VIDEO: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Good Morning America

In case you haven't heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch... YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!

Stuff We Found Today - 05.24.10

Lace Hill: A Living Green Mountain Building for Armenia

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• Healthy Home Tips - Give kids a green and healthy start - (Environmental Working Group) "...it's important for our children's long-term health that we focus on the toxic chemicals they're exposed to, and do our best to keep them away when it matters most."
• Study: ADHD linked to pesticide exposure - (CNN.com) Uhhh, organics anyone???

Food Stuff

• Non-toxic, Reusable 'Zoo Lunchies' Lunch Bags from Skip Hop - (Inhabitots) These are CUUUUUTE!
• Acquiescence in slavery must end - the appalling state of the chocolate industry - (The Comment Factory) "The simplest explanation for the status quo is that a large number of consumers are unaware of the issue. Slavery is so far off the radar of the average person that they do not make any inquiry. This needs to change."

Home Stuff

• Philips Unveils World's First LED Replacement for Most common Bulb - (Inhabitat) Waiting to see how much this will cost...

Tech & Science Stuff

• Japanese Company Turns Adult Diapers into Energy Source - (Inhabitat) Start using this for baby diapers, and maybe we can end the cloth vs. disposable debate???
• Palestinian girls get tickets to Intel science fair in California - (Mother Nature Network) "The girls invented an obstacle-detecting cane for the blind." Love inventive youth who want to help!
• Werk It: Powering Gadgets by Bike - (Urban Daddy) Here's a cellphone, iPod, gizmo charger that uses energy generated from riding your bike... cool!
• MIT Team Unveils Airplane that Uses 70 Percent Less Fuel - (Inhabitat) Kind of looks like a flying fish... what do you think?
• Charging Ahead: Cities are working with car companies to prepare for the arrival of electric vehicles - (The Wall Street Journal)

School, College & Student Stuff

• Green charter schools take off - (Mother Nature Network) "There are currently about 200 green charter schools in the United States, and the number of schools focusing on green education continues to grow."
• The Great Power Race - "...a clean energy competition between students in China, India and the United States. The aim is to kick-start hundreds of new climate solution projects on campuses and in communities in all three countries and to demonstrate to governments and businesses our generation's leadership in transforming our world towards a green economy." AWESOME!!
• Recycle Ziploc Bags With TerraCycle And Earn Money For Your School - (Causecast) Terracycle is a great way for schools (and other non-profit groups) to fundraise.

Nature & Environment Stuff

• 5 Innovative Solutions That Clean Up Oil Spills - (Inhabitat) Just sad we need to do this in the first place...
• Lend Your Locks, Used Pantyhose to Help Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts - (Ecouterre) Supercool video in post, too. If you know any haircutters, barbers, salon owners...pass this along to them.

International Stuff

• Lace Hill: A Living Green Mountain Building for Armenia - (Inhabitat) Wow... imagine a whole landscape of buildings like this...

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• President Obama Allocates $800 Million to Repurpose Old GM Factories - (Inhabitat)

Other Random Cool Stuff

• Memorialize Loved Ones in an Eco-friendly Way - (AboutMyPlanet.com) Did you know you can create diamonds from cremated remains?? Cool or creepy??

Quote of the Week - 05.24.10

"Happiness is something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

~Daniel Webster

"There is always room for Fair Trade chocolate."

~Coco-Zen

Planet & People Friendly Tip: Spring Cleaning? Donate Your Unwanted Stuff!

With spring right around the corner, it's time to clear out the clutter. If you're a "pack rat" like us, you've probably got things laying around or tucked away that you haven't touched in years. Well, instead of throwing them away, consider recycling or donating your items...surely there's someone out there who can get some use out of your stuff!

Here's a list of different ways to donate or recycle just about everything:

Art supplies: Donate to schools, churches and day cares for use in student art projects.

Packing peanuts: Take them to shipping stores (Mailboxes Etc., UPS), who will gladly take them off your hands.

Books: Donate them to the library for used book sales. Sell or offer them on resale and community sites.

Amazon.com

Ebay.com

Half.com

Craigslist.org

Freecycle.org

Building Materials: Check and see if there is a Habitat For Humanity ReStore in your local area, so people like me can buy your excess/used stuff and the money goes to Habitat.

Cellphones & Ink Cartridges: Usable cellphones can usually be donated to women's shelters to be programmed for 911 calls. Ink cartridges and old cellphones can go to some retailers for recycling, or you can put them to even better use by donating them to a program like Cure Recycling, which helps cure childhood cancer.

Clothing: Along with the usual suspects of Goodwill and the Salvation Army, you might want to consider something like Dress For Success, which assists low-income women looking for employment.

Computers: Schools will oftentimes take used computers, just be sure to call them first. If your local schools don't want yours, try the National Cristina Foundation or Goodwill.

Food: Canned goods (say you bought too much) can be donated to homeless shelters or food banks as long as the expiration date has not passed.

Formal Dresses (Prom, Wedding): You'll probably never wear these again. Donate them and let help out a young lady or bride-to-be that maybe can't afford one.

Glass Slipper Project

Prom Spot

Donate My Dress

Making Memories

Furniture: Try local shelters, disabled veterans associations, The Red Cross, the AARP, or local churches.

Magazines: Instead of your latest copy getting a single read and heading straight for the recycling bin, see if you can give them to schools, hospitals, senior citizen homes, jails, YMCAs, libraries, or local coffee shops.

Prescription or Sun Glasses: These can be expensive! Help out someone who maybe cannot afford them by donating.

OneSight.org

LensCrafters

Lion's Club (local chapter)

Shoes: Approximately 300 million kids around the world don't have shoes, so don't let your slightly used ones go to the dump - donate them!

Soles4Souls

Shoe4Africa

The Shoe Bank

Sports Equipment: Your kids stopped playing soccer years ago, so why keep their stuff in the garage getting moldy? Instead, donate your sports equipment to Sports Gift.

Wire Clothes Hangers: Give to local dry cleaners for reuse.

Here are even more ways of donating or recycling your unwanted stuff:

• Excess Access - They link donations of business and household items with the wish-lists of nearby nonprofits that can provide pick-ups or accept drop-offs.
• Dump & Run - They desire to reduce the amount of waste generated at Colleges and Universities by extending the useful life of items no longer needed by the student community at years end.
• Recycle.net - Established to promote the trade of scrap & waste materials
• Throwplace.com - A site where users may list goods they wish to give away to others. Charities, Businesses or Individuals that are registered are able to search the site and make requests for items of interest.

Giving credit where credit is due... We came across this list on one of our favorite blogs - The Good Human. To read the original article, click on the link - Where To Donate All Your Unwanted Stuff.

Quote of the Week - 05.16.10

Happiness is something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

~Chinese Proverb

"Chocolate is something to love, something to hope for, and something to make Fair Trade."

~Coco-Zen

VIDEO: Grandpa Elliott singing "Sugar Sweet"

Grandpa Elliott is one of the street performers featured in Playing For Change's "Stand By Me" video that showcased street performers singing and playing the song all over the world. Listen and you can hear his heart, soul and love as he sings.




If you haven't seen the amazing "Stand By Me" video from Playing For Change... here it is.

Quote of the Week - 05.09.10

Every new day is another chance to change your life."

~Unknown

"Every new day is another chance to have some Fair Trade chocolate."

~Coco-Zen

Humor in the middle of a war: US soldiers in Afghanistan re-make a Lady GaGa video

So, I heard about these guys while listening to NPR on the way to pick up my son from daycare, and I couldn't wait to get back home to look up their video on YouTube... a couple of soldiers and their buddies stationed out in Afghanistan managed to film a re-make of the Lady GaGa "Telephone" video.

This video is AWESOME!!! I think I replayed it 7 or 8 times in a row and found myself and my 3 1/2 yr old dancing with these soldiers... in the living room swinging our arms and hips, doing the hand motions, and in the end, falling on the couch laughing and clapping. After a while, I realized it wasn't that this video was just some silly spoof, but that this was put together by a bunch of soldiers in the middle of a drawn out war where the casualties keep adding up. It's the fact that in the middle of this, these guys manage to find levity and humor.

After you watch the video, check out the Facebook page someone made for Aaron Melcher (the main soldier in the video) and their YouTube "channel" where you can read all the amazing reactions these guys have received and even post your own comment.

Whether you agree or disagree with the war, whether you like or dislike Lady Gaga... this video is just fun to watch... especially when you realize that in the middle of all the violence, these guys manage to hang on to their humanity.

Telephone - The Afghanistan Re-make

Stuff We Found Today - 05.02.10

FLOTUS promoting her "Let's Move" campaign

Food Stuff

• Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin? - (AlterNet) "Most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made with the chemical hexane, an EPA-registered air pollutant and neurotoxin." Go organic!
• Ash from volcano strands produce - (Mother Nature Network) "Tons of fruit and vegetables can't make it to their intended destinations. Is this wasted food also food for thought for our future?"
• RECIPE: Garlic & Herb Cauliflower Bites - (The GirlieGirl Army) Mmmm... this looks like somethings the kiddies might like.
• EWG's 2010 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides - (Environmental Working Group) First look at the "dirty dozen" and the "clean 15" for 2010.
• Conventional celery: Stalks of pesticides - (Mother Nature Network) "Celery tops the 'Dirty Dozen' list of conventional produce that is most contaminated with pesticide residues." - ewwww!!

Home Stuff

• Is Your Furniture Making You Sick? - (EcoStiletto) "Did you know that there are just as many chemicals, pesticides and harmful pollutants in furniture as there are in non-organic food?"
• CASAKid's Green & Multifunctional Oscar's Bed - (Inhabitots) Ooooh, we like this... love that it can be used for storage once kid grows out of the bed.

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• Clear Skin, Clear conscience: Eco-Effective Acne Fighters for Every Age and Stage - (EcoStiletto)
• AliveShoes Project Fuses Artistic Expression, Eco-Fashion, Sustainability - (Ecouterre) Interesting concept...check it out.
• Yves Béhar’s DIY Spectacles Help Mexican Students See, Learn Better - (Ecouterre) Cool glasses... and there being made available for free to students in Mexico!
  

Tech & Science Stuff

• The Nissan Leaf lines up paying customers - (Mother Nature Network) "Nissan is taking reservations for its Leaf battery car starting April 20, two days before Earth Day. Will the 115,000 'hand wavers' sign up, pay $99, and get in line to take delivery?" Cali residents actually get a pretty good deal after all the tax credits/rebates.

Nature & Environment Stuff

• Engineers build underwater dome to contain Gulf of Mexico oil spill - (Times Online) More on this environmental disaster.

International Stuff

• Incredible Crysalis Treehouse Restaurant Completed in New Zealand - (Inhabitat) How cool looking is this restaurant?!
• UK Prepares to Use Human Poop to Power Homes - (Inhabitat) Yup, we're talking poop here! Well, it's gotta go somewhere, right?
• Construction Complete on Shanghai's Amazing Dream Cube Pavillion - (Inhabitat) Made from recycled CD cases - cool!

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• FLOTUS and 2010 US Para/Olympians @ River Terrace Elementary - (Obama Pics Daily) Promoting Olympic ideals and the 1st Lady's "Let's Move" campaign... love how she's so unselfconscious around kids.
• Political fall out spreads with Gulf oil slick - (Mother Nature Network) "Specter of oil reaching Florida beaches has Florida governor and Obama reconsidering their positions on offshore drilling."

Other Random Cool Stuff

• 5 Social Smartphone Apps That Can Save the World - (Inhabitat) For all you iPhone lovers...

Quote of the Week - 05.02.10

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

~Confucious

"It does not matter how slowly you eat your chocolate as long as it’s Fair Trade."

~Coco-Zen