When you think of toxic talk, you probably think of something along the lines of gossip, but the truth is that there’s a much more concrete concern and it’s probably sitting on your desk or in your purse/pocket right now. Cell phones are everywhere we look and most of us cycle through them like they’re going out of style (which, to be fair, they seem to be every few months). Our biggest concern is often getting a good price on the latest and greatest model or renegotiating tricky contracts to finagle a new phone after the old one disappears one day in a taxi.

What we’re rarely thinking about is what’s going to happen with all our old phones after we upgrade. Cell phones contain toxic elements that are at their most harmful during production and  destruction. When you toss an old cell phone in the trash it finds its way to a landfill, where it can leach toxins and lead into the ground and, ultimately, your water. When you factor in an average of 426,000 cell phones decommissioned every day, you get an idea of how big a potential problem we’re looking at.

Enter Zendoo, a company whose mission is equal parts save the earth and save you money. Zendoo offers a vast range of used cell phones (including Blackberrys and iPhones) for every carrier in just about any price range. By purchasing one of their used phones, you not only save cash, but you’re keeping a new cell phone from entering service and an old one out of the landfill. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Air travel is one of the worst environmental offenders and, unfortunately, something most of us have a hard time cutting out of our lives (especially if we’re required to travel for work). With that understanding, many green-minded people simply try to minimize their time in the air or attempt to counter the effects of their flight through carbon offsets or even planting trees. But now the city that brought us Silicon Valley is making it even easier for travelers to take a greener trip.

San Francisco, always a front runner in new technologies, has announced plans to provide certified carbon offsets for purchase from airport kiosks. The program, scheduled to start this spring in San Francisco International (SFO) only, will make San Francisco the first airport in the nation to offer offsets right in the terminal. The service will be speedy and simple, with kiosks similar to self-service check-in stations where travelers will enter in their destinations and the computers will calculate the amount of carbon offsets needed to counter the environmental damage–although no prices have been released yet, rough estimates have predicted it will be a small amount, somewhere in the $5-$35 range. Fliers then swipe their credit cards to purchase the offsets and are given a receipt detailing which projects will receive the funds.

The idea of buying carbon offsets to lessen some of the impact of air travel is nothing new and some airlines, like Delta, already showcase the option to purchase carbon offsets for your flight as you book online. The hope of the SFO carbon offset kiosks is that more travelers will learn about the environmental effects of flying and choose to take part in solving the problem. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

With every new year comes renewed hope for what we’ll get done and what we won’t do–in a word, resolutions. We hope that along with the usual suspects, like getting organized and eating healthier, you’ll add some green endeavors to the list. To help narrow down simple and seriously beneficial steps check out our guide of 6 Simple Green Things to Do in ‘09. You can start small with just one or dive right in and aspire to accomplish several. And you can expect more than just the good feelings that come from getting greener; these tips also have concrete perks (like saving money!) for you.

If you’re looking for a bigger challenge or have already implemented those ideas in your life, consider a different resolution: Park your family’s second vehicle–in storage or the garage–for the year. The emissions from your vehicle and the toll taken by the gas you’d consume won’t be missed and you may even find that you don’t miss the car itself. As long as you have a first vehicle available, you can still accomplish those big grocery runs and carpool kids to the soccer game. Instead what will likely change is one individual’s work commute; a drive every day can be switched to a trip on public transit, which will give you a little extra time to accomplish things (or rest your eyes) on your way to work. When the weather’s warmed up a bit–or the snow melted, at the very least–consider biking or walking to work. Most people who try it for awhile find that the benefits of the exercise are inspiration enough to forgo the vehicle. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

If there’s a prevalent American New Year’s tradition it has to be the ball dropping at Times Square; although many of us will never see it live, more than one billion will find their way to a TV at 11:59 to watch it make the descent that signifies the arrival of the New Year. For those of us with green on the brain, however, it can seem a bit like impact-heavy icing on a consumption cake–as if hundreds of thousands of people traveling by subway, car, train and plane to get to resource-draining Times Square wasn’t enough, here comes that light-laden mechanical wonder. It’s a fabulous sight, but an eco-conscious individual couldn’t help but wonder if the party planners in that famous district were also dropping the ball when it came to the environment. Now, before you accuse us of getting all grinch-of-New Year’s Eve on you, know that we love a good party as much as the next person and that the Times Square Alliance has found a way to please everyone (mostly).

This year, when the ball falls through the sky at midnight, it won’t be the ball you’ve seen since 2000; it’ll be  a new, more energy-efficient ball made with Waterford Crystals and Philips LEDs. Yes, the previous ball had LEDs also but not nearly as many–there are about three times the amount on the new ball and that makes it 10-20% more energy-efficient than the prior model (which was also designed for some energy-effiency). How easy on the earth is it? Well, Philips Lighting says the new ball will consume, in an hour, the amount of energy equivilant to running two traditional home ovens for the same amount of time. And that’s something we’re definitely willing to countdown and cheer for. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Yesterday we discussed the chemical concern around toys and the newly introduced Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act to show a glimpse of the current toy industry. Today we fill you in on how to get great toys without filling up on LEAD.

We’ve all heard about lead in toys–it’s hard to miss that information when massive recalls are taking place and buyers are being urged to throw away suspicious toys. That doesn’t mean, however, that we all know what to do about it. Sure you can toss out all the toys you’ve acquired and lay down a ban on play things that will prove rather unpopular come birthday time, but there are less extreme steps you can take that will let your little one have toys and still keep your lives lead-free.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), when fully active sometime around September 2009, will help keep lead and phthalates from getting into stores and you can periodically check their website to see what’s taking place, what toys have been recalled and sign up for their e-mail alerts for future recalls. Go through the toys you already own and check for painted surfaces and plastic components (especially small ones that may be swallowed) which may contain lead. If your child has been playing with a toy that is now recalled you may want to check with your doctor to see if lead testing would be a good idea; this is especially wise if your child tends to suck or teeth on toys.

As you approach buying new toys, look for ones with as many natural components as possible. You can use the Toy Rankings at HealthyToys.org (a great site for all things toy-safety related) to browse toys or check a specific toy for safety. One of the easiest ways to assure yourself of a non-toxic toy is to buy from a brand that has always focused on natural, chemical-free products.

Plan Toys makes toys using rubberwood from the rubber tree and completely child-friendly non-toxic paints and sealants so they’re healthy for not only your youngster but also the environment. Safety is such a high concern for Plan Toys that they recently recalled their toy Penguin because of a single incident where the Penguin head fell off–even though there were no injuries. The toys also undergo both EN71 testing and ASTM testing before being released. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

With millions of Americans shopping for toys, we thought this would be a good time to shed some light on the concerns consumers have about LEAD–and other chemicals–in children’s toys. In Part 1 we overview some of the recent events that have resulted in elevated worry over toys and what’s being done to counter the problem, and in Part 2 we outline how you, as a buyer, can use new tools to keep chemicals away from your kids.

In late 2007, following the recall of millions of toys due to high levels of lead, tests found that 35 percent of children’s toys–the vast majority not yet recalled–contained lead in levels higher than that of the federal recall standard for lead paint. With the more than 21 million toys that had been recalled by Mattel, tests done by Mattel itself had found lead in levels up to 200 times the accepted limit.

The recall and the findings set off a veritable snow ball-effect, suddenly lead was being pointed out in a variety of children’s (and adult’s) products–some recalled and some not. Consumers, especially concerned parents, began to question what was really in the toys they gave their children and all-natural wooden toys with naturally-made sealants and paints received a sudden spike in popularity.

In addition to fears about the harmful affects of such large amounts of lead and phthalates on developing bodies, attention began to focus on other potentially dangerous chemicals such as cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine and mercury–things you picture being used in labs but rarely consider laying down in your baby’s crib. Because of the on-everything-and-in-everything nature of child play and the delicate developmental state of young ones, the risks of chemicals in toys is often considered to be much higher than the risk of those chemicals in products used by adults (though we hesitate to believe anyone’s keen on arsenic in their goods).

Thanks to the action of parents and plenty of media focus, however, the government has taken the matter very seriously and in August of this year Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). So what’s the long-named law really about? The CPSIA does a few things: First, it increases the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and, in turn, enables them to impose new testing and documentation requirements for manufacturers. Next, it sets new lower acceptable levels for several substances, including lead. Finally, it lays out new requirements for manufacturers of a wider range of goods and both increases fines and specifies jail time for certain violations. In short, the CPSIA turns a spotlight on toy manufacturers and gets tough on toys. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Our friends at Horny Toad have a simple proposition for you this holiday season - give and ye shall receive. They’re running the “Spread the Warmth” campaign and will offer 30% discounts through December 31st to anyone who donates clothes to charity. Once you’ve made the donation, you can share the experience in the community section of their site, which shows 74 comments as of the time of this post. The comments might give you some good ideas of who to donate to if you’re short on ideas.

Horny Toad has no way of verifying that you actually made a donation, so they’re taking your good word for it. Yes, the Grinches may abuse of this generosity but if you can’t be faithful in humanity during the holidays, when can you be?

We commend Horny Toad for offering rewards for green & charitable behavior and hope they will provide other opportunities like this one down the road.

You can check out Greenzer’s selection of Horny Toad products made from environmentally responsible materials here.

Look below the fold to get the promotional code. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Alongside maverick and main street, energy and environment were major buzzwords in the 2008 Presidential Election. The strongest emphasis came from our now President Elect, Barack Obama, who not only acknowledged the importance of environmental protection and aggressive environmental policies, but suggested that  getting greener as a country was a great opportunity to create new markets and jobs in the field of renewable energy and infrastructure. With inauguration day quickly approaching, we have created a brief a retrospective look at Obama’s position and action on environmental issues during his run in the State and US Senate.

A Respectable Record:

• While still active in the Senate, Obama was a co-sponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 309) This important legislation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by 80% in the year 2050, but Congress has yet to vote on the bill.

Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Seeing a performance on Broadway feels magical from the moment you’re standing on the street surveying the rows of brightly-lit signs to when the final curtain falls on the “how did they do that?” performance. But all that magic comes at a price and it’s paid by the environment. When you start to consider each component of a night at the theater it’s easy to see how much of a strain it can be on the environment; there’s the plethora of lights, the many costumes, the electric work that goes on unseen and the throngs of people. Now, in a move to jump start change throughout the entertainment industry, Broadway is getting environmentally-friendly. The initiative, done in collaboration with the National Resources Defense Council,  was announced on November 25 and has been appropriately titled Broadway Goes Green. Every aspect of a Broadway production from creation to curtain will ultimately be revamped to be more sustainable and the industry is quickly getting on board–goals have already been set for the first year and some have already adopted greener practices. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

If you’ve always dreamed of vacationing on one of the tropical atolls that comprise the island nation of the Republic of Maldives, you’d better get booking–even their president is uncertain about how long they’ll be there.

With 300,000 islanders living, for the most part, 1.5 meters above the water, the UN prediction of a  59 centimeter sea level rise by 2100 is not just alarming to Maldivians, it’s cause to look for a new home. The newly-elected president (and first democratically-elected president), Mohamed Nasheed, wants the Maldives to begin appropriating a portion of their tourism revenue to saving for the purchase of new homelands, which he expects will be necessary if climate change continues as it’s going. Since they can’t alter the course of the environment single-handedly, he says, they’re taking the steps they can take and preparing for the worst. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™