Beat The Heat and Wash In Cold
November 17th, 2007
Climate scientists estimate the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming. To reach that lofty milestone, each of us will need to focus on the opportunities within our reach today!
The national climate campaign known as C3 (Carbon Conscious Consumers) is challenging each of us to wash 80% of our laundry loads this year — 4 out of 5 loads — in cold water. By doing the majority of your laundry in cold water you’ll cut 72 pounds of CO2 emissions this month alone!
According to their website,
U.S. energy consumption is a major cause of climate change and, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, water heating accounts for approximately 19 percent of total home energy use. Today’s more efficient clothes washers and laundry detergents make it possible to get both white and colored clothes clean in cold water. Unless you are dealing with extradordinarily tough stains, washing in hot water is more likely to clean out your wallet than your apparel.
If you’re willing to take the pledge and tell your friends, register here today. Not only are you helping to save the planet, keep the pledge up for a year and you’ll save more than $60 in energy costs too!
DonorsChoose.org
November 14th, 2007
As a thank you for purchasing some furniture, Crate and Barrel recently sent me a gift certificate for $25 to a group called DonorsChoose.org. Not knowing anything about them, I got online to check them out and was so impressed! Thank you Crate and Barrel!
With a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, DonorsChoose.org provides students in need with resources that public schools often lack.
Here’s how it works: Teachers from schools all over the country can submit project proposals for materials or experiences needed to help their students learn. Concerned individuals, who they call “Citizen Philanthropists,” can choose projects to fund, and once again we are reminded why we thought the Internet was a good idea in the first place.
From their website,
Proposals range from “Magical Math Centers” ($200) to “Big Book Bonanza” ($320), to “Cooking Across the Curriculum” ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.
Whether you fund a whole project or just contribute your small part, whether you choose a school in your own community or reach out across the country to a community far from home, you can make an impact in the educational life of a child.
For more ideas on how to help bring resources to students in struggling classrooms, read more!
LED Holiday Lights
November 7th, 2007
One of my more civic-minded neighbors (Thanks, Kristina!) recently sent me an email to let me know that our little town of Los Gatos is competing in a contest against neighboring towns to see which community can convert more of their holiday decorations to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
So just what are LEDs?
speesees: Fall & Winter Collection
October 5th, 2007
You may have seen me post on speesees before, but if not, here’s the short version: super cute baby clothes, super socially conscious. The best of both worlds!
The new fall line, like all other speesees products, is made using all organic cotton manufactured under Fair Trade Practices and Principles and comes in beautiful fall colors like pumpkin, peacock, pollen, earth and eggplant.
I especially love this new bear jacket made out of 100% organic sherpa cotton — the perfect solution to a chilly Halloween night! It’s $46 and comes in sizes 0-3.
And if you order before October 31st, enter the code “together” and receive 15% off your fall order! speesees just wants to remind us that “we’re in this together.”
iGuard: Monitor Your Meds
October 4th, 2007
In case you missed it, Anderson Cooper recently aired a fairly surprising story on how many drugs are available and prescribed in the United States that are not reviewed and sanctioned by the FDA.
According to CNN,
Every year, doctors write approximately 65 million prescriptions for drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates prescription drugs.
These drugs, some of which the FDA admits could be dangerous, slip through a “black hole” in the drug approval system, according to one U.S. congressman.
“There’s a regulatory black hole that makes it possible for the pharmaceutical companies to get these drugs to the stores that sell them without the FDA being able to monitor it,” said Rep. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Dr. Walter over at Highlight HEALTH has an interesting solution — check out iGuard, which claims to be the fastest and easiest way to get personalized safety alerts and updates about your medicines.
According to their website, iGuard is a powerful communication tool designed to:
Alert you and your doctor (if you choose) about important safety information for the drugs you are taking.
Distribute risk ratings that help you understand drug risk today, and in the future as new safety information emerges.
Facilitate communication between you and your physician about medication risks and monitoring.
Provide an easily accessible summary of your medicines and conditions for your own records and to use in coordinating care across all your physicians.
Help researchers identify safety problems faster.
Support family members and caregivers who are responsible for dependents in monitoring safety.
It’s fast, it’s personalized, and best of all, it’s free. Five minutes of registration could save your life — click here to sign up today!
Thanks for the tip, Dr. Walter!