How about some green toys? (The Most Wonderful time of the Year!)

Maybe you're contemplating what to buy as gifts this year for those little ones you love. My sister is making some of her purchases this Christmas from a "Green" Toy Company (called "Green Toys" of course). They create toys from recycled milk jugs (isn't everything made out of those these days?) and claim that they are non toxic and safe for kids to put in their mouth. Obviously trying to cash in on the recent stories of tainted Chinese toys. Well here's a link to their site and judge for yourself. You can even get their toys at your local Toys-R-Us or other retailers. Below you'll find a video about the company and below that a video report on the latest "scare" (Marketing technique??...) in the toy industry. Check it out and leave your comments.






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What a difference a day makes...In Prius Sales that is

This morning my wife heard a report on NPR's All Things Considered which I listened to online as well. While we know that auto sales in general are tanking with the developments in the economy, America's interest in Hybrid vehicles is also waning now that gas prices are under $2 in many places in the country. Here in South Carolina we are paying $ 1.51 !! Question is how long will this trend last? Take a listen to this story - it's very interesting and includes an interview with a salesman who has witnessed the change in attitude first hand. (click link above or below to listen)

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=97826096&m=97826084

What is Green anyhow?: Honda's Green Efforts

A frequent problem for businesses and people who are interested in going green is that, so far, there are few standards in the industry. However, when it comes to building there are some standards. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, are standards that the U.S. government have put together to encourage business, industry and individuals to rethink their construction practices. The video below explains some of the LEED standards and show how HONDA plants in the U.S. have employed them in their facilities and everyday operations.

So, my question to you: Is this green? Personally I think any efforts to change bad habits is good but currently they are still producing cars with combustion engines which pollute the environment. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

How else can I be green during the holidays?

Time Magazine also featured an article talking about other ways to think and act green during the holidays. They offer suggestions and links to websites that can help you be green with your LIGHTS( I say just don't have them), GIFT GIVING, GIFT WRAP, ORNAMENTS, WREATHS, TABLE DECOR, AND CANDLES.

Also, as an update to my last post "Which Christmas Tree Is Greener?", here's a link to a page with slideshows about how The Original Living Christmas Tree Company does their business. It is a business that others (certainly existing Christmas tree farmers) could duplicate anywhere.

Which Christmas Tree is Greener?!?!

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over our thoughts are turning to the Christmas season. As my wife and I pondered what kind of tree to get, the usual considerations of price and practicality came to mind. My wife thought we should get an artificial tree because then we wouldn't be killing another evergreen every year. I asked the question - what is greener? She said, "good question!". Well, of course the answer laid in our past...

We later discovered a Time Magazine article about this very subject and discovered we had made our best decision on a Christmas Tree while living in Germany. There we opted for a potted one that could be replanted after the holidays. In fact, the Time article talks about a company in Oregon that offers a service of supplying the tree for the holidays and then replanting it for you. Above you'll find a picture of our little guy in Germany and below you'll find a link to the Time article. Happy Reading!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862449,00.html

Green Search Engines: Starting Point for the "Green Web"

As a sign of the true resilience that is the Internet already one can find number of search engines that have "gone green". You go to these sites and anything you search for comes up with the greenest results first. Of course we are not naive I'm sure that the businesses that have paid the most "$$green$$" to the respective search engine get higher rankings. However it is a nice way to narrow your results and see them through a green lens while searching on the Internet. My favorite so far is Green Maven. I encourage you to check it out it has a simple and attractive setup and is easy to use. It even provides a list of the most common searches at the bottom of the home page. ALSO YOU CAN "LAUNCH" YOUR GREEN SEARCH RIGHT FROM HERE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. Below I have linked to an article which outlines 15 of the top "Green Search Engines". The Second link links to another article about a newer Green Search Engine. Also to the right of my blog postings I will have a list of links to some more of these Search Engines. Enjoy! Also check out the video of the Truevert Green Search Engine Guy explaining the concept if you like.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/15_of_the_best_green_search_engines.php

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/14/elevator-pitch-friday-truevert-the-green-search-engine/