Under the Influence

My boyfriend once told me I’m easily influenced by things. Incidentally I was buying a canvas bag at Albertsons at the time.

See, I’ve learned a lot about being green, and without even noticing it, my life has been influenced with what I’ve learned.

And I’m OK with that.

This week alone — while NBC is gathering its networks for a campaign called Green is Universal — I’ve realized there is no better time for me to get involved in the fight against environmental naysayers (like the boyfriend).

It seems like every other commercial is a new green household or beauty product, or a new green tip that everyone should live by or at least know by now.

Granted, some things these tips cover include turn off the lights when you leave a room or only run a dishwasher when it’s full.

Umm, duh, I thought.

But then again I can’t say I turn out my bedroom light and TV off when I go to the kitchen to make a meal or grab a drink.

The most important thing I’ve learned during this time, though, is that living this lifestyle is about doing the little things, like turning off the lights.

I’m not living in a solar-powered house with denim jeans for insulation, but I do go the extra mile to recycle even though my apartment complex does not offer a recycling program. I’ve also cut plastic bags out of my life, and I try to limit myself to one trip in my car from home to work every day.

Not to mention, Fair Trade certified coffee just tastes better. So my regular cup of Joe has switched from Starbucks — which just introduced a new organic flavor — to Breuegger's Bagels. (Trust me, its Island Coconut is truly a trip to the islands in a cup. I’ve done plenty of taste tests.)

Anyway, in what could be my last blog post, I leave you with a list of resources that have proved very helpful to me:

• Treehugger.com
• Green is Universal
• Whole Foods Market
• Whole Foods Premium Body Care
• Planet Green
• University of Colorado at Boulder Environmental Center
• University of Arizona Campus Sustainability
• Fair Trade/Transfair
• National Center for Atmospheric Research

There’s a good chance the list will have additions, as I could end up in Colorado eventually, meaning it will be almost necessary for me to stay on this path.

Until then, pull me over, I’m under the influence.

Sitting Green

Soon you can be living green from your living room couch.

The Discovery Channel recently announced the addition of a new network to its TV family: Planet Green. The idea for the channel, which will launch in June, stemmed from Discovery’s purchase of Treehugger.com, a well-known source for green living information.

As it stands now, the Planet Green site is a beta site with loads of information on fashion and beauty, food and health, home and garden, technology and transportation, travel and outdoors and work-related tips. It even has a Planet Green shop that sells entertainment, clothing, books, toys, technology, etc.

Also, when the channel launches, fans of Food Network hotshot, Emeril Lagasse will bring his BAM-good recipes and insight to his own show. (There are other on-air personalities, but I couldn’t tell you who they are. Emeril is definitely the biggest draw.)

One show being pushed heavily by Discovery is Greenovate. The developers of The Learning Channel’s Flip That House created the show, which will “flip” rooms from unfriendly to eco-friendly in a matter of days.

There’s even a slideshow with photos of rooms already greenovated, and the show is currently being previewed on TLC, a Discovery sister network.

Here’s a preview of the show:

The Apathetic Goes Political

It’s election season — my favorite time of year. (Can you sense the sarcasm there?)

Yes, I’m a little apathetic when it comes to politics, but recently I finally found an article about the candidates that sparked my interest.

The cover story of the April 14 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands last week) featured a story about the “greenest candidate” entitled “Just the Tree of Us” by Jerry Adler.

While most of the article focused on the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, there were some numbers that seem to represent a change in perception of many voters on environmental issues.

Here is a couple I thought I’d highlight:

• “The environment … has emerged as a leading issue in this election cycle; last year more than three voters in 10 said they would take a candidates’ green credentials into account … up from just 11 percent in 2005.”

• “The current tally shows that of 3, 231 questions by the leading political reporters from five networks, exactly eight concerned global warming.”

The most interesting and informative part of the article was the graphic (“Who Would Be the Greenest?”) — which I could not find online — that breaks down each candidates’ views on many different environmental issues. The topics included greenhouse-gas emissions, fuel-efficiency standards, renewable energy, biofuels, coal and nuclear energy.


The two Democratic candidates — Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — have very similar stands on each issue, which reflects a main point of the article: Traditionally, Democrats are more open to implementing changes for the good of the environment.

On the other hand, McCain is on the fence on every issue, except for nuclear energy, which he is is favor of. He has said he supports changes but does not give specifics as to what he would do to implement changes.

I’m not the one to tell you who to vote for — believe me, I’m no expert. But if you’re interested in voting green, check out the candidates’ Web sites or Project Vote Smart for an unbiased opinion.

CHECK THIS OUT:

OK, so the article in Newsweek was informative if you're into politics. But for you're into shopping, the most interesting part was the opening advertisement.

The front and back cover of the issue is dominated by Target ads as part of its “Love your mother (earth)” campaign.

By just performing four easy steps, the company will send you a coupon for its “Retote,” no purchase necessary. Here are the instructions given by the ad:

1. Remove cover of magazine
2. Fold cover inside out and tape sides and bottom
3. Fill pouch with used Target plastic bags
4. Seal top of pouch and drop it in any U.S. Postal Mail Box by the end of May

Sounds easy enough, right?

Right now, it looks like the offer is only available in this issue of Newsweek.

My Almost Trip to NCAR

BOULDER, Colo. — During my 14-hour drive from Phoenix to Colorado, I began to wonder what part of my trip could possibly be green?

As I've already experienced, Boulder is an already Earth-conscious city (see Greenings from Boulder!). At the heart of this lifestyle, though, is the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or as it is more fondly known as NCAR.

While I had every intention of moseying around for an hour or so, the center's exhibit was closed for maintenance. It was disheartening to say the least, not only because I thought I lost my blog material but also because that's all my boyfriend talked about all day.

So I got on the Internet to see what I was missing.

NCAR’s research was more extensive then I had first imagined. I had always just seen the center’s building overlooking the city and never understood what it really consisted of.

I checked out the research overview on the center’s Web site, where I found studies on climate, weather, social impacts, pollution, the Earth system and sun and space weather.

I also took a gander at what I could have done if the center was open Saturday.

It offers many different tours throughout the week, unorganized and organized. The sign on the door said the exhibit is open everyday to the public, but there are also guided tours that can be scheduled.

Most of NCAR's exhibits are hands on, like the Weather Gallery. It also has a new exhibit called the Climate Gallery that shows three different eras of climate change.

Looking for even more interaction? Try the Weather Trail, an outdoor exhibit with information about Boulder's weather along with views of the city below.

I guess I will have to kick myself until I get to go to Boulder again. I just might have missed out on another lesson on the way to my green lifestyle.

Photos by Melissa Krueger

Weekly Random Green Observations

After making the cashier at Safeway roll his eyes at me in the express check out lane because I asked for paper instead of plastic, I began to look at all the green around me.

It started with plastic bags. I preached the importance of my canvas grocery bag to my friends and gave them the facts about how you can’t recycle plastic shopping bags. You can only reuse them. My friends gave me the same look as the cashier.

Simply asking for paper bags over plastic is a necessary step if you care about the state of the environment — even if it bothers a cashier or two. You can also take the paper bags back to the grocery store if you’re not into buying a canvas bag (which is only about $1 per bag).

But what if you want to reuse the plastic bags you have? Target puts its ideas for reuse right on the bag.

Here are its 10 ways to reuse a Target bag (printed on the side of each one):

1. Tiny Trash Can Liner
2. Doggy Duty
3. Water Balloon
4. Road Trip Rubbish
5. Soggy Laundry
6. Ice Pack
7. Toiletry Tote
8. Kitty Litter Liner
9. Tomorrow’s Lunch Bag
10. Care Package Padding

If you’re like me, you already use these tips in your everyday life and don’t even realize it.

My next observation came while I was watching the NCAA tournament — or the many repetitive commercials that air during timeouts.

One advertisement stuck out in my mind: Chevy’s hybrid Tahoe.

The gargantuan Tahoe recently won the Greenest Car of the Year award from Green Car Journal.

Here is just one of the commercials, in which children learn about the car and about hybrids:



These were my observations. Look around you, and you'll see green all around, too.

Getting Back to Green

After my eco-UNfriendly spring break where I flew to San Francisco and drove about 18 miles from my boyfriend's house in Tempe to my parents' house in Chandler twice a day, I decided to get focused on my original goal of this blog.


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During my break, there was a lone green instance where my mother and I rode our bikes to the local Whole Foods Market. While looking for my mom's favorite flavor of Celestial Seasonings brand tea — which uses only natural products — I noticed the vast amount of skin products and makeup the store carries.

Each product has the market's stamp of approval — the Premium Body Care symbol. After two years of research, the company created the standard for more than 1,200 beauty and skin care products.

The market's Web site also reveals the falsities that surround natural products:

• The U.S. government does not require health studies or pre-market testing for personal care products.

• There are many non-natural components and processes in most U.S. body care products. Even those labeled "natural" may contain harsh preservatives or ingredients with environmental concerns.

• Sunscreen is recommended by experts, yet many chemical sunscreens have been shown to have questionable safety. Our Premium standard allows only those that physically screen sun as a safer alternative.

• Science never stops. Our customers trust us to stay on top of the latest breakthroughs, so the Premium standards are designed to evolve as new science-based studies and research come to light. We are excited to consider them as a starting point, a work in progress, an opportunity to raise the bar ever higher.

There is even a video, in which people were asked what they think natural means when it comes to skin products.



I just hope that these products will get me back on the right track after I fell off the wagon during my break.

A Water Shortage in the City by the Bay?

SAN FRANCISCO — I'll keep this entry short because a) it's St. Patrick's Day and I plan on practicing green living with green beer, and b) it's spring break.