Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Some Green Holiday Gift Ideas!

1. Go Little and buy your honey a new electric, zero pollution car for under $10,000! For your consideration: The Little Radio EV

http://www.littleradioev.com/

2. Lather and Rinse! We love the folks at Pangea Organics for the best smelling most wonderful soaps - AND - The packaging of their delectable line of bar soaps contains seeds of flowering Amaranth and the packaging for the facial soaps contain edible Genovese Sweet Basil. That's right friends, instead of tossing the soapbox in the trash, you plant it in a flower pot and let it grow! What's more, all of the packaging for Pangea Organics' soap products are manufactured with zero waste and are created from 100% post-consumer newsprint-without glues and dyes. Now you can work yourself into a lather that actually benefits your skin, your kitchen, and the environment. To get a 15% discount on your purchase, go to Pangea's website and enter the discount code "greenfinds"!!!

http://www.pangeaorganics.com/

3. For the Gadgeteer on your list, plug into the sun and get them a Solio, the coolest ever solar Universal Hybrid Charger! Powerful enough to charge all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun, it works by absorbing power from either the wall socket or our very own Sun storing this energy within the Solio’s own internal battery. Solio is the universal charger of the future because it can use free energy from the sun which is good for the environment while saving you money on electricity costs. In addition to this, Solio limits your need to purchase and carry around multiple chargers for all of your gadgets; Solio is your one stop charging solution for all of your products from cell phones and iPods, to digital cameras, game players, GPS and even Fish finders!

http://www.solio.com


4. How Green Is Your Bag?? These rugged bags are outfitted with a super flexible solar panel that can charge your handheld devices anywhere you are and everywhere you go! Made from recycled soda bottles, they come in three styles: backpack, daypack, and messenger bag!

http://rewarestore.com

5. Gimme Some ROCKS! Don't worry - you can still buy diamonds for your one or more true love(s) without guilt! Just make sure that they are Kimberly Process Certified. The Kimberley Process is a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - rough diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments. The trade in these illicit stones has contributed to devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is an innovative, voluntary system that imposes extensive requirements on Participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process is composed of 45 Participants, including the European Community. Kimberley Process Participants account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds.

http://www.kimberleyprocess.com

6. Gimme Some Truth! For the 10 people in America who don't believe that global warming is real, or just to educate your republican friends, buy them a copy of "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore's astonishing documentary. Also included on the DVD is a tour of my pal Colette Brooks' house!!! 100% of the profits go to global warming education.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

7. GIVE, GIVE, GIVE! Instead of a traditional gift, why not make a donation on behalf of your clients, pals, or family? Here are a couple of my all time favorites!

http://www.grameenfoundation.org/
Started in 1976 by Professor Muhammad Yunus (who just won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize! YAY!) with a mere $27 from his own pocket, Grameen Bank today serves more than six million poor families with loans, savings, insurance and other services. The bank is fully owned by its clients and has been a model for microfinance institutions around the world.

http://www.kiva.org
Another financial services fund! The world’s first peer-to-peer, distributed microloan website. The site allows you to lend a small amount of money, say $25, to needy microenterprises in developing countries. You receive repayment at the end of the loan period (normally 6-12 months) without interest. If they default on the loan, your loan becomes a donation – though none of the businesses have defaulted yet.

http://www.habitat.org/
The classic! Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has built and rehabilitated more than 150,000 houses with families in need, becoming a true world leader in addressing the issues of poverty housing.

http://www.heifer.org/
Hungry families from Appalachia to Zambia have used Heifer livestock and training to alleviate hunger and porverty and become self-reliant. Heifer's unique approach also promotes strong communities, sustainability, environmental responsibility, protection, and peace. Choose a meaningful gift to give a loved one and help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant.

http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org
Give Bubbah Some Money! The mission of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and the goal of this Initiative, is to increase the benefits and reduce the burdens of global interdependence; to make a world of more partners and fewer enemies; and to give more people the tools they need to build a better future.

http://www.playpumps.org/
Water, water everywhere! This holiday season, you can help children in Africa have fun and be healthy. An ingenious new technology – the PlayPump™ water system – pumps clean water while children play on a merry-go-round. As the children play, water pumps into a storage tank and is easily accessed with the turn of a tap. Access to clean water is a very serious problem for more than 1 billion people. Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. With your help, we can save lives and bring the benefits of clean water to people throughout Africa.

http://www.opcc.net/
And finally, right here in our own Santa Monica backyard...OPCC empowers people to rebuild their lives by providing a continuum of care for men, women and children who need assistance in returning to lives of self-sufficiency. In addition to basic emergency services such as food, clothing, showers, bus tokens, etc., the agency’s programs are designed to help individuals access the resources they need to ensure survival, end victimization and improve the quality of their lives. These resources include case management, mental health counseling, transitional housing and permanent housing with supportive services.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Monday, November 06, 2006

Election Protection

As the November elections approach, the nonpartisan Election Protection coalition is launching its national 1-866-OUR VOTE voter assistance hotline and the poll location web site
www.MyPollingPlace.com. 1-866-OUR-VOTE is the only national voter assistance hotline staffed by live call center operators trained to provide state specific assistance to all voters. Lawyers, poll monitors and additional volunteers will be mobilized in 16 key states across the nation to assist voters in the days leading up to the election and on Election Day. Led by People For the American Way Foundation, the NAACP, and the Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Election Protection (EP) has operated in every election cycle since 2001, and is the nation’s most far-reaching nonpartisan effort to provide voter assistance and protect voter rights. The services will include bilingual assistance for areas with a heavy concentration of Spanish-speaking voters.

Trained volunteers will staff the Hotline providing immediate, state specific, assistance to callers. Call center operators will inform voters and solve problems on issues such as voter identification requirements, voting machine malfunctions, problems at the polling place, and voter intimidation. National call centers will be located in Washington, New York, Baltimore, and San Francisco. Local call centers will be hosted in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Minnesota.

While the toll-free hotline will be available to voters nationwide, EP’s ground operations will be concentrated in precincts most at risk for disenfranchisement, including low-income communities, African American and Latino communities, and areas with a history of voting irregularities. The coalition will operate in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Michigan, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Minnesota.


Sunday, November 05, 2006

Here Is The Official MoveOn.org Voting Guide For California, Complete With Weblinks:

Proposition 85 (Parental Notification For Abortions): NO
www.NoOn85.com

Proposition 86 (Fund Health Care / Cigarette Tax): YES
www.YesProp86.com

Proposition 87 (Clean Energy): YES
I'm Begging You To Vote For This! The $4 Billion Tax They Discuss In The No On 85 Commercials is a tax directly to the Oil Companies, NOT US. The Oil Companies will NOT be allowed to bill the consumers for this tax.
www.YesOn87.com

Proposition 89 (Clean Money / Public Financing): YES
Another critical one! PLEASE VOTE YES FOR THIS. We will never be able to have a true representative government until we stop allowing our elected officials to take $$ from special interest groups, such as big oil, Halliburton, etc.!
www.CleanMoneyElections.org

Proposition 90 (Regulatory Takings): NO
Prop 90 will make it virtually impossible for our state and local governments to do their job of protecting the wildlife, wild lands and other natural resources that make California the special place that it is. The NRDC (Robert Kennedy Jr.'s organization) is firmly against this proposition.
www.NoProp90.com


TAKE BACK OUR POWER. TAKE BACK OUR CONGRESS.
PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE. PLEASE VOTE.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

James Fee

One of my favorite photographers of all time, and certainly my favorite photographer of my generation, James Fee has passed away of liver cancer. Please take a moment to look at his amazing work:

http://www.jamesfee.com

I, for one, will miss him terribly.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Know Your Fish Tomatoes!

Have You Ever Wondered About Those Little Stickers That You Find On Your Fruits And Veggies? Here's What The Numbers On The Stickers Mean:

If The Number On The Sticker Starts With A [4], That Means That The Product Is Conventionally Grown (IE: With Pesticides, Herbicides, Etc.)

If The Number On The Sticker Starts With A [9], That Means That The Product Is Organically Grown (IE: NO Pesticides, Herbicides, Etc.)

If The Number On The Sticker Starts With An [8], That Means That The Product Is GMO (IE: Genetically Modified Organism). GMO Foods Are Created By Corporations Such As Monsanto. Examples Of Genetic Modifications Are: Crossing Tomatoes With Flounders (Yes, As In The Fish) To Create A Longer Cold-Storage Life. Find Out More About GMO Foods Here:
LINK

Here Is A Shopping Guide Listing Companies That Do And Do Not Use GMO Ingredients In Their Food:
LINK

Monday, August 07, 2006

Good Morning, Radicals!!!

Welcome to the Radicals Blog! After years of emails devoted to the gathering and sharing of everything from petitions to voter registration marathons, to articles of interest from, amongst others, our pals Sye Hersch, Thomas Friedman, Howard Zinn, Tom Tomorrow, etc., I am consolidating the whole schmeggagie (if you want the translation, you better ask my mom) into a blog.

My focus is changing - in truth, I have not signed a petition in months, and haven't written a Senator or House Member in a ridiculously long time. I'm sure Ms. Feinstein and Ms. Harman's offices, et al, are happy about this. The system is long gone for me, and I have realized that the President cares not what I have to say about anything, really, (other than the tap on my phone...have any of you noticed a clicking sound??); the Dems in office are utterly castrated, and the only ones, I fear, that we can rely on are ourselves and each other.

It's up to our personal ways-of-life, at this point. Beyond legislation, government sanctioned war and peace, religion and morality.

This blog will be a record and hopefully a resource of my journey to find a more significant way of living on this planet, and in this city.

With Love and Hopes for Many Hits!

XXO
Yvette
The Green Short List

Figure Out Your Carbon Footprint, And Take Steps To Reduce It:

Carbon Calculator:

LINK

Simple Steps:
LINK

Find Out What Others Are Doing:

These Guys Are Living As Off The Grid As One Can, In Pasadena No Less!
LINK

This Is An Amazing Website, And An Inspired Project:
LINK

Good Old Woody Lives In Hawaii In An Off-The-Grid Community - Woody Rocks.
LINK

The Ever Amazing Willie Nelson Is Changing The Way Our Trucks Commute Over The Highways Of The Heartland:
LINK

Eco Pal and Sweetest Girl Ever (Sans Eyepatch and Nurse's Uniform) Daryl Hannah Is Making A Series Of Short Films Featuring The Incredible Works Of Eco-Minded Folks:
LINK

What President Bill Is Doing With His Time:
LINK
(watch this film: LINK)

What "President" (Pause For A Moment Of Overwhelming Grief!) Gore
Is Doing With
HIS Free Time:
LINK

Hook Up - These Sites Are Filled With Links To All Sorts Of Stuff!!


A Great Green Living Online Magazine:
LINK

This Website Is The Portal To All Things Green, From Housewares To Science:
LINK

Get A New Car!!!

This Is My Pal Colette's Company. Recent Acquisitions Made For Folks Have Included The Likes Of Mint Condition VW Passat Wagons*, VW Toureg SUVs*, Not To Mention Her Array Of Cadillacs*, Merecedes Benzes*, And David's Yellow Land Rover*. *(TO BE DRIVEN WITH VEGGIE FUEL ONLY!!)
LINK

Then Again, If You Want Some REAL Bling And You've Got $100,000 For A Hand-Built, Made-To-Order Electric Car That Will Blow Your Coolness Factor Off The Map (If They Can Catch You!):
LINK

Small Is Better? George Clooney Thinks So:
LINK

If You Want To Use Biofuels And Don't Want To Bother With Home-Brew Or Home Delivery, There Are Two Filling Stations In LA - One In The Marina Del Rey, And One In The Pacific Palisades - A Third Will Be In Culver City Soon!
Palisades Gas & Wash, 890 Alma Real Road, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272,
B99.9 at the pump, made from California Walnut Oil. Note, On Rainy Days The Car Wash And Fuel Station Are Closed.

USA Gasoline, 4395 Glencoe Avenue (Intersection with Mindanao), Marina Del Rey, CA 90292,
B99.9 At The Pump, Made From California Walnut Oil. Open 24/7

Info At:
LINK

Green That HOUSE!

Go Solar!
LINK

Ditch that Water Heater!
LINK

Buy Locally Grown Produce From Your Farmer's Market To Reduce Emissions Caused By Shipping Cross Country! Have A 100 Mile Or Less Goal!
LINK

VOTE.

Vote For Candidates And Lend Your Wignatures And Assistance To Organizations Supporting Clean Money Elections. It Will Help The Environment Get Untied From Corporate Greed.

Meet Granny D:
LINK

These Folks Are Trying To Get Legislation Passed For Publicly Funded Elections:
LINK

This Organization Is Responsible For Bringing Us Proposition 89, The Calfornia Clean Money And Fair Elections Act, That You'll be Voting On In November:
LINK

Green That Bank Account!

Hit 'Em Where It Hurts. Get Your Wallet And Your Future Out Of The Hands Of Big Oil, Tobacco, And General Sleaze:
LINK

Here Is A Business Challenge For All My Radical MBA's - A Platinum Opportunity If There Ever Was (If Only I Hadn't Gone To Art School)...Emulate This, And Take Note Of Who The Chairman Is:
LINK

Research Companies Operating Green And Invest!
LINK

Here Is The Cleanest Campaign So Far In US History. Meet Isabella, Presidential Candidate, 2040
LINK


PS. New product - Home Depot is now carrying DIMMABLE fluorescent bulbs for recessed lighting. I bought some made by Phillips. Be sure to get soft white, as that's the warmest color they make so far. Do a whole room at a time so you don't notice the color shift as they are still a cooler color than tungsten bulbs!

Also, Home Depot is trying to green it up more by providing assistance with paperwork for the 50% tax credits for going solar if you buy panels from them. I know they're the ikcy big chain store driving out the little guy, but at least they're getting smart about marketing these items now!


XXO-Yvette