Clean Green

Periodically we challenge companies to jump on board the green train by highlighting areas in which they could make eco-improvements. Today we give plaudits to one that needed no such challenge to not just operate greenly, but spread their initiative around the world. Indeed, Seventh Generation is the very definition of sponsible.

Known largely for their cleaning and paper products, Seventh Generation, produces a growing variety of household items ranging from household scenters to chlorine-free diapers, all made of recyclable and/or sustainable materials and with fair labor practices. Their name is actually taken from an ancient Iroquois saying:, "In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations," which is clearly a philosophy to which they adhere assiduously.

Seventh Generation's site is as much a call to greener ways and a resource for green living as it is a place to promote their products. Thanks to this purpose-driven stance they've gained a loyal following of customers who are as loyal for the quality of product (and it is all good stuff) as for the quality of the people running the company.

Seventh Generation products are available most everywhere, from Target to your local supermarket chain, so you can shop sponsibly with ease. And their prices are competitive with those of companies who have yet to embrace sustainable living practices. Give them a try– your home and soul will love them!

Ideal Site

Every now and then we stumble upon a site we wish we had created. Such was the case today when we came upon Ideal Bite, the brainchild of Heather Stephenson and Jennifer Boulden, who first met at a downtown NYC bar where they struck up a conversation about their shared desire to save the world.

The site delivers very daily simple tips anyone can follow to make a substantial impact with minimal sweat. Ideal Bite has an unapologetically feminine bent, yet most of the information within is non-gender specific.

For example, opting for A/C rather than rolled-down windows when cooling your car at speeds over 45. The wind resistance caused by air pushing through the car's interior actually reduces fuel economy more than do open windows.

Or how about simply using recycled aluminum foil rather than wax paper or plastic wrap for food storage. It's the only one of the three wrap options that's readily available as a recycled product and can go right back into the recycling bin.

Ideal Bite describes their philosophy as being "light green," a term that defines a level of eco-consciousness that's about making small manageable changes rather than applecart-upsetting ones.

A sponsible congratulations to Heather and Jennifer and everyone working on Ideal Bite. We should all be so light green!

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Check out Ideal Bite on the Today Show:

Track Meat

Recently the NY Times published a terrific piece that illustrates and calculates such figures and leaves the reader with a single, untenable conclusion: We must curtail our consumption of meat if we truly want to make an impact on the health of our this globe.

In "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" Mark Bittman cites both the environmental impact of meat-processing facilities and of the animals themselves, not to mention that of their food sources, with staggering statistics. To wit:

• An estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production.
• If Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan — a Camry, say — to the ultra-efficient Prius
• 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.
• Though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens
• Americans are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago.
• U.S. livestock produces about 3 tons of manure for each American.

Sobering statistics all – enough to give one pause and make them wonder how important a meat-packed diet really is to them.

Is vegetarianism the answer? To some. We are, however, omnivores at tooth, if not at heart, and as such need not feel guilt about the occasional meat craving. Yet it wouldn't hurt us or our planet to reevaluate our dietary habits and modify according to a larger sense of what's right and wrong for both our bodies and Earth.

Tofu, anyone?

New Car-ish Thing on the Block

Less than two year after the release of "Who Killed The Electric Car?", a film that marked a low point in our progress toward automobiles which run on alternative fuels, electric cars have improbably become all the rage once again.

Due out near the end of this year is the concept car-looking Aptera. The brainchild of founder Steve Fambro, the car is five years in the making, and apparently worth every hour of those five years.

The Aptera is a three-wheel, two-seat marvel of engineering that, in an initial test run, got over 230 miles to the gallon! The car is also built for safety, exceeding industry standards in rollover and crash tests. It's not exactly the fleetest of cars (top speed of 85mph) nor the peppiest (0-60 in 10 sec), but then, you're not buying the auto to set land speed records, are you?

Aptera is available in two models: a plug-in electric hybrid model ($29, 900) and an all-electric model ($26, 900). Individuals and organizations can reserve an Aptera today for $500 at the website. Our Civic Hybrid lease is up the end of 2010 and if the Aptera is available for lease by then we're pretty sure we're going to spring for one.

Land Ahoy!

Ever wanted to be a real estate owner but never had the funds to do so? Have you envied all those wheeler-dealer tycoons with their sprawling estates and resort islands? If so, listen up, and pull out your debit card, no matter how meager the checking account supporting it.

Land for a Cause is an organization that sells parcels of land currently under their ownership that they're willing to part with so long as buyers agree to preserve and protect it. Prices for the plots start at a meager $99, and that's for full ownership- title, deed and all. However while the plots advertised average a few acres apiece, the portions of those plots up for sale can be measured in feet.

For example, a 2.5 acre lot in the Navajo country of Arizona has been subdivided into thousands, each one coming in at around four meters square. That's about 6.5 feet x 6.5 feet. Not exactly the kind of place you'd plan a family trip. But it is yours for life (your own, not the Earth's). So that's pretty cool, and should ensure that it never falls into the hands of mall developers.

Land for a Cause also donates 10% of their profits to various charities and make it evident through their blog that they're serious about protecting the Earth, not exploiting it. Consider any purchase you make to be an act of stewardship rather than a chance to become the next Trump, not that you had any intentions anyway...

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Bono discusses fighting poverty and the climate crisis with his usual candor.

Good Stuff

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard examines the multitude of products that surround us in our modern lives and follows their route through sale, use and disposal. It reveals how this stuff affects communities both at home and abroad, not to mention the planet itself.

At a jaunty 20 minutes, The Story of Stuff is as much a call to action as it is an education in productions streams. In fact, DVD's are available through the website, perfect for schools or for hosting your own sustainable party, information on which is also provided on the site.

If you're not inspired to become just a bit more sustainable in your buying habits after watching this filmette, you just ain't human...

Define a word, save a life...

Today we were forwarded one of the coolest sites we've come across yet. It's simple, fun and effective, not to mention thoroughly addictive.

FreeRice.com, a sister site to Poverty.com, combines global altruism with a voc to help save the world, one wordabulary test at a time. The premise is simple as can be: Choose the correct definition out of four choices and 20 grains of rice are purchased to support the United Nations World Food Program. So who pays for the rice?

The rice is paid for by whose names are at the bottom of the vocabulary screen. Each time you define a word correctly a new banner appears. So the advertisers are paying for each click on their ad page, which is going directly to the WFP. And you're getting progressively smarter to boot. Could there be a more ingenious site? We don't think so.