Fort Greene Park Glass PIckup: Saturday, June 5

On Saturday, June 5, volunteer to pick up the broken glass that is littered in Fort Greene Park. The collected glass will be donated to Fat Dog Fabrication for the creation of a special limited edition Fort Greene bench.

4:00 PM Saturday, June 5, 2010

Meet at the stoop of 202 Washington Park

Collection buckets and gloves will be provided

Organized by:

One-Earth.com

Sponsored by:

Fat Dog Fabrication

Ice Stone

Help from:

GrowNYC

More information:

One-Earth.com

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Write for One-Earth.com and Earn Money

Here's What We're Looking For
We’re looking for sustainability mavens who can write about hyper-local issues such as new bike lanes, secret vegan restaurants, and exciting sustainability events... anything interesting and fresh. You know your city better than anyone. It's time you start getting paid for writing about it.

If you live in these cities, we want your article: Bellingham, WA; Berkeley, CA; Brooklyn, NY; Chicago, IL; Long Island, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Manhattan, NY; San Francisco, NY; and Tucson, AZ

Article Requirements and Stipulations

1. Article must be unique; i.e., the article cannot be the same article you wrote for another publisher... we want exclusive content. Articles for school assignments are okay! Submit your articles to editor@one-earth.com

2. You will be paid $25 per article and paid $1 every time someone comments on your article. The same person cannot comment twice.

3. There is a 30 day limit for payment eligibility. From the time your article goes live up to 30 days later, you are eligible to receive $1 per comment. After 30 days you are no longer eligible to receive credit. You will be notified one hour prior to your article being published.

4. Payment is made in full after 30 days.

5. Most importantly, the article must be about sustainability and specific to one of the 9 cities that One-Earth.com covers. It is entirely up the One-Earth.com team to determine if your article meets these requirements.

*Approval is not guaranteed. Please allow 3 to 4 days for the editorial team to process your article. Even if your article is approved, it is not guaranteed to appear on One-Earth.com within 3 to 4 days.

About One-Earth.com
One-Earth.com started in 2006 with the goal of "Indexing the world's environmental solutions". With over 1,000 environmental solutions in over 9 major cities in the US, we're well on our way. We owe much of our success to the contributors who cover important topics in these cities. Learn more about One-Earth.com or check out our incredible team of contributors. Wanna join the team? Send an email to info@one-earth.com with your resume and story idea(s).

If I Could, I Would...

...fill my cabinets with these handmade, locally made ceramics. I think they're superbly designed. I don't enjoy inadvertently ingesting toxic chemicals and supporting foreign-owned companies when I eat from my Ikea tableware, so Heath Ceramics make sense. I just wish I could afford to replace all of my tableware.

Chevron Says October is 'Energy Awareness Month'

Okay, this is bullshit. I received the most ridiculous piece of direct mail ever. EVER! In short, Chevron created the concept of 'Energy Awareness Month', as referenced by a separate website, WillYouJoinUs.com, created, owned and operated by Chevron specifically to market the campaign and celebrate the month. The mailer I received perfectly sums up the hypocriticalness of the concept of an OIL company creating, sponsoring and promoting an energy awareness month (not to mention direct mailing the piece to who knows how many homes–I haven't been a Chevron customer since I owned a truck almost six years ago):

Fine. First frame, I like where they're going with this. Let's all replace a lightbulb. Great. But wait, there's more..

Oh, of course, changing one lightbulb translates to saving enough energy to light a bulb for exactly 1,643 hours... so you can read to your child. How sweet :)

But that's NOT the end of the message. Flip to the next frame: "If 10o people joined me we could fuel a 7 hour flight". Of course! And use Chevron aviation fuel!

So, what is the 'awareness' part of Chevron's 'Energy Awareness Month' really about if it's not about 'saving' energy? this isn't really about 'saving' energy, it's about 'redistributing' the energy we save and expending it elsewhere. Don't be fooled. Chevron is an oil company. Their business is to make sure you spend your money on their fuel. They've laid it out for you in the messages (only it's hidden). Save your energy/money there, spend it here...

Act Now While Supplies Last!

Late one night this week, I saw an infomercial about the EcoCanteen, which is very similar to the various other types of reusable canteens available. Initially, it was difficult for me to not criticize the campaign because, after all, it was another poorly produced infomercial–with all the usual gimmicks. But behind the tricks, the EcoCanteen infomercial represents a significant tipping point for the green movement.

Many companies produce campaigns that are effective for the LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) market segment–think of companies selling expensive products like Seventh Gen., Whole Foods or NAU. But very few companies–and I mean very few–achieve what EcoCanteen has. They are able to appeal to both the Frugal market and LOHAS market segments–simultaneously–and without posing a threat to the other (as sometimes happens when a product is marketed specifically to the LOHASians, it can come off as pretentious or conversely, cheap when marketed to the Frugals.)

Another good example of how these two markets can be reached simultaneously is evidenced in a very recent Pratt Institute design competition (at ICFF 2009) in which the competing designers were challenged to make products from sustainable materials all purchased for under $1. Brilliant. We need more inspiration for innovation using the sustainable materials we have and with less money. Good job Pratt. (By the way, did you know that the Pratt buildings on its brooklyn campus were originally designed to function as a factory for shoes if the school idea failed? Luckily that never happened. However, it is evidence that RRR philosophy is built into the curriculum at Pratt whether consciously or not.)

But wait, there's more!

What's more important to realize is the context this informercial is appearing in. Employment rates are up to 9.8%. Even if you have a job and things seem good, I guarantee, at least out of fear, you're still looking for ways to save money.  The EcoCanteen is an environment AND money saving solution. It's the ideal blend of two markets that need to be exploited in this economy to push the Sustainability movement forward.

Eco-DenT in YouR FacE

I floss regularly and–I'm not kidding–I've had the same roll of Eco-DenT Dental floss for over a year. It's insane. Albeit, I did pay twice the price of a regular roll of dental floss such as Crest's Glide. However, it's well worth the extra initial cost if it's going to last so much longer. It's the same principal as investing in CFL lightbulbs: pay more upfront, save more in the long run. Learn more about Eco-DenT and find out where to buy it here.

On another note, does anyone know why they capitalize the "T" in "DenT"? From a design perspective, I assume it's to achieve symmetry in the logo, but I'm probably wrong about that. Free Eco-DenT to the person who comes up with the best answer!

(Yes, that's Tom's Of Main and Aveda shampoo, but that's another post.)

Verizon Co-Sponsoring Rally with Eco-Villain Coal Company?

To read more about Verizon's involvement in the upcoming "Friends of America" rally, click here.

Towel Reuse Program Spun as Part of Hotel Environmental Initiative

While staying at the Betsy last week as part of a belated birthday gift, I noticed the hotel's ambitious environmental initiative. Most of the items on the list included basic methods of conservation and reuse like the Towel Reuse Program which encouraged guests to reuse towels by hanging them up instead of throwing them on the floor (which would signal to the Guestroom Attendant to wash them). The most effective item on the list was a new climate control system, which determined–through motion sensors–if a room was occupied, thereby determining if a room needed heating or cooling. Heating and cooling a room consumes more energy than any other activity. So this is one of the best solutions because guests are almost always given the privilege of controlling the temperature and they almost never think about turning the heat or air conditioner off when leaving a room. Other items include: cloth laundry bags (instead of plastic), organic non-toxic cleaning products and Low-E window panes. 

Make the Connection for a Greener Planet

The subhead in the photograph of the MTA ad, "your city, your subway..." reminded me of a few things as I waited on the tracks this evening after a long GMAT study session. Firstly, it brings to mind a 1970's New Yorker cartoon that illustrates the connection between "throwing away a newspaper" and "throwing away the Earth". Secondly, it's similar to the quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." Lastly, and conclusively, it emphasizes the type of thinking necessary to achieve the level of consciousness needed to solve many of the environmental problems that exist. We live a world where the connections that make up the systems of our society are hidden; i.e., it's not obvious how the trash we throw away in our subway station affects the broader scope of the NYC's environment, nor is it obvious how the food we consume affects the Earth's fresh water supply.

Make a Video. Win Stuff. Deadline: August 1st.

Check out the Contest Here!

Think the world could be a better place? Want to make a difference? Want to win some stuff? Help make an ad for www.One-Earth.com by doing the following.

   1. Go to www.One-Earth.com, register for an account (don't worry, it's free)

   2. Post a solution in one of the available cities: Berkley, San Fransisco, Chicago, NYC, or Tuscon (More cities coming soon!)

   3. Shoot a short (less 10 second clip of yourself holding a sign with the URL of

      your solution written on it, and say the name of your city and the

      solution.

    * for example, if the link to your solution is: http://www.One-Earth.com/city/us/ny/manhattan/11/turn-and-unplug-unused-appliances-and-lights

    * Write it in big bold letters so it's easy to read. Black on a white, non glossy-background is best.

    * Hold it in front of you like a mug shot, look into the camera and say"  "Manhattan NY.... Unplug unused appliances and lights"

    * See the demo video below for a better idea.

4.  Upload your video to www.Vimeo.com or www.YouTube.com with the tag One-Earth.comWe will download your video and edit it into a rocking commercial!

Alternatively, if you're in the NY area and want to stop by and have your solution shot by a professional, contact the One-Eath.com Visual Marketing Coordinator at: Nicholas@One-Earth.com to make an appointment.On Aug. 1st a random drawing of all the subbmissions will be made, and the winner will receive a free One-Earth.com T-shirt, One-Earth.com bag, and One-Earth.com Klean Kanteen, and the choice between two tickets to TV on the Radio in

Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY, August 11th, or Animal Collective on August

14th.

One-Earth.com Launches with a Posting Party

On May 16, an inexorable gathering of a dozen Brooklynites (and a couple Manhattanites) marked the launch of One-Earth.com. We came with nothing more than our laptops and knowledge.

The goal of the Posting Party was simple: post as many solutions to One-Earth.com as possible in four hours. And we did just that. Over 250 solutions were posted that night! One-Earth.com is now rivaling some of the most acclaimed resources for information about sustainable living in New York.

For four hours, we posted (and drank). Congratulations to Misty who posted 105 solutions and won the grand prize package purchased from Green in Brooklyn, which included a Solo Solar Powered Cell Phone Charger, a Klean Kanteen, a Wrap-n-Mat, and few other essentials.

The effort and energy people brought helped make the event a huge success; we owe each other the congratulations. Each posting party (and One-Earth.com as a whole) will only be as successful as we choose to make it. That's the beauty of the design. Soon, with the help of the global community of local activists, One-Earth.com will be the source of sustainable information for people in every major city around the world.

There will be another Posting Party in mid-June. Send me an email if you'd like to attend.

This is the New Home for the One-Earth.com Blog

For all previous posts about the development of the web site, visit the old blog.