simple, practical solution to the problem. Then we'll present the solution to whomever it may be who's responsible for the situation, be it a corporation, a politician or a private organization and notify them that we will be following up within 30 days to see whether they've taken steps to improve the matter. If they have we will award them with a Sponsible Seal of Approval, which they can display proudly for all to see. Or they don't have to do anything with it at all. But our hope is to set a standard of excellence that a business would be proud to reach. It's all about doing good and getting noticed for your efforts, basically.

THREE FEET OF RECEIPT

Our first sponsible challenge is issued to CVS/Pharmacy and has to do with a wasteful practice. On a recent visit to the Woodland Hills, CA location of this chain we purchased three items and in return were issued a receipt that spans an incredible and incredibly wasteful 37-3/4"! The actual sales portion of the receipt was only 7" long (still seemingly excessive), which means we received over 30" in coupons that we won't use.

This is prime example of target marketing at its most wasteful. And even the targeting is off base, as we have no need for Huggies or acne medication, two of the five coupons.

THE SPONSIBLE CHALLENGE

We propose that CVS/Pharmacy adopt a system of distributing customer-specific coupons that is both less expensive for them and less wasteful of paper, not to mention more accurate than that which they currently have in place.

Include a code at the bottom of the receipt that the customer can enter into the CVS website, one which will bring up a comprehensive list of online coupons, sorted by proximity to the items they purchased earlier. Then the customer will have the option of printing out the exact coupons they want, or not printing any at all. Our bet is that the majority of customers will not take advantage of this option, but that it will not affect the number of stops they make at a CVS/Pharmacy in the slightest. However, for the coupon hounds out there, this will provide an option to save on exactly the products they need.

We'll place a call to CVS/Pharmacy corporate, followed by a draft of proposal and follow that up with another call. We'll keep sponsible readers posted as to our transactions. Should CVS express interest in eliminating the three feet of receipt for their customers we'll award them the SPONSIBLE SEAL OF APPROVAL and include the in our SPONSIBLE HALL OF FAME, which will be accessible over on the clumn to the right.

Here's to working with CVS/Pharmacy. We're counting on their sense of sponsibility.

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LINK OF THE DAY
Witness.org

Their mission statement: WITNESS uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. We empower people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change.

Hear, hear!!!

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