America the Green Forums: Last 35 Posts

rbcicero on "Green Safe Organic cleaning products"

rbcicero — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:46:20 +0000

I have converted everything in which I use to clean over to safe, earth friendly and even organic cleaners. I am also keeping "tons" of plastics out of the landfills.

http://www.bcgreenclean.com passcode: newlife1

rbcicero on "Build it green then clean it green"

rbcicero — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:44:39 +0000

Once you build your "Green" house or office building you are going to offset and most likely take many steps back if you clean it with all of those toxic based cleaners. I have converted everything in which I use to clean over to safe, earth friendly and even organic cleaners. I am also keeping "tons" of plastics out of the landfills.

http://www.bcgreenclean.com passcode: newlife1

Corncrake on "Green Theater"

Corncrake — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:02:50 +0000

Hello green friends. I am current president of the board of a Green Theater group in Portland Maine. We offer workshops - and a beautiful play to your organization for both fundraising and your pleasure.
our website; www.veronicainstitute.org We appreciate your feedback and support.

gratefulkt on "The listeners miss the podcast and would love an update"

gratefulkt — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:18:14 +0000

Yeah...any word on where my favorite podcasters have been???? I miss my green vitamin each week. :) I had sent them an email and they replied saying that everything was fine and they were just making some changes and would be back soon. But that was quite a while ago.

EcoGeek on "The listeners miss the podcast and would love an update"

EcoGeek — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:05:55 +0000

We miss you guys! Can anyone share what has happened? You may be able to call upon your listener base for help if you need it.

dae5 on "Eco-Metal"

dae5 — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:49:40 +0000

Since it looks like I'm the only headbanger here on the ATG forums, I thought I'd take the initiative to put together a playlist of some environmentally-themed heavy metal tracks that should be required listening for anyone who wants to go green while sticking it to "The Man". From the ominous warnings of "Dawn Patrol" to the fury of "World Agony" to the complex, earthen texture's of Mastodon's towering Blood Mountain, this playlist is not for the weak-hearted. You'll probably have to google the lyrics on a few of these songs to convince yourself that, yes, these bands really are making an ecological statement and not, as you may initially think, worshiping Satan. (By the way, none of these bands- with the possible exception of Immolation- are affiliated with Satan, as far as I know.)

So throw your fists in the air, turn the volume way, way up, and rock out to some blisteringly heavy earth-minded tracks.

WARNING: Proper use of this playlist may cause ears to bleed.

1. Megadeth- Countdown to Extinction
2. Mastodon- Sleeping Giant
3. Testament- Greenhouse Effect
4. Gojira- From the Sky
5. Iron Maiden- Rime of the Ancient Mariner
6. Immolation- World Agony
7. System of a Down- Science
8. Megadeth- Dawn Patrol
9. In Flames- Moonshield
10. Mastodon- This Mortal Soil

If you like any of the stuff here, I would highly recommend the whole of Mastodon's Blood Mountain and Gojira's From Mars to Sirius, both of which are deep and heavy albums without any profanity or pentagrams. There's also a new band called The Agonist that's supposed to be very eco-minded, but their album isn't out until August 14 so no word on how good it is yet.

Hey, no need to thank me. Stay metal ATG!

mswwgreen on "Green meetings"

mswwgreen — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:18:08 +0000

Mike,

I work for a company that specializes in producing green meetings. If I may, our website has several free resources that should help. There are articles with pointers as well as an extensive list of links to checklists/reports and organizations that support green meetings. I would suggest checking the ones listed under Green Meeting Basics.

http://www.meetingstrategiesworldwide.com

I believe that should give you a good running start.

-Vanessa

EcoGeek on "Green meetings"

EcoGeek — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:18:03 +0000

Mike,

I've found a couple of things that might lead you in the right direction.

http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/Links.htm

http://www.greenmeetings.info/

The 2nd link is a group that exists to promote the practices you are wanting to implement. I hope they help.

mmcallen on "Green meetings"

mmcallen — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:07:56 +0000

Hi Guys I enjoy the podcast. I own a production company and I ant to help make all the meetings we produce to leave a small carbon footprint. Where can I find the most info on making corporate meetings greeeeeen? I would like to formulate a green checklist. I have talked with STI but I need more info.

Any pointers?

thanks
mike

EcoGeek on "Green transportation"

EcoGeek — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:31:43 +0000

Gratefulkt,

There will be more hybrids soon. I've read in several places that there are up to 50 additional hybrids in testing and pre-production. Toyota is presently moving forward with at least one, possibly several purposely designed hybrids. (vs a model that can be had as a hybrid or with a conventional gasoline engine.)

Who knows, Ford bought the gen 1 hybrid technology from Toyota. Maybe when Toyota comes out with gen 3, they'll sell Ford the gen 2 tech, and then they can have a hybrid whose a/c works when the engine shuts off.

I'm averaging 47 + mpg in my Prius, with mostly highway driving. My truck used to get 16 mpg when I used the a/c the way I am in my Prius now. I'll take double the mileage anytime, but nearly triple?!?!?! Call me a satisfied customer!

Oh, I thought I'd toss this little fact out there for your consideration as well. GM in their infinite wisdom, decided to stop production of the hybrid pickup truck they've had for about 3 yrs now. They cited "lack of interest in the product" as the reason. Uh, HELLO GM, it got 2 mpg better mileage than the regular truck, and truck guys are not going to buy a truck solely because it has an electric outlet in the bed of the truck. Two mpg per gallon is pathetic. I certainly hope the hybrid Tahoe due out in a couple of months shows the marketplace that GM learned from their first foray into hybrids.

Gratefulkt, if you are interested in learning more about the hybrids that are out there, I recommend two websites. www.edmunds.com and www.autobloggreen.com Both are free, and both have good info.

Ciao.

gratefulkt on "Green transportation"

gratefulkt — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:25:47 +0000

Amen to you EcoGeek. I live in Flint, Mi., the heart of Auto Industry hell as I call it. I often wonder what are the Big 3 waiting for? Why don't they have a car that compares with the Prius? My husband and I test drove one about a month ago. Amazing! Granted the sales guys was a total jerk, probably because we're young and he knew we weren't going to purchase, but I can dream a little for that day. Once we're done with school I'm hoping there's a little more to choose from and maybe even an American car. Although, I'm not really sure there's such thing as an american car anymore.

EcoGeek on "Paper or reusable cups and water conservation"

EcoGeek — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:34:12 +0000

Crysinsf,

I found a couple of websites that address this very question. It appears no one has a definitive answer, but the consensus is that you have too many variables involved to get an accurate comparison. For example, the points that Tamcat makes about production and distribution of the disposables are very valid, and the flip side of that coin, does the mug get washed using a dishwasher, or hand washed? How many times does the mug get reused? If it gets reused 10 times and then thrown away, then the disposables would be better. If the mug gets reused 1000 times, then it is the better choice. I'll post the links to the two sites I found and you can draw your own conclusions.

http://www.ilea.org/lcas/hocking1994.html (nothing factored into this equation about transportation, and assumptions made about a dishwasher being used.)

http://bento-box.org/2007/04/14/disposable-cups-and-troublesome-graphs (this one builds on the info from the first site)

In short, mugs are a better long term solution in most areas, but you'll have to judge which is best in California. Maybe if the LA city government data that went into their decisions is public domain somewhere, you can look at their choices and see if there is a way to improve on how they did things.

Tamcat on "Paper or reusable cups and water conservation"

Tamcat — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 07:24:41 +0000

I don't see how it could possibly worse to wash cups instead of constantly throwing away disposable paper cups. Did you hear the podcast on "Rethinking Recycling"? They talked about how everything you throw away is entombed in landfills. That is, they purposely preserve our trash. Think about all the energy it takes to cut down trees, transport lumber, process it into pulp, bleach the paper (chlorine is one of the biggest polluters), wrap it in plastic, ship it to stores, you drive and waste your gas to buy the paper cups, it gets drank out of once, thrown in the garbage that someone has to take out, then the sanitation crew drives to pick up the garbage, takes it to a landfill..... Even it the cups are made with post consumer content, all this still has to be done.

Tamcat on "Green transportation"

Tamcat — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 07:18:22 +0000

I agree with everybody. Just one comment, I had to buy a car last August, my husband and i lived with one shared vehicle for 4 years, but since moving to Atlanta, the most polluted, urban sprawled city I've ever been in, it was a necessity. However, what I kept running into is that we could not afford a hybrid car, so instead bought a used chevy cavalier...at least it's not as big of a gas guzzler. I can't wait until the price of the hybrids goes down.

crysinsf on "Paper or reusable cups and water conservation"

crysinsf — Fri, 25 May 2007 05:10:26 +0000

We have a 120 people in our office and we're going green. A question has come up and I'm not sure where to find the answer: Is switching from disposable cups to mugs really green in drought-prone California? No doubt styrofoam is stupid, but LA tried going to reusable cups for city offices in the late 80’s to save trees and found that the city government’s water consumption (to clean the cups) far out weighted the environmental benefit. They went back to paper cups with post consumer content. Which one is better for the environment?

EcoGeek on "Green transportation"

EcoGeek — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:53:15 +0000

Well, it took a while, but I voted with my dollars last night. I bought a Prius. So I am going from a vehicle that got 17-19 mpg to a vehicle that gets 45-50 mpg. (realistic numbers) What I was spending in gas for the truck is paying half of my car payment. I hope someone in Detroit reads this. Guys, I would love to drive an American car, but you don't offer what I need. It can't be that hard to strike a similar balance of economy and performance the way Toyota has with the Prius. They can't keep them in stock. While hybrids only account for 2% of the cars in the US, the fact that they do account for 2% after only 7 years should be telling you something. Fewer Hemis, Powerstrokes, and Vortecs, and more hybrids please.

freeconnect2000 on "Help reduce our dependence on foreign oil!"

freeconnect2000 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:57:49 +0000

Please check this out. It is a very important topic that affects us all:

Help reduce our dependence on foreign oil! Sign up for Solar Power today and take a step towards energy independence. There's no up-front investment. Pay for it like you pay for electricity from your utility. The difference is that your cost is fixed for up to 25 years and you still have the utility as support! Click below to find out more.

http://renu.citizenre.com/index.php?c=1176671041

Thank you for your valuable time

Gary

EcoGeek on "I can hardly believe this is true."

EcoGeek — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:56:30 +0000

If you are fond of your Hummer, in love with your Land Cruiser, or a closet fan of monster trucks, a group of like minded individuals have set up a website. SUV owners of America have set up a site and are putting forth a movement in California to get legislation repealed mandating CO2 level reductions. A quote from their "about us" page sums it up nicely. "Founded in 1999, SUVOA is the voice of and advocate for SUV owners from unfounded attacks by special interest groups and unwarranted government regulation."

I'm sitting here shaking my head, at a loss for words. Do these people think that all the scientific data showing the reality of global warming and the role that humans have had in bringing it about is fiction? HELLO?!?!?! We have scientific data supporting our assertions, what do you have?

Things like this make me sad, and serves to emphasize the importance of taking those steps, no matter how small, to make a positive difference for the environment.

EcoGeek on "Who brought back the electric car?"

EcoGeek — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:23:26 +0000

TESLA MOTORS has taken another big step to the reintroduction of the electric car to the US roadways. For those of us who don't live in California and would love to have an EV that can be used to replace our existing vehicle rather than just as a commuter car, this is huge news. The Tesla "WhiteStar" as they are calling it, is projected to be available in 2009. Construction begins on the factory in Albuquerque NM in April 2007. Projected cost for the 4 door, 5 passenger sedan will be $50-65k. While that is still out of my range, if Tesla is as successful selling these cars as they have been with the Tesla roadster, it can only be a good thing for the economic viability of electric cars for the rest of us. More power to you Tesla Motors (pun intended).

EcoGeek on "Not quite Back to the Future's "Mr. Fusion" but close"

EcoGeek — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:05:40 +0000

President Bush has touted the value of ethanol, and how it can be a portion of the solution to the "how do we wean ourselves off foreign oil" problem. The thing that has always baffled me is how in the world do we grow enough corn or whatever other crop is needed to create enough ethanol to fuel our need for fuel? Well, fortunately there are people smarter than myself already answering those kinds of questions. The folks at Range Fuels have the following posted on their website.

"Renewable energy is like a riddle. The more you study it, the more surprising its revelations. The very thing to save our planet, as it turns out, is our planet. The earth's natural resources – plentiful and pure – can be turned into clean fuel. At Range Fuels, our focus is on plant matter (or biomass), which cannot be used for food and currently has no useful life. Humble items deemed waste products by the agriculture industry – such as corn stover (stalks that remain after the corn has been harvested), hog manure, municipal garbage, sawdust, paper pulp, and more – can be converted into cellulosic ethanol."

That certainly sounds like a win-win solution to me. Smaller landfills, more energy from a domestic source, and less money in the pockets of the big oil companies, wow, I don't see a down side to this at all!

I hate to find myself agreeing with the President, but on this one I will swallow my pride and agree that the potential for ethanol to be a viable alternative energy source is looking more practical all the time.

EcoGeek on "Green transportation"

EcoGeek — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:10:58 +0000

Finally, someone is moving in a direction that makes sense. Americans have a love affair with their cars. The gas crisis in the 70s had everyone buying small fuel efficient cars, but as soon as gas prices went back down they abandoned them in droves. No one single reason could be blamed for the mass exodus back to big vehicles, but as we face a new round of fuel efficient vs big and powerful another player is entering the fray and introducing a vehicle that is fun, fast, fuel efficient, and has a head turning quotient that makes it even more desirable. But, the best thing is that it is price competitive. My hat is off to Venture Vehicles. (www.venturevehicles.com) The Venture One is the kind of thing I've been wanting for ages. It can seat 2, gets 100mpg, OR can be all electric and you should be able to get one for under $20k when they go on sale in July '08. Hey, Detroit, are you paying attention?

dae5 on "Green Faith?"

dae5 — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:21:51 +0000

One thing mentioned in passing on ATG is the new trend among the religious community to support the green movement. I think it would be worthwhile to invite some religious speakers/leaders of various religious backgrounds to discuss the connection between spirituality and nature. There is definitely a connection, and I think it would be great to explore it more deeply.

dae5 on "Green transportation"

dae5 — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:16:36 +0000

I completely agree. And every American should take it as a matter of principle to start sticking it to Big Oil. Companies like Exxon-Mobil are not just ruining our planet ecologically, but socially, politically, and economically as well. As pointed out by ATG already, the oil companies are essentially forcing us to buy their product: for instance, their destruction of the electric car damned us to remain addicted to foreign oil. What they are doing to us is tantamount to breaking someone's legs and then selling him a wheelchair. Plus, their business is pipetting cash from the US into the pockets of tyrants and terrorists in the Middle East.

If anyone needs further convincing that oil companies are evil, there's a feed available on youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6wMYQG-szU) detailing Exxon-Mobil's exploits. They also mention a site called http://www.exxonsecrets.org that lists more atrocities committed in the name of oil

EcoGeek on "Green transportation"

EcoGeek — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 01:06:22 +0000

In the vein of voting with your dollars, it makes sense in my mind to do a show about ways to NOT line the pockets of the big oil companies. Alternative modes of transportation like electric cars (www.myersmotors.com, www.zapworld.com, www.gemcar.com, www.evworld.com) bio-diesel, hydrogen, even hybrids and upcoming hybrids would make for interesting listening in my opinion. The Chevrolet Volt concept car that was recently unveiled in Detroit has electric motors driving the wheels all the time, and has an onboard generator that kicks in to provide power when required. It can't be produced yet because it required Lithium Ion batteries which, at present, are too expensive to put into a mass market car. But it is an exciting development. The websites that specialize in tidbits about upcoming cars are talking about the next gen Prius getting 80 mpg, and having solar panels built into the roof to help charge the batteries. The gentlemen from CalCars who converted a Prius into a 100mpg car would be interesting to hear.

Bill Moore, the gentleman who runs the EVWorld website would be a good source of material as well as an interview I would think.

Given the recent information about global warming being the result of humans impacting the environment, a show themed around reducing fossil fuel consumption would be timely as well. Those are my two cents.