Green Living Workshop update week 25 2008

Sustainable Works Green Living Workshops,

There are 3 workshops currently running.
Scroll down to find your Workshop topic.


1.
Mondays 6-7:30pm
John Muir/SMASH
Library
2526 6th St.

Last Week - Week 5 TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL 6/14
This Week - Week 6 SHOPPING & FOOD 6/21


Homework:
read SHOPPING & FOOD
3 TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL Solutions
Last Call for LIFE STYLE SURVEYS!!!

SHOPPING & FOOD

Shopping

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.;;

EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index - rate real ads by whether you think they're greenwashing or not.

CorpWatch Greenwashing Awards - nominate companies that greenwash for this less-than-desirable bimonthly award.



Microfinancing

MicroPlace - eBay's lending site, where you can make a return of up to 3% off your microloan investment.

FINCA - sets up community banks in small villages in developing countries.

GlobalGiving - offers a money-back guarantee if you don't like the results, and heads up American projects like helping people affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Grameen Foundation - the original microlender, it's credited with reducing rural poverty in Bangladesh by 40%.

Kiva - lets you choose a project; loan $25 or more, and you'll receive updates on how the money's being spent - and the idea is that you'll be repaid.

Food

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

VegKit.org
free resource including, booklet, recipes, advice and current nutritional information

CoolYourDiet.org
online resource connecting diet and global warming, including several links to the UN report detailing the environmental impacts of meat.

MeatOutMondays.org
weekly e-newsletter that delivers a veg recipe, an inspirational message, and an informative feature to help you go without meat every Monday.

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.

from p.242 (Re: the lagoon spill we discussed)

Gallons of oil spilled by the Exxon-Valdez: 12 Million

Gallons of putrefying hog urine and feces spilled into the New River in North Carolina on June 21, 1995 when a "lagoon" holding 8 acres of hog excrement burst: 25 Million

Fish killed as an immediate result: 10-14 Million

Fish whose breeding area was decimated by this disaster: Half of all mid-East coast fish species.

Acres of coastal wetlands closed to shell fishing as a result: 364,000

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

Look for the labels stuck on your fruits and veggies:

• A four-digit number means it's conventionally grown.
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic.
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM.

Fish

Blue Ocean Institute FishPhone - send a text to 30644 with the message FISH in all caps, followed by the name of the fish you want to know about, and it'll fire back sustainability info on that species.

Oceans Alive - download a pocket seafood selector and check its up-to-date list for the
skinny on the most and least sustainable fish.

NRDC - mercury info and another pocket-sized seafood selector that focuses on mercury levels.




and


2.
Tuesdays 7-8:30pm
Sustainable Works
1744 Pearl St.

and

3.
Wednesdays 7-8:30pm
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd.

Last Week - Week 2 ENERGY 6/17,18
This Week - Week 3 WASTE 6/24,25

Homework:
read WASTE
3 ENERGYSolutions

ENERGY

Lighting

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

CFL Calculator

How LEDs Light Emitting Diodes Work

www.EternaLEDs.com
Local LED retailer

Global Warming

An Inconvenient Truth

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.

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.

Misinformation regarding Global Warming provided by Exxon


Energy Efficiency

Community Energy Partnership
free Home Energy Efficiency Tune-Up
worth up to $200

Smart Strip

Kill a Watt
Kill a Watt review


Renewable Energy

How to sign up for LADWP Green Power

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


Solar Power (PhotoVoltaic) PV for the home
www.newresourcebank.com
assists renewable energy loans

www.heliopower.com
PV with no upfront costs and higher KiloWatt cost

www.sunrunhome.com
PV with small upfront investment and lower KiloWatt cost



Carbon Offsets

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

Carbon Offset Recommendations from Tufts University

Carbon Offset Consumer Handout from Tufts University

Below are few suggestions help you select an offsetter:
Atmosfair
Carbonfund.org
Climate Friendly
My Climate
Native Energy