Consumerism

The folks at onefewer.com do not mess around. Check out the video below to hear how you can decide what to do with this obsolete gas guzzler. Can anyone say domino effect? Ok, that may be a stretch, but this is cool nonetheless. Here's the story from digg.

"There's no way around it: 13 MPG sucks. But what do you do with a Range Rover that's already on the road? Selling it just passes the burden on, so, should we blow it up? Drive it off a cliff? Convert it to a biodiesel or plug-in hybrid and give it to an organization that can use it to do something great? This guy will use the best idea he gets.."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AEgkIiZSh3U

Read the whole story on onefewer.com and make sure to share this with others. You can do so by clicking the green "share" icon below.

Key factors can certainly influence people to eat at one particular restaurant instead of another: the eatery’s service, its sanitation grade, and above all, the quality of the food. But do you ever consider where you will eat based on how green a restaurant is? The next time you choose where to eat, check out izzitgreen.com. IzzitGreen provides online reviews for restaurants and other businesses, evaluating their degree of eco-friendliness. The site is driven by consumers like you and me because it is us who contribute our opinions, add the ratings, and inspire companies to become more environmentally conscious.

Although I don’t think the Girl Scouts are going to be selling boxes of CFL lightbulbs instead of cookies any time soon—why change a good and delicious thing?--groups of other stripes are always looking for creative ways to raise money for their organizations. Now your group can choose to sell recycled paper goods, green home cleaners, energy-efficient showerheads, and yes, low-energy lightbulbs through several Web-based green fundraising organizations.

Two members of the New York City Council have introduced a trailblazing bill, Intro. 104, the Electronics Collection, Recycling, and Reuse Act, which, if passed later this year, would be the first mandatory municipal electronics recycling law in the country. It would make manufacturers responsible for collection and disposal of products when no longer usable, instead of leaving this task to consumers, who often simply dump them in the trash.

Just when you started feeling good about buying the latest eco-friendly product, environmental marketing firm TerraChoice has reported that most "green" products are making claims that are misleading.

Of the 1,018 products that made environmental claims, ranging from toothpaste to office paper, TerraChoice found that all but one was committing what the firm calls "the Six Sins of Greenwashing."

Some of the products bragged about containing no CFCs, preying on consumers who don't know that CFCs were banned from American products in 1978. Others claimed to be organic, without any evidence of certification. And still others highlighted environmental benefits that were outweighed by manufacturing and shipping processes that actually did more harm than good.

To make sure you don't become the next victim of greenwashing, listen to the podcast on npr.org.

The New York Times features what's next in green design.

Check out this photoessay and be inspired to integrate - or create - similar innovations for your campus.

Renewable Resources

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As always, at Conscious Lifestyle we like to think about making change on the individual and institutional levels. How can we get students and schools involved with this initiative?

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"The Organic Consumer Association's Breaking the Chains Campaign is focusing consumers' attention on how each purchasing decision can lead to a safer, greener, and more equitable society. Millions of green minded consumers around the world have broken the chains of corporate control in their own lives, by supporting organic, Fair Made, and locally produced products and businesses. It is time for these individuals to come together as a single voice