Stop Junk Mail. Be Eco Friendly. Do Good. The GreenDimes Blog

Making GreenDimes Words Speak Louder Than Chainsaws

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to travel south down the coast with our CEO to witness the filming of our first GreenDimes commercial in L.A. You will not believe what we found ourselves up against during the shoot. Oh, the irony!

The first part of the day went very well. For visualization purposes, here’s a quick rundown of the scene: the camera crew, the reporter, the beautiful spokesperson and our very own Pankaj Shah- all together at one of our Advisory Board members’ home for the shoot. There was the usual food spread, the make-up artist, the assistants running around. There was an excitement in the air- everyone was into what we were doing. Once the take with the beautiful spokesperson in the living room wrapped, we headed outside for Pankaj’s piece on GreenDimes.

Against the backdrop of a very perfect green yard, the set-up looked great. There was only one problem: the piercing sound of a chainsaw. Over and over, the revving up of the chainsaw. Apparently, Monday is the neighborhood yard maintenance day in LA. … And the day they cut down trees. It was an unreal scene, really. Here we were telling people about saving trees, and the noise in the background was the telling exact opposite story. It sent shivers down my spine.

So, we had to put Pankaj’s words about planting trees and helping the earth on hold so that there would be no chainsaw noise humming in the background. But no matter, despite the delays, we got the footage needed and soon a lot more folks will be hearing about GreenDimes and learning how stopping their junk mail and planting trees can make a difference in their own neighborhood and the world!

Note- Speaking of reaching out to the world, I read today that each (airplane) lavatory visit emits 5.6 lbs of CO2 due to energy used flushing the toilet. Airplanes use powered vacuums, not gravity like toilets at home- and that this translates to the fuel used for every mile-high flush could run a car for 6 miles. So try running to the john on the ground, and you’ll actually save some fuel in the air.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend…

-Kendra at GreenDimes

San Francisco goes Bag-less

Check it out - SF is the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags.  WooHoo! Those nasty petroleum based plastic bags that are so wasteful.  And did you know, 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year and only 0.6% are recycled?  That's a good reason for every city and person to think twice about plastic bags.  It funny how it only takes one city, or one person to take the first step - and that can inspire others to follow suit.

Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Handbags & Wallets, the good, the bad, and the ugly

I seem to have bad karma with my purse.  I'm not saying some handbags are good while others are evil, but I can never seem to find my keys or my cell phone in my purse even though I know they are there.  And this is not one of those voluminous totes, this is a pretty standard size bag.  It closely matches what I had before but due to some minor difference, things are nearly impossible to grab.

So if you want good karma with your handbag, or for you gents, with your wallet, here are some eco friendly finds, and hopefully that goodness will carry through and make it easy to find what you are looking for...

How about Alchemy Goods - "turning useless into useful"

Or Eco Art-Ware with their "mother board money clip"

Or the ever popular candy wrapper bags from Ecoist.

Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Getting Pumped Up About World Water Day

Kids have crazy amounts of energy.  It's amazing how at the end of the day they are still spinning, running, playing, throwing, jumping, yelling, singing...  The other day I picked my kids up at 6:03 (their school has extended care and kindly didn't notice that the 6 o clock deadline had come and gone).  They had been playing outside since 3:30 and still weren't ready to go.  They wanted to play wall ball for 5 more minutes, and then they had to stop by the swings for 10 minutes.

Phew!  Which is why I was psyched to find that kids' love of playgrounds is not only universal, but some clever people have thought of way to bottle some of that energy.  In South Africa, they have starting putting in merry-go-rounds for the kids to play on.  And every time they take a spin and go running around, deep under their dizzy feet, water is being pumped up and stored in a tank high above the playground. 

The kids have fun and there is enough cold, clean water for everyone in the village.  Not only does it provide a consistent, clean water source, it also saves time by eliminating the need to carry water several kilometres per day (which results in hours of lost employment), and reduces the widespread use of poor-quality water.

By the way, it was just World Water Day yesterday and there are walks and virtual walks tomorrow March 24 to raise attention to the great things that happen when people around the world have access to safe drinking water.  Not only health benefits, but greater economic and cultural stability as well.

So join the 100 pumps in 100 days campaign by visiting Playpumps International.  It aims to raise enough money for 100 pumps between March 22 and June 29 and is another little thing you can do that will make a huge difference in a lot of lives.

Have a great weekend.

Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

March 22 - Get your Bonus Trees while they last!

Just a reminder to email your friends and tell them to join GreenDimes before March 22.  You know they want less junk mail, and you're pretty sure they just haven't gotten around to signing up.  Hopefully, they are, as I prefer to call myself, "deadline motivated" (versus the more negative connotation of someone who procrastinates). 

So that helpful deadline is March 22  - if they sign up by then - they get 25 bonus trees, on top of the tree planted every month on their behalf.  And if you're a GreenDimes member, when you refer friends using your handy  invite tool in your GreenDimes My Account Friends tab, you'll get 25 bonus trees too!

Thanks to everyone who has blogged on GreenDimes and helped more people find out how to get less junk mail, more counter space, more time, more privacy, and a whole lot more trees.

If we can help you tell more folks, just say the word and we're happy to help you out any way we can.

And in the spirit of little actions adding up to big impacts, I'm going to go invite a couple more folks right now and I hope you will too!

Thanks,  your partner in doing good things,
Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Diamonds - not just for weddings - and new cool jewelry ideas

This has got to be the best diamond ring ever.  I found it on a site called MocoLoco has a bunch of high design items ranging from Arm Chairs to Wall coverings, but it's the jewelry that caught my eye today.  What makes this ring so special?  It makes the most of a tiny diamond by literally placing it under a magnifying glass!  Is this not the ultimate response to rock envy and the sarcastic question "Is that it?" faced by many a newly engaged person?

For those concerned with mining practices and looking for more eco savvy and humane ways to jazz up an outfit, consider redesigning old rings and putting old stones into more contemporary settings.  Or just check out some of the other finds on MocoLoco that take advantage of other materials -- such as from wood and stone, woven, diecut felt, bicycle reflectors (yes, I said bicycle reflectors), or found objects and recycled materials; - in candy designs btw which also appeals to your sweet tooth as well as well as your "do good" drive. And if you must have rocks - why not try crushed rocks and by this I mean concrete rings.

Let us know your favorite way to decorate yourself that dazzles while making a small difference for our planet.

Cheers, Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Flip Flop Friday

Apparently it’s nasty on the east coast right now.  Well no one told us.  Summer has arrived in northern California. 

What happened to spring?  Spring was winter.  In fact, spring may be the new winter like Thursday is the new Friday, brown is the new black, you get the idea.

So what does GreenDimes do to celebrate the heat wave?  We’re recognizing a warming climate in comfortable style (with style being debatable) and instituting our first “flip-flop Friday”. Accoutrements include sunscreen, sand toys, shades, hats, and an old-school surfboard.  Oh, and flip flops.

Meanwhile, our CEO has been negotiating the snow and ice on I-95 somewhere near Philly.  He checks in every half hour or so to let us know he’s moved another 5 miles, and for the first time I think we actually feel bad for the guy!  We can tell he’s not feeling the brotherly love right now. 

But if he safely makes it to New York he’ll be wrapping up some very exciting deals while we’re here in the office wrapping our cold Coronas in a cocktail napkin.

So happy Flip Flop Friday everyone.  May you find just what you need to keep your cool.

Ted F at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Alternative Energy Start-ups Clean Up on VC Money

Everyone from politicians to movie stars to athletes to your office co-workers are talking about climate change, and so, apparently, are even the VCs these days.  We have good reason to get excited when we look at this chart on venture capital.  A lot more money is going into developing alternative energy sources!  2006 was a huge jump from 2005 in every category.

But besides bright shiny new technology, if you actually ask the energy scientists, the experts in our use of energy, they’ll all tell you that the best possible thing we can do is improve our own energy efficiency and stop wasting so much electricity in an old, creaky electric grid.   

So, wouldn’t it be cool if the bar for Smart Grid / Demand Response / Energy Efficiency was the biggest bar on the chart?  This would send more money toward supporting things we can do individually – small things we can do - instead of buying $50,000 fuel cell cars or installing $20,000 solar panels.   

For example, Smart Grid and Demand Response tech can tell us how to use electricity at the right times so our bills go down and the overall grid is more efficient. Energy Efficiency can mean better appliances, gadgets, tools, etc that will do their jobs better and save energy at the same time.

These things may not be as nearly as “media worthy” or as exciting as big solar panels or running cars on corn, but at the end of the day these technologies will make the biggest difference because they’ll get the most people involved.

And that's my 10 cents,

Ted Ko at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com

Make Mine One of A Kind - The trend towards artisan and handcrafted products.

Men are reaching for beauty bars. True enough and one of ten top 2007 trends I just read about in an interesting article on greenbiz.com.  From a growing interest in bed and bath for men and male consumers reshaping the grocery store experience, to an interest in the "New Luxury" products that provides both quality AND a good feeling because the products are made in a  sustainable and ecologically-sound manner with fair wages, there are a bunch of consumer trends for 2007. 

The part of the article I found most interesting is the trend away from mass production and toward both customization and one of a kind artisan crafted items.  Here's an excerpt:

Back to the Future: In response to decades of over-massification, consumers are embracing back-to-the-future simplicity, authenticity, hand-crafted and a belief that quality is better than quantity. Consumers are gravitating to smaller footprint retail environments, including a resurgence of "high street" shopping for one-of-a-kind offerings including "artsinal" and handmade goods. Products with legible labels, simplified ingredients and reassuring packaging are also experiencing success. Nowhere is the back-to-the-future movement more apparent than the explosive growth of consumer brands perceived to be "small and authentic."

These artisan crafts help individuals and local small businesses thrive and can help communities around the world earn more for their goods.  There are some innovative items out there and you can find them through organizations like World of Good, ToGoWare, Art.com, and even eBay , which has a thriving artisan community.  These items make great gifts as well additions to your own home.  Some artists will create custom pieces for you - I found an artist on eBay who created a beautiful pencil and ink drawing of the house my grandparents lived in for 50 years, which made a great gift for their anniversary. Check 'em out!

Jill at GreenDimes

I left Hawaii?

Changing residences is one of the least “fun” things a person goes through in life.  It’s about as enjoyable as hand-stamping 15,000 postcards.  Nobody actually likes moving, except maybe a moving company.

So last week I officially relocated to the Palo Alto area from Hawaii.  Yes, I left Hawaii.  It’s funny how not a single person has said “congratulations” or “good for you”.  Instead, without fail, every time I’ve mentioned it to someone the response has been the same…“Why??”

Good question.  Anyway….

As I was knee deep in boxes, packing materials, cleaning supplies and crap, my thoughts drifted to that Seinfeld episode.  Where’s Keith Hernandez when you need him?! 

It’s true; we all accumulate a lot of “crap” over the years, and my ten years in paradise yielded its fair share.  But my girlfriend and I weren’t going to be the couple that calls up a friend and sheepishly asks that dreaded question: “Can you help us move?”  We were going to do it on our own.

Until the flu hit.  First her, then me.  Needing manpower and a couple of trucks, we called in reinforcements.  Some good friends heeded our call, and I realized later that night that no matter how strong and independent we try to be in life, sometimes we must lean on others.

In case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t fill out the USPS change of address forms.  Instead, I’ve contacted all of the companies that send me bills, as well as my friends and family to notify them of my new mailing address.  More importantly, I’ve updated my address and account with GreenDimes in the My Profile section. 

If you’re moving, or plan on it soon, my heart goes out to you.  Maybe GreenDimes can't help you pack and clean, but feel free to lean on us to help lighten your mailbox load.

Ted F at GreenDimes