green
Finding Your Dream Green Job, 1 Tweet at a Time
The Bad News
Statistically, those of us seeking a truly green job that allows us to finish our job every day feeling like we did something worthwhile and beneficial, are probably justified in feeling we’re facing mountain-sized odds for finding said job. There’s just not that many of these green employers. And, with the ever expanding degrees in sustainability we, green-ies-searching-for-green-jobs, are multiplying. Now don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing. A really good thing. But, it does up the competition for those all-too-few priceless green jobs.
The Good News!
However! We also happen to live in a very exciting time in which it’s possible to network and make connections and promote oneself (without even having to brag and boast obnoxiously) like never before. The advent of Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Yelp, FourSquare, you name it, all these social media platforms are just begging to be used to introduce you to your potential boss and to paint the most well-rounded, green fanatic portrait of yourself as possible. And, as I said, it’s much less obtrusive to go about looking a certain way to an employer when you don’t have to necessarily shove it in their faces in a resume and interview. › Continue reading
Seattle’s Elaia Spa at Olive8
Many spa’s are trying to green up their image, but Elaia Spa is just naturally that way. Housed in Hyatt’s Olive 8 building in Downtown Seattle, it is part of Seattle’s first LEED certified hotel. As a part of a green building, certain requirements for water conservation, construction materials and energy savings are already part of the package. You can see these details throughout the Spa, although none of it distracts from the experience, in fact, it does more to enhance it.
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Top 5 Must Have Android Eco Friendly Apps
With all the new eco-friendly phone applications out there today, it’s like having a green guide in your pocket. Both the iphone and android phones are capable of keeping you updated with eco events, tips and green living ideas in practical ways. If you have an iphone, visit our Top 5 Must Have iphone Eco Apps. The android app selection is still behind iphone selections, but it is catching up with many vendors now duplicating their eco iphone apps for the android enabled phones.
- Seasonal Harvest from Discoversites
$0.99 or free ad supported ‘lite’ version
Keeps you up to date with the growing seasons in your area so you can select the locally grown produce grown in your area. Select your state or use the GPS to view local produce in season for your state. Also locates nearby farmers markets and can even search recipes. For those transitioning from the iPhone, it is very similar to the Locavore app. - Greenpeace Tissue Guide from Greenpeace
Free
Allows you to look up eco-friendly home paper products in 4 categories: paper towels, toilet paper, paper napkins, and facial tissues. Shows you recycled content (both pre and post consumer content and bleach processing) and gives you recommendations on your most eco-friendly choices. Both a scrollable category list by manufacturer or search by brand.I find it very useful in quick decision situations, its just another way to stay informed and not get fooled by marketing greenwashing. Just do an android market search for Greenpeace.
- Visibility from the Robotics Lab at USC
Free
This handy little app is being used to accumulate data about visibility and air quality for research. Hopefully this will help researchers track air quality and better asses pollution levels for different areas at different times, all concurrently through a base of mobile users.
It’s pretty simple, you just take a picture of the sky, select pixels from the sky and submit it to the USC lab.
Top 5 Must Have iPhone Eco Friendly Apps
Smart phones today have enabled you to have a green resource right in your pocket. Several non-profits and green companies have taken advantage of this by creating apps for the iphone to keep you informed, eco minded and living green. If you have an Android enabled phone, check out our Top 5 Must Have Android Eco Friendly Apps.
Seafood Watch App from the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Free
A staple for me since I enjoy fish and sushi, I have been printing out the card for years. Now you can have up to date information about your best health and eco-friendly fish options right on your phone. Great for restaurants or for picking up some fish at the market, get detailed information about the fish, fishery status and great alternatives.
New feature allows you to pinpoint sustainable seafood restaurants and markets and share them with others.
Find Green App from 3rdWhale
Free
An awesome multi-purpose app providing you information on green businesses near you. From organic restaurants, farmers markets, yoga studios and bicycle shops, this app will tell you how far they are and how to get there. Included are eco friendly green living tips, reviews and more. Not a stranger to this app, I reviewed it earlier last year when it was called the Green Business Finder app.
3rdWhale is worth a visit as they have developed great mobile apps for Greenpeace and 350.org and other non-profits.
The Good Guide
Free
An awesome app for shopping giving you an instant rating based on Health, Environment and Social Responsibility. Just scan the items barcode using your iphones camera. Currently covering information on over 65,000 personal care and household chemical products, and soon expanding to include food, toys, electronics, and more.
Good Guide was founded by Dara O’Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California at Berkeley. Ratings are based on research of the world’s leading academic experts on global supply chains – tracking product life cycles from resource extraction into manufacturing, through consumer use to disposal.
Wednesday Green Roundup
Here are some of the stories running around the green web this week.
Recycled wood flooring and recycled glass surfaces on Jetson Green-
Glass2 is produced with 99% recycled glass with no resin and can be worked on by stone and glass fabricators.
Staybull Flooring salvages waste wood from lumber mills around the world in more than 20 wood species. The discarded strips are binded using solvent-free and VOC-free adhesives, then milled and finished with a VOC-free ceramic finish for a strong detailed mosaic looking flooring. Pricing can start at $4.50 sqft and can do double duty by also reducing labor costs and construction waste.
Ecogeek reports on the groundbreaking of the nations largest wind farm in California-
Just outside Los Angeles, a 3-GW wind farm project is on track to be operational by next year. Able to power 600,000 Southern California homes, the Alta Vista Wind Energy Center located in the foothills of the Mojave Desert just north of Los Angeles will have the first phase up and running by next year with full completion in about 10 years.
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Green Twitter Movers and Shakers
Twitter is a great place to learn, interact and stay up to the minute on local, regional and national news, events or just connect to the people and issues you care about. Here is a list of some of the biggest and best tweeters sorted by categories. Scroll down and find your interests and connect, or share your own favorites in the comment section below!
Green Living
- @inhabitat – Green design in your habitat
- @the_daily_green – Great daily green tips
- @dwell – Modern & green home design
- @renest – Home style and design features
- @jetsongreen – Green Building News and Features
- @OrganicLife – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
- @dannyjseo – Great DIY home decorating ideas
- @AltCon – Green living for the Alternative Consumer
Green News
- @grist – Independent Environmental Journalism
- @triplepundit – People, Planet and Profit, green business news
- @guardianeco – The Environment section of UKs The Guardian paper
- @HuffPostGreen – Green section of the Huffington Post
- @Greenopolis – Recycling news, features and more
- @current_green – Environmental news in video format
Eco Opinions
- @drgrist – David Roberts, Energy Politics blogger for Grist
- @derekmarkham – Derek Markham, aka Natural Papa
- @thegoodhuman – David, author and social media activist
- @AlexSteffen – Alex Steffen of worldchanging.com
- @KGeee – Katherine Goldstein, the Green Editor for the Huffington Post
- @FakePlasticFish – Beth Terry, living without plastic
- @TwilightEarth – Adam Shake, environmental discussion, advocacy and activism
Green Products
- @Urthbags – Beautifully recycled bags & totes
- @simplywoodrings – Rings made from re-purposed & sustainable wood
- @amenityhome – Modern home eco accessories & linens
- @tierraideas – Imaginative upcycled products
- @greenasweegrow – Organic baby clothing & bedding
- @CarlaRose – Eco + Chic bath and body
- @PeopleTowels – Your own personal traveling towel
Eco Fashion
- @FashionEthic – Eco fashion from Seattle
- @Ecouterre – Future of sustainable fashion
- @Ecosalon – Eco trends in fashion and life
- @ecofashionista – Eco fashion activism
- @ecofabulous – Sexy sustainable style
Eco-Chic Expo Seattle
Now for a local, small business and community centric alternative to the Seattle 2010 Go Green Conference. Seattle’s Eco-Chic Expo is being held on Saturday, May 1st, at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center located in Northeast Seattle. A self described “interactive green lifestyle event”, the event is put together to provide the general public with an interactive day of tips, tricks and products to help people live greener, yet fashionable, lives. The Expo is free to the public and features a number of local companies dedicated to sustainable lifestyles. › Continue reading
Recycle Your Greywater Into Your Landscaping
Harvesting rainwater is a great way to reuse the free water from the sky, however, unless you have a lot of rain barrels and a lot of rain, the dry season will cut your supply short- or will it? Grey water is another great source to recycle from since it is just being wasted by going down the drain.
Greywater is non-sewage waste water from your sinks, bathtub and laundry drains that is safe for your yard. The benefit to recycling or reusing this water is that it recharges aquifers and waters your plants while nature cleans the water. It is even better if the only thing going down the drain are natural cleaners, detergents and soaps. An individual may produce 15,600 gallons of greywater a year, all of which is wasted by going down the drain when it can be safely used on landscaping. Buckets have been used to collect this water from bathtubs, but can be cumbersome and labor intensive and there are easier ways.
Flotender has a great automated system that acts as a collection, storage and irrigation system all in one. Available for your rain collection devices as well, this system gathers your rainwater or greywater and pumps it out to your landscaping through a drip irrigation system. They have other systems available so you can customize the irrigation system to your needs, but they all use the same principle- collect the recycled water and distribute it to your plants. Hook it up to your rain barrels, tap it into your greywater drains and never have to water your yard again!
