If you’ve managed to get your home fairly green but leave it everyday for an emissions-producing commute and an office place that doesn’t contain so much as a recycling bin, there’s definitely room for some improvement of your overall carbon footprint. These days most of us spend as much time (if not more) at the office as at home and it’s a place rife with elements that can be made more eco-friendly.

Greening Your Office by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert is a handy guide that will help you (and your office mates) get greener with your day-to-day operations—and, in many cases, save some cash at the same time. You’ll see the most results if you own your own business or work from home and can implement some of the more major changes presented in Greening Your Office, but even a part-time employee can have a positive effect on their workplace using this resource and its helpful ideas on things like commuting techniques and reusing materials. Click here to read more

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In today’s world large corporations have almost as much power as politicians and, believe it or not, that can have a perk for all of us. With companies deciding much of what will happen with our planet, and consumers deciding what will happen with companies by where they choose to shop, consumers have a chance to directly shape the world simply by doing something they would be doing anyway—shopping. This is the premise for the book The Better World Shopping Guide, which sees every purchase that we make as a vote and encourages buyers to use resources to improve the planet (in a variety of ways) by shopping smarter.

It sounds complicated (and possibly even a little out there), but it’s actually very simple. You pick up a copy of the Better World Shopping Guide and use it when you’re shopping to find the best brands to buy. More than five years of research on the part of the author, Dr. Ellis Jones, ensure that there are facts to back up each claim, and browsing is as simple as looking through a category (everything from cereal to airlines) or searching a company name. The Better World Shopping Guide is small enough to fit in your purse or glove box so you can cart it every time you head to a store, whether that store is Wal-Mart or Whole Foods, and consult when you’re faced with a difficult product dilemma. Plus, since this is the second edition of the Better World Shopping Guide, all the information is as up-to-date as possible. Click here to read more

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Dear book worms, are you having trouble reconciling your love of the written word and your good environmental conscience? Still, the first answer you’d give to the question “what would you take with you on a desert island?” is “a book”? You might have already been driven to switch to recycled paper books and/or are part of a local book club. You might also be the proud owner of an e-book. Giving up the familiar book created from dead trees for a device similar to a PDA with no keyboard sounds quite tempting. The two most popular are the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader. Click here to read more

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He’s an environmental activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and starred in the winning Academy Award Documentary An Inconvenient Truth. You know who I’m talking about! Former Vice President Al Gore announced yesterday on his blog that his new book was going to be released in March. Entitled Our Choice, Al Gore’s green book will be “picking up where An Inconvenient Truth left off.” Millions of people were touched by the sinking polar bears, alarming facts and shocking images of disappearing territories. This longtime advocate for the environment urges people to rally and take action. Al Gore said: “It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely.”

Since his New York Times bestseller An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It was published, Al Gore has been busy traveling the world speaking words of global warming awareness and prevention. Leading over thirty “Solutions Summits,” Our Choice combines conclusions developed during those summits and extensive independent research. It also describes how bold choices are needed to save the earth’s climate. It is high time for Click here to read more

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Daily Greenz #142

Eco-conscious consumers will delight in Greenopia’s new “Guide to Green Living” for New Yorkers.  Originally released in L.A. and San Francisco in 2006 and 2007, respectively, Greenopia’s book quickly became the go-to guide for those seeking green businesses and services in their local area.  Due to popular demand, the New York City version was released on Earth Day this year and contains over 1,300 listings of bona fide green businesses and services in all five boroughs, offering New Yorkers the resource to make greener, healthier purchasing choices every day.

What was the behind-the-scenes selection process, you ask?  Greenopia’s team of highly-qualified researchers was sent out to test thousands of businesses systematically – from restaurants to stores, to salons, to hotels – and only those meeting the Greenopia Distinguished Business standards were included in the guide.  Each business was rated 1-4 leaves (their unique grading system) based on its performance of eco-friendly products or services.  No biased ratings here, as businesses can’t pay to be in the guide and advertising is not accepted.

Printed on FSC-certified recycled paper, the guide also offers additional green living tips and is supplemented by an online Greenopia resource.  If your New Year’s resolution was to live greener this year, Greenopia just made your mission that much easier.  Pick up a copy for $17.95 at www.greenopia.com or at your local Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, or Macy’s.

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