Hippy Green

Yes you read that right, walmart is going green! Its interesting how walmart is going green and trying to bring all 180 million customers on board. Walmart even created a 10 things you can do to SAVE MONEY and make a DIFFERENCE? The first one on the list concerns me a bit, it’s to use Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) light bulbs. CFL light bulbs may be efficient, but LED light bulbs also cut down on power consumption. We need to think about the big pictures rather then what Walmart is selling.

Walmart is trying to “create value for our customers while minimizing our footprint on the environment” a bold statement coming from a company that is committing to low prices while paying their CEOs top dollar!

The idea of power in numbers is great and I hope walmart understands that offering more environmentally products will force millions (about 180) people to buy green. It seems most large companies are going green? Is green the new money maker or are these suits really putting the environment first then the dollar? Investing in green can now also be financially beneficial due to the large tax breaks as well as free press (like this blog post?).

The other day I posted about how you should recycle your used ink cartridges. Today, I want to help you find a recycling plant near you so you can get rid of that junk that is piling up. I know spring has gone and its officially summer, but you may want to throw out some stuff that have been pilling over in your closets. I know if you have a computer you can recycle your computer, that was easy!, but what about that used dishwasher in the basement, or maybe a refrigerator from college? Have no fear, the recycling center is here!

Yes you can now find a recycling center in or around your neighborhood, its quick, easy, and faster then using Google. Please feel free to commit stuff that you need to get recycled and if you have had any luck lowing your ewaste

In case you missed the green news of google, Google is going solar and will continue with this path towards green by going carbon neutral by the end of 2007! In order to do this Google is committed to invest in a new green ideas (listen up BUSH!).

Google will be creating an additional 50 MW of renewable energy by 2012 as well as investing in technology that encourages cleaner energy rather then just buying carbon offset. Google understands that carbon offset is not a complete solution, but can still help the environment and invest in reducing the global carbon emissions.

Google will also be investing in plug-in hybrid cards as well as the co-founder of Climate Savers Computing, a industry plant o increase computer efficiencies can cut carbon emissions by 54 million tons a year by 2010.

With such big plans I am glad Google is behind going green and will no “do evil” (even though they may in other areas, adsense anyone?). Google has posted more details about going green.

Amanda over at PetSmart Charities recently emailed Hippy Green and wanted to spread the word on how readers can help animals by donating ink cartridges.

Most of us use printer cartridges pretty frequently. Well those cartridges cannot only help the environment but animals as well. PetSmart Charities is trying to help save the lives of homeless pet one pet at a time. In the process they are also recycling which is great for the environment. PetSmart Charities program is called Recycle for Life. By donating your used ink cartridges you are donating between $2-15 to save homeless pets. PetSmart carries pre-paid mailer bags for you to grab at your inconvience and send in your ink cartridges as well as used cell phones. This is a great program and the more we get people to donate their ink cartridges the better the environment will be and the better off the animals will be!! So help—Go to your local PetSmart store and pick up some mailer bags! For more information visit www.petsmartcharities.org or email awerber [at symbol] petsmartcharities [period] org

If you are working for an organization or company that is benefiting the environment and want to be featured on Hippy Green, please contact us and we will be happy to get the word out.

If you are planning on camping this summer and will need to “juice up” your ipod, you may want to think solar. Brando’s Solar Charger features various output voltages such as 4.5v, 5v, 6.3v, and 9v, great for all your gadgets. For only $69 USD you too can be going solar and charing all your gadgets.

While I was in europe, I picked up a nice usb wind up charger, but found it to be a pain to crank, so a solar version would be more idea to just layout and let it charge. You may even want to over night one of these fur the couple hours (days?) you wait on line for your iPhone.

Well that didn’t take long. It looks like Google is not only going solar, but they are showing it off. I posted a blurb about Google and their soon to install 1.6 megawatts of solar power.

At time of writing this (June 19,2007) Google Solar Panel Project has produced 9,810 kilowatt-hours of electricity. This project has added a total of 16,593 killowatt hours since yesterday (June 18,2007). Google explain their project as well as provide some nice pictures and dumb equivalent values like they have produced enough energy to power 3,567 loads of laundry.

What do you think about Google building this solar panel project? Should we take action to require large business to go green?

As much as I would like to say I am going to try and be a vegetarian, its just not me. But if you are or thinking about it, wannaveg.com posted some great Veg BBQ Tips. I also wanted to mention Steve Pavlina who is not only a great blogger, but discusses why he is a vegan.

Summer is here and I hope your busting out a BBQ this weekend, I know I am! One veggie item I had that was amazing last weekend was some fresh figs grilled with honey and whip cream. This summer we picked up a new grill and have been using it every weekend and sometimes even during the week. I love to cook and encourage you too! Please let me know some of your favorite grilling recipes as well as any suggestions for people who are becoming vegetarians.

I was recently contacted by Christina, who is setting up GreenFestPhilly to help spread the world. I am not sure yet if I will be around that weekend, but if so I think I might come on down. Anyway, here are some short and sweet details about GreenFestPhilly.

GreenFestPhilly, a subsidiary of Urban Green Partnership, is organizing a huge green street festival on Sept. 9, 2007. The festival will take place on South Street in Center City Philadelphia, and run from 11am until 6pm. Featuring more than 130+ exhibitors, a number of green events including an on-site green wedding, a sustainable fashion show, an eco poetry project, and a MusicEcology concert, this event is all about “serious fun”. Various activities for adults and children alike! Save the planet. Save money. Save the date.

Website: www.greenfestphilly.org
Email: GreenFest@UrbanGreenPartnership.org.

Being a Geek Guru I buy lots of electronics and prolly properly dispose of even more. This past weekend I had lots of BBQs and helped my mom move lots of her “stuff” from her house to the curb. Each year the town sponsors a day for any person to throw out almost any and it only costs $68 dollars. This year we decided to clean up the basement and the attic as well as put out some of the furniture we have not used. Once we started to put stuff out, trucks would slowly drive by looking at what we had. Every now and again someone would stop and take something. By the end of the day, we had almost nothing left. It was funny, we even saw someone take a A/C unit we put out only to put it back on our lawn the next day, luckily someone else took it! This just proves that one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Keeping with that statement and ewaste I started to think about how much electronic parts I have lying around as well as interesting parts that people would love to have their hands on. Did you know that Americans throw away over 125 million cell phones a year and even have 500 million used cell phones that are waiting to be thrown away. We need a better way to recylce some of our stuff, much like how people drive by and take the stuff we put out.

Luckily people are already doing a swapfest and we need to get the word out! If you have electronics that are lying around, like most technowhores, we should try and either donate them or give them to someone would might use/play with them. As a society we need to start thinking more about our ewaste and how we can cut down not only on the crap we buy, but also the crap we through away. Living in New Jersey, you get to see lots of it, ha! Anyway, if you are a geek or have electronic equipment you are thinking about throwing away, at least post it up on craigslist and give it away. You might not only cut down on your ewaste, but also enrich the life of some gadgeteer!

You may have noticed a couple of weeks ago, I updated the blogroll with leafygreen.info. Leafygreen.info is a green product review of products. This blog is run by Mike Kivowitz, another tech guy from New Jersey, just like me! So it’s almost funny that these green blogs are popping up on the blogoshere and are being written by 2 guys from dirty Jersey!

So the next time you think New Jersey, whats that smell, just remember the online community is based from here! We are the ones trying to clean it up Jersey as well as the rest of the world.

I also want to give a shot out to Mike, thanks for the contact. Makes me think, maybe we should try and hold a readers meet up in NYC? Anyone up for that?