The First Green Cell Phone

In this day and age many companies are starting to release eco friendly versions of their products in hopes of promoting environmental health. These products are either labeled organic (food and produce) or green (clothes, electronics, furniture, etc). They are made of recycled materials. Surprisingly there are green cell phones on the market available. There are only a few green phones though but they will surely enough become more popular. The latest green phone is the Reclaim SPH-M560 from Samsung. Purchasing this phone has many benefits. On top of being made of out recycled parts it is also very affordable and has many great features. Anyone looking for a new eco friendly multimedia phone should look no further

 

Artcle courtesy of The Green Earth Article Directory

Brownley pushes for statewide plastic bag ban

Santa Monica PIER — Free plastic bags could soon vanish from checkout stands across California under a bill proposed by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) that is set for a crucial vote in Sacramento this week.

Brownley's proposal would bar grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies in California from giving customers free, single-use plastic bags. Stores could still use paper bags made out of 40 percent recycled paper but would be required to charge customers at least 5 cents for each bag.

Read more-  http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2010-06-02-69726.113116_Brownley_pushes_for_statewide_plastic_bag_ban.html

 

Article courtesy of the Santa Monica Daily Press By NIck Taborek

Recycle That Cork

I've always felt a twinge of guilt when throwing out wine corks, feeling that I should be saving them and making trivets, cork boards, or some other crafty project. I don't have to feel guilty anymore; Whole Foods has recently rolled out a cork recycling program in all of their stores nation-wide. 

Whole Foods has teamed up with Cork ReHarvest to collect the corks. Cork ReHarvest is a two-year-old company whose mission is to recycle corks, educate the public about Mediterranean cork forests and the families that work on them, and protect the sustainability of these forests. The corks that are collected in the New England area will be used to create a vast number of products, including floors, coasters, yoga blocks, and bags (yes, cork bags!)- thus reducing the demand on the cork forests.

Learn more about the program and its environmental impacts from the Whole Foods Blog.
 

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe- Posted by Dara Olmsted, The Green Blog

Spill may cut into N.E. bluefin catch

Oil could harm spawning sites

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — The fate of one of New England’s most prized fish may be unfolding more than a thousand miles away in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bluefin tuna — so desired by sushi devotees that a single giant fish fetches thousands of dollars — are believed to spawn off the United States only in the Gulf and mostly during April and May. This year, both coincided with the worst oil spill in the nation’s history.

As oil gushes up from the seabed and spreads, scientists are studying whether bluefin larvae the size of a pencil tip will survive the leak. The answer could have important consequences for New England, where many of the tuna migrate each year and where bluefin fishing season opened yesterday.

“I suspect the larvae and eggs won’t be able to escape if they [encounter] oil,’’ said Jim Franks, senior scientist at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. To read more  http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/06/02/gulf_oil_spill_may_harm_new_englands_bluefin_catch/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Beth Daley-Globe Staff

Summerize Your Home: Keep it Cool

Here comes the sun! Solstice is mere weeks away, so to help you make the living easy – and green – this week’s tips are about how to prepare your home for summer.

Without A/C, that is. How? First, seal and caulk to prevent heat from seeping in through leaky doors and windows. (If you weatherized for winter, you’re set.) Then, move the air as much as possible. You can do this with a ceiling fan (make sure it’s rotating counterclockwise), by carrying a personal fan, or, if there’s even a slight breeze outside, cracking the windows on the house’s windward side just a tad, and on the other side of your home, opening the windows wider; this should create a stronger draft. 

If you simply must turn on the air conditioner, make sure your unit’s filter is clean and get the refrigerant level checked – if it’s low, you may be wasting 20% of the system’s energy.

 

Article courtesy of The Green LIfe (green.life@sierraclub.org)

Disastrous effects of spill may be hidden in Gulf depths

Researchers see massive oil plumes; Fear impact on spawning season

NEW ORLEANS — Independent scientists and government officials say there is a disaster we can’t see in the Gulf of Mexico’s depths: the potential ruin of a world inhabited by enormous sperm whales and invisible plankton.

Researchers have said they have found at least two massive underwater plumes of what appear to be oil, each hundreds of feet deep and stretching for miles. Yet the chief executive of BP PLC — which has for weeks downplayed several factors, including the amount of oil spewing into the gulf — said there is “no evidence’’ that huge amounts of oil are suspended undersea.

Tony Hayward, BP chief executive, said the oil naturally gravitates to the surface — and any oil below was just making its way up. Researchers, however, say the disaster in waters where light doesn’t shine through could ripple across the food chain.

read more:  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/06/01/disastrous_effects_of_spill_may_be_hidden_in_gulf_depths/

Article of The Boston Globe-Green Blog-By Matthew  Brown -Associated Press

Green Your Laundry: Ditch Your Dry Cleaner

Whether you lug a bag to the laundromat or roll a basket into the garage, you've got to clean your clothes. But doing laundry consumes a lot of energy and water, so this week we're providing tips for an eco-friendlier wash and dry.

Tip : Eco-Friendly Options

Rather than taking your suits to be doused in a chemical that's linked to cancer and air pollution, head to your local eco-friendly dry cleaner. (They do exist – here's a list!) Or try wet cleaning, which uses water and detergent but still presses your garments so they look polished enough for the office. If possible, avoid buying clothes labeled "dry clean only," and remember that dry cleaning isn't always necessary even if the care instructions say it is. Hand washing in cool water or in your washing machine on the delicate cycle is often a suitable alternative.

Article courtesy of The Green Life (green.life@sierraclub.org)