Budget · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with budget

Stuff Pal: Share Your Fave Books, Movies and Video Games with This New Facebook App

Imagine being able to borrow books, textbooks, DVDs (maybe even a video game if that’s your thing) for free from your friends on Facebook. It’d be pretty darn nice, wouldn’t it? Sounds like a dream….but it’s not!

Stuff Pal, a new social media application, is making this sort of sharing available to everyone. Their personal media sharing library allows anyone with a Facebook account (which pretty much means everyone reading this), to borrow and lend, while saving money.

To start swapping with Stuff Pal, simply visit their site, log-in to Facebook, catalog your “stuff” and then get your borrowing and lending on. All without spending a dime!

We’re loving Stuff Pal as much as clothes swapping, (which really says a lot) because it’s good for the environment and your wallet. Similar to clothes swaps, StuffPal encourages great items like DVDs and books to be reused and shared, rather than bought, cutting your carbon footprint.

Watch this video and have a peak at this savvy, new application!

app, budget, dvds, facebook, games, lending, sharing, stuffpal, swapping, textbooks

Get Lazy with Josh Dorfman's New Book (and TV Show on Sundance!)

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by Starre Vartan · 06/17/09

Watch a clip from Josh’ new show above!

Josh Dorfman’s on a roll! He just released a follow-up book to his first, called “The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget”, AND he has a new show (also called “The Lazy Environmentalist” which just premiered on the Sundance Channel last night, but you can watch episodes here.

Josh has been involved with ecofriendly living for years now and is definitely a fun, friendly and accessible expert in the field. Besides writing books and starring in his own TV show he also runs Vivavi, a furniture showroom (and online store) that features sustainably-made, modern furniture. I talked with Josh a couple months back about all his projects; check it out!

Eco Chick: Tell me about Vivavi and The Lazy Environmentalist- How did the store inspire the original book and vice versa?

Josh: Vivavi centers around the idea of combining modern design with environmentally responsible materials to offer consumers a choice that signifies the possibilities for living gorgeous lifestyles in balance with nature. The Lazy Environmentalist is a broader expansion of that philosophy and aims to demonstrate how cutting-edge environmental solutions can fit every aspect of an individual’s lifestyle and hopefully improve it.

EC: Why furniture? What was it about the particular environmental problems inherent in furniture production made you want to tackle it?

I chose furniture because much of many of today’s top contemporary furniture designers work with sustainable materials. You can’t really make that same claim yet in other product categories. The idea isn’t just to run a green company, it’s to run a super successful company because the more we succeed the more benefit we create for the planet and the green economy.

EC: What parts of your business are significantly different from a ‘conventional biz’?

The only part that is significantly different is the sourcing because we will only work with designers and manufacturers who can demonstrate that they are taking substantive steps to green their operations and their products. Otherwise, green business is essentially the same as conventional business. We just adhere to different guiding principles.

EC: How’s it going? Are you being positively or negatively affected by economic conditions?

There’s no question that Vivavi is being adversely affected by current economic conditions. On the other hand, The Lazy Environmentalist is taking off!

EC: What’s next for The Lazy Environmentalist now that you’re the King of Green Media?

I’m currently the spokesperson for Brita’s Filterforgood.com campaign which encourages people to reduce their disposable plastic bottle waste. I’m also a spokesperson for Green Works natural cleaning products. I really enjoy working companies to help inform consumers about substantively green solutions. I hope to do more of this kind of work because I think it’s vital that corporate America actively participate in the transformation to a sustainable economy for that transformation to succeed.

Josh Dorfman is the Author and Host of The Lazy Environmentalist and Founder and CEO of Vivavi.

books, budget, Dorfman, tv

Green Schools 101

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by Olivia Zaleski · 05/15/08

Green schools are inarguably the right decision for our children and the environment. Though up-front costs are higher, green buildings save enough in operation and maintenance expenses to pay for their original construction in a matter of months. The money saved on energy bills (the annual energy savings from a single green school is generally in the 6-digit range) can be reallocated to pay for important school initiatives, additional teachers, better computers, or thousands of textbooks. Green schools also prevent the unnecessary production of millions of tons of CO2. Overall, buildings are the largest contributors to US CO2 production. Renovations and new school construction represent the largest construction sector in the U.S.—$80 billion in 2006-2008, about 27% of the US construction market (source: McGraw-Hill).

Given the enormous financial and environmental benefits, green schools seem an obvious choice, but red tape, laws and up-front costs often prevent their construction. The highly localized nature of school budgets creates a bureaucratic disconnect between capital funds (used for construction) and operating funds (used for utility bills). The difference in funding sources makes it difficult for schools to realize the potential operating-cost savings of a green building investment.

To help school boards realize the financial and environmental benefits of green building, The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched the “Green Schools Advocate” Program. The program will select and train national volunteers to advocate green schools to local school boards and state boards of education.

About 75 advocates will be chosen and will be invited to attend a two-day training camp at the USGBC’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Training camp will cover the benefits of green schools, LEED for Schools certification, and tactics to propel the decision-making process of building, renovating, and maintaining green schools. Advocates will learn to present the case for green schools to district governments, the local media, and other stakeholders including PTA groups.

The “Green Schools Advocate” program is a rare opportunity to make an impact in a range of causes. Green schools provide healthier learning environments for our children and reallocate money squandered on energy bills for better educational initiatives. To boot, green schools act as community exemplars, teaching tools and levers for mainstreaming green building practices into homes and offices around the US. Most of all, green schools would save millions of unnecessary tons of CO2.

If you want to get involved or think you might make a stellar “Green Schools Advocate” email The United States Green Building Council at buildgreenschools@usgbc.org. Or visit the USGBC’s Green Schools Website buildgreenschools.org for more information.

architecture, book, books, budget, children, community, Energy, farm, health, Home, local, mainstream, media, schools, spa, Tea, teaching, tools

Cupid's Shooting Some Green Arrows

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by Starre Vartan · 02/12/07

I know you all wait until the last minute just like I do…..so here’s a list to help you out of the V-day crunch and still come up smelling like roses with your beau. Whatever your time schedule and budget, you should be able to do something special, even within the traditional tropes of the holiday.

(And hey, if you are anti-Valentine’s, I don’t want to hear it. I’m so happy that you express your adoration for your lover every single day and don’t need a predetermined time to do it, but we’re not all that fabulous, OK? I like celebrating holidays, especially those that have to do with promoting LOVE. You don’t have to buy some piece of crap or participate in the commercialism if you don’t want to, but you can still enjoy the holiday and not be a cupid-killer.)

Massage
Give a gift certificate to an independent massage therapist (high end)
OR
Pick up some extra-virgin olive oil and mix it with an essential oil like lavender (you can find both at your local health food store), and do the massage yourself. (low end)

Flowers
Order some organic fleurs from Organic Bouquet or Local Harvest, or head over to Wild Oats or Whole Foods, both of which carry organic bouquets. (high end)
OR
Make an artful arrangement of flowers crafted from old magazines, newspapers, or cardboard. Get funky with ribbon, old buttons or yarn and your sweetie will be able to keep your creation forever, unlike flowers. (low end)

If you don’t already know why you shouldn’t buy conventionally grown flowers, check this Coop America article.

Dinner
There’s nothing sexier than a fabulous meal made with care and attention. You’ll never be able to make reservations at this point, so make it yourself! You can go as high or low as you want; supermarkets will still have organic cheese so you can construct a cheese plate (cut the cheese into hearts…awww….) and grab a few bottles of organic wine or even better yet, champagne. Add some fresh fruit, some great music, and who needs to be at a crowded restaurant? Plan some star-gazing or a late-night walk in the cold winter air and keep eachother warm naturally.

Chocolate
There are so many great organic, fair-trade chocolates out there….from vegan truffles to raw treats.

But a really simple, romantic idea is to buy a bar of high cacao dark chocolate at Trader Joe’s (inexpensive and they carry organic/fair trade, but look for the label), or your local health food store, and make your own chocolates with your Valentine’s Day partner. Parents can do this with kids, with eachother, and it’s safe to do with your grandma too! You can make something complicated, with a fruit filling, or just make fun shapes with the melted chocolate. Try adding almond flavor, strong coffee, or fruit liquors to the chocolate when it’s melted and then let it harden. A really fun project that doesn’t cost much and will leave you with plenty of chocolate after Valentine’s Day too.

Speaking of projects, I found this wonderful article on making fun eco-friendly Valentine’s with kids! Being a kid at heart myself, I think these would be fun to do with friends and lovers of any age.

budget, car, cardboard, coffee, Crafts, Fair Trade, Fair-Trade Chocolate, farm, Food, fruit, health, holiday, Holidays, kids, Lavender, liquor, local, magazine, magazines, Music, News, oil, Organic, paper, restaurant, spa, vegan, Wine

New Year's GreenSolutions

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by Starre Vartan · 12/29/06

Right after Christmas I always start thinking about how I need a serious cleanse from all the holiday eating and drinking, not to mention all the junk clogging up my brain from seeing people I haven’t seen in so long, travelling all over the East Coast and generally ignoring healthy routines and work. Unlike many Hipper Than Thou writers and other media folks, I love me some good New Year’s resolutions. The cold bare branches of January offer a clean slate- one that I’m in dire need of! Every year I try to lower my impact on the environment, so here is the section of the resolutions to do with the beautiful Earth I so love:

90% of my clothing purchases must be reduced, reused, and/or recycled.
-I love clothes, and before 2006, (and before Jill Danyelle’s amazing blog fiftyRX3, which enlightened me tremendously) I figured that I would just ignore the environmental impact of my clothes, since so much of my life was eco-friendly. Now I have no excuse, with whole brick-and-mortar and online stores dedicated to ecofashion, crafting, and vintage clothes.

Offset CO2 from travelling; make carbon credit purchases part of travel budget.
-Last year I barely travelled at all (for me); this year I will be spending around 2 months on the road, and I will be taking some long flights. I want to visit my Dad in Australia, for example. I can’t NOT fly, but I can buy some credits for my journeys. Credits can be bought from sites like Uniglobe or Carbon Planet, which support alternative energy sources like wind power. Or you could pay to have a tree planted for every flight at Treeflights.

Line dry my washing as often as humanly possible.
-A few months ago I wrote this article for E Magazine about line drying clothes instead of using the dryer. In it, I wrote:

“Six to 10 percent of residential energy use goes towards the electric dryer. If Americans, or even just New Englanders, would use the clothesline or wooden drying racks, the savings would be enough to close several power plants.”

Put ALL my electronic devices on a power strip so I can shut them off and stop energy vampires from wasting electricity.
-OK, the last time I wrote about this, I put power strips in about half the places in my house where it is applicable. This month I’m going to finish the job!

Volunteer somewhere on a regular basis.
-I’ve mostly worked for non-profits, so I figured I didn’t need to also do volunteer work. Now that I’m a full-time student again, I need to do something to give back concretely. I’m not sure what I’ll do yet, but I’ll report back on what I find. I’ll probably start with Volunteer Match, which Ann wrote about back in June.

A HAPPY (AND GREEN) NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!