Green Living Workshop update week 44 2007

Sustainable Works Green Living Workshops,

There are 4 workshops that have blog updates-
Look for your Workshop Date and Time below

Mondays @ Beauty & Wisdom 6-7:30pm
Week 2 ENERGY 11/5
Week 3 WASTE 11/12

ENERGY

An Inconvenient Truth

How Fluorescent Lights Work (same principle as CFLs)
CFLs Responsible for Less Mercury than Incandescent Light Bulbs Ironically, CFLs present an opportunity to prevent mercury from entering our air, where it most affects our health. The highest source of mercury in our air comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, the most common fuel used in the U.S. to produce electricity. A CFL uses 75% less energy than an incandescent light bulb and lasts at least 6 times longer. A power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time.

Entire EPA Fact Sheet on CFLs and Mercury Smoke, Mirrors and Hot Air
The Union of Concerned Scientists article on the connection between the "Global Warming skeptics", their funding by Exxon Mobile, and the skeptics history of performing the same disception for the Tobacco industry.

HeatisOnline.org
Excellent web resource for tracking the real information about Global Warming. Written by Ross Gelbspan, author of the two ground breaking books on Global Warming we mentioned, The Heat is On and Boiling Point.

Misinformation regarding Global Warming provided by Exxon

How to sign up for LADWP Green Power

CO2 offset price comparisons
link to the ever growing and changing list of organizations to offset your CO2 based on price

CO2 recommendations from Tufts University

Carbon Offset Consumer Handout from Tufts University

CFL Calculator

Smart Strip

Kill a Watt
Kill a Watt review

SolarSantaMonica.com
The City of Santa Monica's excellent new resource for those looking to add Solar Power.

NPR's series on Climate Change


Tuesdays @ Patagonia 8-9:30pm
Week 5 TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL 10/30
Week 6 SHOPPING & FOOD 11/6

TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL

Bike Metro the site that helps you select routes for easy urban biking.

Roll with It the bike group that will ride to work with you.

Better World Club the environmental alternative to the Car Domination strategy of AAA.

Plug In America Non Profit organization of activists that saved the Electric Vehicles and lists all of the automakers phone numbers so you can demand a environmentally superior plug in electric vehicle. Scroll down to the "What Can I Do?" section.

www.calcars.org
Group that retro fitted an existing Prius into a Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

www.sherryboschert.com
Author of Plug In Hybrids, includes the most comprehensive analysis of Well to Wheels emissions Alternative Fuel comparisons


Wednesdays @ Santa Monica Public Library 7-8:30pm
week 4 CHEMICALS 10/24
Week 5 TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL 11/7

CHEMICALS

Chemicals to Avoid Smart Chart

Alternative Household Product Recipes

Seafood Watch List Guides

Common chemicals are linked to breast cancer

Skin Deep
Take a look at the best resource available for finding out the safety of your daily hygiene products. The Environmental Working Group, who put together the Skin Deep website, is a terrific resource for information regarding environmental health.

www.ewg.org

PVC Poison Plastic

Sundays @ Global Green Annex 1-2:30pm
Week 6 SHOPPING & FOOD 11/4

Thank you all for a great Workshop!!!

If you haven't already please complete and mail your Life Style Survey to our office:

Sustainable Works
Residential Greening Program
1744 Pearl St.
Santa Monica, CA
90405

GreenerChoices.org the very informative environmental section of Consumer Reports.

SustainLane.com the new online environmental portal where you can review green products and will eventually be able to read others reviews.

ResponsibleShopper.org CoOp America's excellent online resource that alerts the public about the social and environmental impact of major corporations while providing opportunities for consumers and investors to vote with their dollars for change.

BetterWorldShopper.org terrific new resource created by the author of the Better World Shoppping Guide.

Greenopia.com LA's green guide for all things green in our area.

TheGreenOffice.com the environmental office supply store with the ability to sort by "Greenness" and offsets all of its shipping with REC's.

VegPledge.com the resource for those of you looking to dramatically lower your ecological footprint by reducing your consumption of animal products.

Food Revolution the bestselling book I read from whenever we discussed the environmental impacts of food. I highly recommend it for learning more about how food effects the health of both us and the planet.

Vegetarian is the New Prius
great article summarizing the the environmental benefits of eating plant based meals