Green World Horizons©

Just In Time For Saint Patrick's Day-True Green Beer

2008-03-09T15:06:00.004-04:00

Green Beer-Lucky Lab Goes Solar

No, Did not visit Oregon, but found a very interesting story on the internet about liquid gold, the nectar of the god’s, a true green beer just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day festivities…seems that folks at the Lucky Lab Brew Pub have GONE SOLAR. Step up to the bar folks and have a taste of true liquid sunshine, a beer kissed by the sun.

A row of solar panels installed on the roof of the brew pub gather energy from the sun that is then used to heat a 900 gallon tank of water than stands nearby. The heated water is then used to brew what they playfully refer to their new suds as “Sun Beer”.

The $70,000 cost to install the solar system will be recouped in a few short years, while saving the small brew pub money for at least the nest 25 years. The owners are planning on installing similar solar units at their other locations. So, this year on Saint Patrick's day, look for some True Green Beer.

McCain Stump Speech-A Preview

2008-03-05T03:06:00.003-05:00

I know, who would have thought that the Green Cosmic Rabbit was a political junkie? Well, I am and have had an exciting night watching the Primary Election returns. First, though I disagree with his politics, I give a tip of my hat to Huckabee who has shown himself to be nothing but a class act in every way. I would have never voted for him, but would invite him and his wife over to dinner in a heartbeat. His speech withdrawing from the race tonight was perfect, and have a feeling we have not heard the last of him.

For those who missed it, Texas was a BARN BURNER...early results had Obama up by almost 15 percentage points, but as the night went on, as more precincts checked in, his lead began to dissappear, down to 12, then ten, then eight, then two percent and finanlly late in the evening Hillary Clinton over came him and prevailed, winning Texas to go with Rhode Island, and a MONSTER win in the state of Ohio.

That brings us to McCain, probably the least Green Political Candidate in the race. He is now officially the Republican Party Candidate in this fall's Presidential Campaign, will have his photo op with President Bush tomorrow...I can hardly wait for that one! To prepare everyone for the next few months, Green World Horizons is proud to bring you a SNEAK PREVIEW of his stump speech.

My friends, we are here today because I am here, and not somewhere else. If I were there, I would not be here, so listen to me my friends, we are HERE, and you can count on me being there when you need me to be unless you need me here.

I promise you this friends, and trust me, you are my friends; here, right now, this very second is what we have, it is all that really matters.

Sure, we made some mistakes in Iraq, and things have not gone well, but that was then, and this is now, and my friends now is what really counts, this very second my friends is what counts, what you have to focus in on. I want you to know this…when I am elected President, I promise you I will do everything in my power to lower your taxes, nominate strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court, seek a Constitutional Amendment to make marriage between a man and a woman the law, and solve the immigration problem by granting Amnesty to anyone here, or any one that wants to come here as long as they are from Mexico as they are a part of the North American Union.

But remember this my friends, I am but one man, your humble servant who happens to owe a few lobbyist some really BIG FAVORS. But my friends, I don’t want you to worry about that.
As right now, we are here, and today that is what really matters, what we share this moment in the here and now.

Now, I know I talked about being a one term president, and I know a lot of Americans want our troops home, but sometimes to keep our enemy hemmed in we have to make sacrifices, so we may have troops in Iraq for the next 100 years. But my friends, it is going to be all right my friends, because I promise you this, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Even if it takes all eight years of my presidency, even if I have to stick around for an extra four year term, I will hunt down Osama Bin Laden, even into the gates of hell. OK, not me personally, but I will have people working on it, day and night, at least most of the time if we are not bogged down in Iran. That if it happens is tomorrow, and we cannot worry ourselves about tomorrow my friends because it never really gets here.

My friends, I know times are tough right now, some of you my friends are working 2, even 3 jobs to earn a living and feed your families, and I want to address that. You see my friends, I am not sure about our economy, I know it has some problems, but I know Reagan, and I know he was really keen on trickle down economics, and if it was good enough for him, it is good enough for me, so I want to make tax cuts for the richest Americans in our country permanent, keep trickle down economics working for all Americans, because Reagan was a great president, and I want to be a great conservative president for each and every one of you.

Now a few of you will have to sacrifice, you might lose your house, be on food stamps, but my friends, I ask you to give my plan time to work, within five years of my being in office, one year into my second term my friends, I hope to show you some real progress in this area.

Now my friends, and I am your friend, I don’t want you focusing in on my votes, as that is in the past, and what is in the past should stay in the past, but my friends; I have experience, and we as a nation need someone in the Oval Office with experience, and so with that experience my friends; it makes me the obvious choice for your vote. Sure I have made some mistakes, but we are not going to focus in on those, because you see, I am your humble servant, the man who has given his life to this country, owes everything he has to this fine nation.

My friends, I know what you are thinking, you are wondering how a man on a civil service salary has managed to acquire so much wealth…well my friends, I married well. She’s a bit of a shrew my friends, can be a bit of a bitch, but my friends, she takes care of me, and in that fact you can be sure she will make a great first lady.

So in recapping my friends, I want to tell you this my friends. We are here, and right now at this very moment now is all that really matters because you see my friends; yesterday is past, and we cannot go back and relive it and tomorrow never gets here. So my friends, remember right now, but don’t focus in on it as it is already in the past my friends.

I thank you all for coming here today, and my friends remember to vote for me in November.

God Bless and Goodbye.

Terrorism Under Any Name, Including Green is Wrong...Turn in ELF Members

2008-03-04T17:53:00.003-05:00

I am pretty passionate about certain issues where our environment is concerned, with the crimes of the nuclear industry at the top of my list. I can date my environmental activism back over 30 years; have been green to some degree for a long time before it became popular. I’ve protested written letters, campaigned for change and gotten angry with polluters and companies that were raping our environment. What I have not done, what I do not condone is violence in the name of our Mother Earth, destruction of property in the name of the cause, regardless of what that cause is…there is no place in this world for terrorism under any guise.

Today on CNN breaking news involved firefighters attempting to douse an out of control fire in Wooinville, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, involving three model homes (unoccupied). Early news states a sign from the radical environmental group Earth Liberation Front (ELF) was found at the scene of the fires. The spray painted sheet bore the initials of ELF who has claimed responsibility for dozens of destructive attacks on property since the 1990’s.

A spokesperson for the local sheriff’s office stated the pre-dawn fire caused $7 million dollars to the project known as the “Street of Dreams”. The row of furnished luxury model homes were toured last summer by tens of thousands of visitors wanting to see the latest in high end landscaping and interior design. Three homes were burned to the ground while two others suffered serious smoke damage. One has to ask why? Does ELF really believe such destructive actions win people to their cause?

Fire Chief Rick Eastman said incendiary devices were found in and removed from the homes, but Kelvin Crenshaw of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in Seattle says no evidence show use of such devices. The FBI is now investigating the fire as a potential Domestic Terrorist Act said their spokesperson Rick Kolko from their office in Washington, DC.

The sign left behind at the site stated, “Built Green? Nope black!” and McMansions in RCDs r not green” referring to development of rural cluster developments blighting scenic America. Do I have a problem with Mc Mansions blighting America’s rural communities? Yes I do, but destruction of property, risking lives, wasting all those building materials is not the way to make a political statement, does more harm to the Green Movement than good. No injuries were reported, but that does not matter.

Citizens need to get involved, supporters of ELF need to rethink their positions, start reporting to authorities what it is that they know. Someone out in the Seattle area knows who started these fires, and that person or persons needs to report what they know to the authorities, turn in those responsible. There is simply no excuse for terrorism in society, even in the name of saving the environment. Those who support groups like ELF, groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) need to rethink their support of groups that embrace violence as a part of their political platform for change.

Arizona-A Brave New Green Solar World

2008-02-28T11:19:00.002-05:00

A new dawn is cresting on the horizon for Solar Energy as companies like Arizona Public Service (APS) take the leap into LARGE SOLAR. APS has announced plans to build a 280 Megawatt concentrating solar power plant southwest of Phoenix. Once up and operational, the Solana Generating Station will likely be the largest solar power plant on the planet, and provides great promise for a GREEN GRID ™. A unique thermal energy storage design will allow the plant to operate 24/7 providing power to 70,000 homes.

In news that the coal/nuclear folks do not want to hear, this project is only the beginning of what is possible, what is planned from the folks Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) is concerned. The sunlight striking the world’s deserts have the ability to produce 700 times the amount of primary energy demand we have in the world today. With the right public infrastructure built to support a GREEN GRID ™ LARGE SOLAR could reach 90 percent of the entire world’s population. Australia, Asia, Africa, North and South America all have expansive deserts. By satellite measurement there are 13,500,000 square miles (35 million square kilometers) of hot, dry, sunlit desert on the planet waiting for LARGE SOLAR develop, anxious to become part of a world wide GREEN GRID ™. The key to making a GREEN GRID ™ a reality is high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines. Bringing them in first would attract solar developers, expedite the economy of scale needed to make LARGE SOLAR from a GREEN GRID ™ the electric energy of choice. .

From a Green Collar Jobs perspective, construction of the plant will create up to 1500 clean green jobs during the construction phase of Solana. By 2011 the facility will have 85 skilled technicians. TREC has recently announced that it has joined a consortium of southwestern utilities that have an interest in constructing a similar LARGE SOLAR project. When these two LARGE SOLAR projects are completed, they will provide enough sun powered energy to replace half of a nuclear reactor. Abengoa Solar is the primary developer of the project.

TREC initiative founded in 2003 by The Club of Rome, Hamburg Climate Protection Foundation and the National Energy Research Center of Jordan.

Links:

Abengoa Solar
http://www.abengoasolar.com

TREC
http://www.desertec.org

APS
http://www.aps.com (White Paper)

Turkey Point Nuclear Reactors CRASH GRID

2008-02-26T15:04:00.005-05:00

The Great Florida Power Outage of 2008-Grid Failure, or Nuclear Reactor Malfunction?

Details are streaming in about the massive power outage that is disrupting the lives of over 4.4 million Floridians as they try to go about their daily lives. We know so far that the outage affects a wide swath of Florida from Jacksonville to Miami, and going North up to Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Reports dribbling out to the mainstream media have eight power plants off grid for some period of time, including three nuclear reactors at Florida Power and Light’s Turkey Point facility that has had numerous problems in the past.

The Great Florida Power Outage struck just after 1 p.m., as scattered thunderstorms passed through the region, thus bringing Florida to a halt, stranding travelers, and creating traffic problems at major intersections. So are, officials and power plant spokespeople are being mum about the cause of the outage.

The Department of Homeland Security, always wanting to justify their existence was quick to issue a statement assuring the public there was no immediate concern that terrorism was behind the outage.

Stan Johnson, of the North American Electric Reliability Council, verified to the press that eight power plants were off-line across the region. Officials are claiming the outage has been contained, but only time will verify that optimistic belief.

In late breaking news, there is a discrepancy on how many people are affected…a spokesperson for FPL is now claiming that only 600,000-800,000 people were actually without power, but then she qualified that by stating in their customer service area. Further, there is now news flowing in that the Great Florida GRID CRASH was caused by a seriously safety or operational problem at the Turkey Point Reactors that caused a SCRAM, which is a EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN of the reactors to halt a serious of chain events that could have lead to a melt down of the reactors.

WFTV: Disney World hit by outage

WPLG: Power goes out in Southern Florida

WFOR: Power stations affected by failure

The History These Eyes Have Seen

2008-02-26T05:41:00.003-05:00

Sitting here at almost five in the A.M. watching the New York Philharmonic performing in Pyongyang-North Korea on CNN, watching yet again as history is made right before my eyes. Spellbound as the cameras zoom through those assembled, mesmerized as one woman uses a hankie to hide her tears, amused at some of the men sitting so stoically still, pretending to be nonplused at this spectacle, unaffected at the history occurring right before their eyes. As the flutes add their voice to the chorus I find myself looking back upon my own life, remembering the times I’ve sat before my television watching as history occurred right before my eyes.

Perhaps the most vivid recollection I have of history being made was, is and shall continue to be the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I was in first grade at the time, Miss David my teacher. Coming back in from beating the erasers on the bricks of the building, walking past the principals office I saw everyone huddled around a black and white TV, heard the announcer (Walter Cronkite) state that the President had been shot.

I continue down the hall into our classroom and blurted out my news, “The President’s been shot!” Miss David was furious at me, shouted out, “That’s not funny YOUNG MAN, you’re going to the principles office.” She crabbed my arm and started dragging me down the hall when the principal came over the PA system, “School is dismissed for the day, please prepare to go to the buses, the President, John F. Kennedy has been shot. Miss David dropped to her knees as she shouted Oh My God, then tears rushing to her eyes started saying over and over again, “I’m sorry” as she held me in her eyes crying.

When we arrived home both my parents were huddled around the black and white television we had, both of them weeping…it was the first time I’d ever seen my father cry.

There was the death of Martin Luther King, and then Robert Kennedy…that one really hit home with me because I was a fan of Rosie Greer…seeing that huge, hulking football player openly weeping, tears rolling down his cheeks hit me hard, made it far more personal to me than when John F. Kennedy had fallen, even though I’d shaken the man’s hand when I was four years old.

Vietnam was brought right into our living rooms on a nightly basis, and a great rift began to divide our family, my parents clinging to their patriotic ways, my older brother and I listening to our Beatles music and questioning not only the war, but our government. Two opposing emotions existed with Woodstock, and the Apollo landing on the moon. It was FAR OUT to think we had just landed a man on the moon, there was a pride in our nation that perhaps counter balanced our hatred of a war we had come to believe was wrong.

I grew up on John Wayne and Shirley Temple, both a constant staple on Saturday afternoons. In my 20’s I sat in a bar and wept when the television announced his death. Was not sure why his death affected me so at the time, but looking back, think John Wayne and Shirley Temple represented everything we had been raised to believe America stood for. There was my summer in Portland, Maine and learning the night before I was to see him in concert that Elvis Presley had died, just another in a long line of musical greats who perished from this world. (Janis Joplin, Hendrix, Buddy Holly)

There were lesser events, important to me, but in the big picture of the world insignificant pop culture events. The last episode of MASH, finding me crying at the end of a show and the lose of a cast I had come to love. Sitting in our college bar drinking JR Ewing beer and placing bets on who shot JR…all these years later, almost embarrassed to admit I can’t remember.

There was Hinckley’s attempt on President Reagan, an event that scarcely registered in my mind as a significant event, perhaps because I never really like the man, found his politics distasteful…blasphemy I know. There were the two space shuttle tragedies, both finding me weeping in my living room as I watched every moment on my personal silver screen, again history unraveling right before my eyes.

No event in history affected me more than 9/11, watching the towers collapse dropped me too my knees as a scream escaped from deep within. For almost two weeks I went almost totally without sleep, watching each painful moment of our nation’s greatest singular moment of pain…my lord, why has thou forsaken me. Now, almost seven years later life has not returned to normal, our American psyche seems almost incapable of bouncing back, our swagger gone. Where is John Wayne when you need him, does any one else remember him in, “The Green Beret”?

Television has changed the world, brought history into our living rooms, and made us a part of it as it happens in the right here and now. This morning, while others sleep I’ve watched it occur once again half a world away in Pyongyang-North Korea.

Ten Simple Contributions You can Make to Reduce Global Warming

2008-02-24T15:38:00.002-05:00

Scientists estimate that Glacier National Park in Montana will not have a single glacier left by 2030. Scary thought that a National Park, and its singular attraction will disappear from the face of the earth in what amounts to the blink of an eye if we do not change our ways, take steps to reduce dramatic climate changes being brought on by Global Warming. Change starts at home, especially here in America. We make up 22 percent of the world’s population, yet account for 22 percent of all Green House gas emissions. Each of us, doing our own part can effect positive changes that will begin reducing Green House gases, and in turn, reversing the harmful effects being wrought by Global Warming. Below is a top ten list of simple steps you can take to be a part of the solution.

Recycle/Freecycle

Recycling is simple, and something we can do everyday. One ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. Trees act as natural scrubbers, actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere, sequestering it from doing harm. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours. Freecycling works the same way, but amounts to giving away to friends, family or charity things you no longer use or need, rather than throwing them away and seeing them end up in a landfill.

Buy and Shop Locally

The average meal on the American table travels more than 1,200 miles all the while using precious energy, adding CO2 the environment, and increasing our personal carbon footprint. Make an effort to buy products that are locally produced.

Eat Less Meat (Notice I do not say, “eat no meat”…I like my steak.)

Raising, Slaughtering and transporting Livestock is responsible for 18 percent of global warming emissions. Also, the millions of cattle raised around the world release vast quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Limiting meat consumption will encourage smaller herds, which will help cool our planet.

Bike Instead of Ride

You keep one pound of CO2 out of the environment for every mile you don’t drive. Additionally, biking will lead to increased health and vitality.

Demand Change

Demand that your elected leaders make the climate a priority, locally, at the state level, and nationally. Politicians are greening their speeches, we now have to hold their feet to the fire so they green their actions and votes.

Lights Off

Turn your lights off every time you leave a room. You will be surprised at the energy you save.

Drink Tap

Bottled water creates over 1.5 million tons of plastic waste each year, which takes about 47 million gallons of oil to produce. Stop buying bottled water and instead filter your tap water.

Unplug

Deliberate or not, many of today’s modern appliances and gadgets (their chargers) are energy thieves contributing to Global Warming. Appliances and chargers (including MP3 player and cell phone chargers) drain electricity, even when they’re not in use. Forty percent of home energy is used to power devices that are turned off. Using power strips, unplugging unnecessary electronics when not in use can save a great deal of money and energy.

Go Organic

Organic agriculture produces soil excellent at storing carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere. Organic fields are more resistant to droughts and flood than conventional fields. Purchasing organic supports increase of organic acreage keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Switch

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) last 12 times longer than incandescent bulbs. If every home in America switched one incandescent bulb to a CFL, it would be equivalent to taking one million cars off the roads. LED’s promise even greater savings, promise greater CO2 reductions.

We all can contribute our share to fighting global warming, and these ten simple steps will make a difference if embraced and practiced by all of us. If we do our part, we can create a healthy, thriving, green eco-friendly planet for generations to come. Scientists agree, for the world to continue living comfortably on our planet, we must reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent before 2050. It is an attainable goal if we all do our part. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

A Heartland Community Destroyed By Tornado Going Green

2008-02-23T15:16:00.003-05:00

If you do a couple of Google searches (Eco-Town and Greensburg) you’ll find the small American Heartland town of Greensburg, Kansas is getting a whole lot of attention, and hopefully a lot of help in their effort to rebuild their community after a Tornado devastated their town this past May, destroying almost 80 percent of the community’s infrastructure, both public and private.

My own involvements with the community began some weeks ago when a close friend of mine Bill Thomas of Green Home Solutions rang me up in the middle of the night and said, “I had a dream, and you and I are going to go spend a week in Kansas helping the people of Greensburg rebuild their town.” First thought was obviously, “Why Greensburg?” Any town or city devastated by a natural disaster deserves all the help we can give them, but too often there just does not seem to be enough help to go around, with the best known example being New Orleans, and specifically the Ninth Ward, so why Greensburg?

Greensburg has a vision, a dream and if that dream can be realized, they can serve as a model of what a Green Community can be. Early after the disaster as the town and its people surveyed the damage of their battered community and idea was born into being…lets not only rebuild our community, but re-build Green, construct as many of our structures, including government buildings as LEED Certified eco-friendly structures. That dream, that model of rebuilding the town is capturing a lot of attention.

Discovery is about to launch an All Green cable channel, and one program scheduled to be aired is Eco-Town hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio who has long fostered a dream of providing a town with a complete green makeover. Having seen the destruction done to Greensburg, hearing about their dream to be America’s greenest city, he pitched the idea for his show to Discovery who embraced the idea with open arms. Thirteen episodes of Eco-Town are now being filmed/produced journaling the efforts of Greensburg to rebuild themselves into America’s greenest Community.

Mother Earth News (Ogden Publishing) has stepped up and offered to build one of the first LEED Certified home models for Greentown (a non-profit formed in Greensburg after the disaster) which will act as the organization’s office space and green library.

A small group of us here on the east coast have recently formed a new organization aimed at helping Greensburg, and other communities recovering from natural disasters to not only recover, but to re-build using green building materials, to rebuild a more eco-friendly sustainable community. Green Helping Hands is small, just in the formation stages, yet the people we have reached out to so far have been receptive, are eager to step in and help Greensburg in their efforts to rebuild their community into America’s greenest city.

The town and Greentown want to build an eco village with six green homes cited in the village, another six built at other locations throughout the town, thus creating a real life model of sustainable green living that others can visit and study, which in turn will create eco-tourism for this small rural community. We’ve proposed to Greentown having a competition wherein the best architectures in the world could compete to have their plan chosen for these green home builds. The idea has been well received, and we will see where it goes.

Green Helping Hands is also hoping book publishers and distributors will step forward by donating books on anything green from gardening to green construction to act as the foundation of Greentown’s new Eco-Library.

Greensburg has presented America with a wonderful opportunity. If everyone pitches in, if everyone steps forward and makes a small contribution of their time, effort or money, we can not only rebuild a small town in the Heartland of America, but we can re-build it as the Greenest city in America, a model that other communities can study and immolate moving forward. Take some time to Google Greensburg and Eco-Town, visit our web site (still under construction) and then get involved. America has always been the land of dreams and opportunity, and in helping Greensburg, you can play and important part in making those dreams and opportunities come true for one small town that was devastated by a natural disaster.

The Netherlands-Floating Green Eco-Homes

2008-02-22T13:19:00.002-05:00

Written By Sherwood Martinelli

Feb. 21, 2008

One of the grave perils of Global Warming is rising of sea levels (by as much as 43 inches by 2100), the potential threat of lost infrastructure along almost every coastline of the world from those rising sea levels potentially catastrophic. Perhaps the Dutch have found a way to plan for that potential danger, while at the same time contributing to solving the problem (global warming) that could cause it...floating eco-homes.

The old adage has been that real estate was a good investment, because we were not making any more land. If you live in a major metropolitan area such as New York, Chicago or San Francisco, you know the truth of that statement; see the wisdom in the ever rising real estate prices even in a depressed housing market. Perhaps we can create more real estate, and build a healthier, greener world by adopting the Dutch technology of floating green communities.

The world's population is exploding, the population here in America estimated to grow to 500 million by 2050. To address the burdens and problems of that population boom, to make room for these new citizens, house builders and city planners must be willing to look for and explore new solutions. If one of those solutions comes with a whole array of green benefits for society, it is an idea that is ripe for wide spread develop. The Dutch amphibious communities seem to be just such and alternative solution.

Chris Zevenbergen of Dura Vermeer which developed the floating houses is looking for additional ways to make his company's floating homes more sustainable, and to further mitigate adverse impacts on the environment. Here in the New York area, the price tag of these floating living spaces could be considered affordable housing with their starting price of $310,000. More importantly, with ferry service to key metro work areas, how many cars could be kept off our roadways Monday through Friday? How many sustainable floating green communities could we build along the banks of the Hudson River? Imagine moving forward small floating river towns to compliment their land locked neighbors on the shore. More importantly, could we re-green large delta areas, restore flood plains by moving people off the land, out of the flood plains, and into a floating home?

Rather than building communities along the waters edge that fight against the forces of nature, losing almost every time, perhaps the solution can be found in floating homes that co-exist with, and on the river, rather than beside it?

Solving Global Warming is Going To Require Sacrifice

2008-02-19T11:09:00.003-05:00

Tackling Global Warming Requires Tough Choices

Authored by Sherwood Martinelli

It seems the world is waking up to the reality that the planet, Mother Earth is in trouble, that drastic climate change is more than a possibility, but an already occurring reality. We have Lord Richard Branson of Virgin fame speaking before the United Nations and calling for a Global Warming War Room, and Al Gore winning a Nobel Prize for his “Inconvenient Truth” documentary. Natural Disasters are up, and polar bears are in danger of extinction in the Artic as ice melts into the oceans and sea levels begin to rise. The BIG TICKET item that most of the experts are banking on is carbon capture…not carbon reduction, but capture. Perhaps there is some hope in that strategy, perhaps that carbon could even be reprocessed back into energy for some future generation born centuries from now, but it is doubtful. Technology alone simply cannot save us from our self’s.

Reversing climate change is going to take GREAT SACRIFICE, and the world seems unwilling to accept that reality. Putting an end to Global Warming is going to take a major paradigm shift that is going to create policies and laws that people are not prepared for. These policies and laws, which certain religions and organized churches will perceive as sacrilege, must be implemented to save mankind, to save our world. It is imperative that our leaders here in America and around the world start speaking truth, preparing the citizens for the hard times that lay ahead.

Three words must be our guiding force as we embark on a journey to save the only world we have, a simple truth spoken to the people of the world, “Less Is More”. It will not be easy to ease people into this new mind set, will take time for world citizenry to adjust to a world where less is more, a world wherein having less, living meagerly is looked upon with honor and pride, rather than distain. Sadly, we as a world society do not have that luxury, our time to halt certain realities already passed, or time to adjust to harsh realities vanishing before our eyes. The concept of less is more has to start with the family unit as we see and understand it. The population of the world is out of control, growing at a rate that makes a sustainable world an unattainable reality, reversing Global Warming and impossible task. Large families must be outlawed, when necessary, forced sterilization the law of the land if we are to save Mother Earth.

No different than a deer herd, or cattle on federal grazing lands, the human population must be managed, our numbers reduced to under one billion citizens to have a realistic chance at having a sustainable world wherein we do not live in fear of devastation from climate change brought on by Global Warming. Must reduce our numbers if tens of millions are not to die cruel deaths from starvation and disease as the planet’s temperature rises. Hillary Clinton has said it takes a village to raise a child…perhaps in limiting the number of children born into this world as we rein in our own over population that dream could become a reality? Think about it…how much more precious would the children of the world be to every member of a community if there were far fewer of them in the world? Some, perhaps most will label me a heretic for speaking such blasphemy, how dare I control for harsh controls own human population growth, but ask yourself a serious question. If Global Warming is real, if we have to drastically reduce our carbon emissions, can we afford an ever escalating human population that is going to require an ever increasing amount of services and comforts, both of which will create ever increasing amounts of CO2 being released into our environment? We cannot afford the population growths around the world that are predicted between now and the year 2050, the world cannot bear the burden.

There are other changes that must be implemented that will send organizations like the Chamber of Commerce howling into our Halls of Government in attempts to curry favor, begging politicians to say it isn’t so. A major contributor to Global Warming is lost canopy cover in the world’s forests. Yet, each year over 100 million trees are felled to fill our mailboxes with junk mail as advertisers convince us that we need more and more product. There is a simple solution that would down size government, and go a long way towards reforestation…outlaw junk mail world wide. I would estimate, that preservation of 100 million trees a year, the carbon sequestration from such preservation would qualify me for Richard Branson’s $25 Million Dollar Science prize, and it could be accomplished with the simple stroke of a pen.

Sure it will not make the Postal Carriers Union happy, but while we are at it, let’s reduce mail delivery to three days a week. Do we really need to get our mail on a daily basis, would slowing down the pace of life really be so bad? While we are at it, let’s take a step backwards, and make it mandatory that all televisions (including cable and satellite) stations sign off at 2:00 A.M. like they used to do. How much energy could be conserved in shutting down mass media around the world four hours each and every day? We must take cars off the roads whenever possible. This can be done by making it mandatory that 80 percent of all clerical, administrative and executive work be done from home unless there is legitimate reason not to do so…the corporate need to see bodies in big buildings must come to and end, employers learning to trust that their work force can perform their tasks just as well without ever leaving the confines of a well executed home office paid for by the corporation.

Less is more, and that means learning to live differently, to adapt to smaller homes that create a smaller carbon footprint. Renovation and restoration of all infrastructure whenever possible, and if a building cannot be saved, it must be deconstructed, crews salvaging any and all usable materials to be recycled back into our stream of usable material resources. Citizens of the world must learn to share material items whenever possible or feasible, such as lawn mowers…do we really need a lawn mower for each and every house in America, for that matter, do we really need such large manicured lawns, or would something more rustic and rural (think wildflower meadow) be healthier for the planet? Should there be six or seven swimming pools in one city block that has only 12 homes on it? Why must American families have numerous television sets, and more gadgets than they know what to do with as they toss one after another into a drawer never to again see the light of day all because the new replacement gadget is newer, sexier, and has and extra must have gizmo that advertisers convinced the masses they just had to have.

Given a chance, our world has a great ability to restore itself, to replenish the oceans food stocks, to restore forests destroyed and burned in the name of progress, the ability to cool its environment, and restore lost ice pack around the planet, but only if we, the human race take the steps necessary to give our world a chance to heal herself. Time heals all wounds, but to give the world that time, we must reduce our own impact upon the surface, change our ways, and reduce our population base to a sustainable level that allows us to peacefully co-exist and prosper with the bounties given to us by Mother Nature. Corporations would have us believe that our salvation lays in technology. Technology can play a part, but it does not hold the full answer society needs. The solution will be found in sacrifice that does not come without certain pains. The longer we as a society put off acceptance of that basic truth, the deeper and more immense the pain will be.

Understanding The Need For Green Helping Hands™

2008-02-18T20:10:00.005-05:00

Sure I could ask anyone to name ten charities or non profits, and most people could quickly tick off a list without much thought. United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army and on down the list to ten with no difficulties at all...which begs the question, why would a few people start thinking we need another charity to donate money to? Perhaps because there is a need that is not being met?

The concept of Green Helping Hands™ started to form a few weeks ago when Bill Thomas of Green Home Solutions called me and suggested we make a trip out to Kansas to a small town called Greensburg that had all but been blown away when a Tornado this past May destroyed everything in its path as it moved through this rural community in America's Heartland. Heading up onto the one year anniversary of this tragic event the town is struggling to rebuild, attempting to become America's greenest city in the process, and simply stated, "They need our help." Bill told me to use my internet skills to find out what was going on out there, find us someone on the ground to give us a birdseye view of progress made, and where they were at in their rebuilding green iniative.

As I looked at photographs, watched newsreels of the Greensburg Disaster I was reminded of my youth in South Western Ohio, and the Xenia Tornado that killed over 3o people, and wiped out almost the entire small city. I remember doing my own small part to help clean up after the event, remember driving down street after street of devastation...not quite 40 years later I feel I've come full circle, that same sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wishing that I could do more.

The miracle is, people like Bill Thomas, like myself can do more. I am no longer a teenager, neither is he, and we both have skill sets that perhaps could be put to some use in helping Greensburg, and helping other towns and cities in their time of need. His seed, our separate but similiar visions began to grow as a kernal of an idea was nurtured and plans began to take shape. He has been reaching out to people in the building industry, speaking with manufacturers about getting some product donated...in short, forming a movement being spearheaded by Green Home Solutions and the folks over at The Great Green Race.

On a separate track, but heading in the same direction Green Helping Hands™ as a vision was/is beginning to take shape as a budding charity aimed at helping the people of Greensburg and other communities recover and rebuild after a natural disaster comes into being. Ambitious undertakings that need the help of many to solidify into reality and move forward to the important task at hand, helping people in need. It is a daunting undertaking, one easily set aside for the weak of heart, but then reality sets in as you watch the evening news and see another Greensburg, this time in Prattsville Alabama where 200 homes were destroyed. There is a need, and with the help of others, Green Helping Hands™ will become a rich vibrant reality, and a charity pursuing a noble cause...helping towns and communities recover and rebuild after natural disasters.

Tornadoes Hit South, Destroying Homes

By KATE BRUMBACK,

Posted: 2008-02-18 12:35:03 FULL STORY

Filed Under: Nation News

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 18) - Rescue crews searched door-to-door for people trapped in wreckage after a tornado crashed through town, part of a wild weekend of weather that also included rain, snow and flooding in the Midwest.

No fatalities were immediately reported in Prattville, outside Montgomery, but two people were critically injured, said Fire Department official Dallis Johnson.
Twenty-seven people had minor injuries, officials said. About 200 homes were damaged or destroyed. A curfew began as darkness fell Sunday.

Be Green Today-Stop Junk Mail

2008-02-18T03:00:00.005-05:00

Face it, everyone including the postman/woman hates junk mail,especially since advertisers are getting sneakier at disquising it as something important that you JUST HAVE TO OPEN. Well, for all the greenies out there in mailland, here is another MAJOR reason to hate that junk mail that clogs up your mailbox most days of the week. Each year over 100 million trees are cut down to create the vast pile of those worthless advertisements...imagine the carbon footprint to produce and mail that much junk mail, and how much space is being used up in landfills because of junk mail? Earthworks Group, environmental consulting firm says cutting out our junk mail is one of the most effective things we can do to reduce pollution.

There is GOOD NEWS!

For a one time fee of just $15 Green Dimes will send you a junk-mail opt-out kit that will remove your name from mailing lists for junk mail and catalogs. They continuously monitor the junk mail lists to make sure your names stay off of them, potentially reducing your junk mail by 90 percent. For a once a year fee of $10 you can refresh your list of junk mail you do not wish to recieve.

Green Dimes also plants 10 trees for each kit sold.

Will Plummeting Prices Stall Green LEED Certified Home Builds?

2008-02-18T01:57:00.006-05:00

The real estate market right now seems to be doing a great impression of Walmart with their falling prices campaign. As more families lose their homes to foreclosure, as house prices drop and couples see the equity in their homes dissappearing before their eyes, one has to wonder what effect all this will have on the gains made in selling the concept of building green, designing and building green homes.

We were contemplating a major green renovation of our own home that has now been postponed as it would be almost impossible for us to recoup the investment when selling our home. the tumultuos market has seen us lose almost $60,000 of our equity in the past 12-15 months, and looking forward, do not see the market making a turn around in a timely enough fashion to allow us to recover the costs of renovation, let alone turn a profit in say five years. Crunching our own numbers, the monthly budget savings would just about cover the construction loan payments. In a bull market, greening our home would make economic sense when we sold it, as we would recoup our investment, and turn a profit. Foreclosure is not a worry for us, but we are feeling the pinch of lost equity as a result of lower home values due to the glut of inventory now on the market.

Solar is popular because of the rebate programs, and other green renovations (such as kitchen cabinets) for health reasons, or because it is the right thing to do. Question is, will consumers considering home renovations be willing to pay a premium to build green in a depressed housing market? If not, what will the effects of a stalled green building movement be?

Leave a comment, share your comments on this important question to the green building industry.

Green Helping Hands Non-Profit Website About to Launch

2008-02-17T01:53:00.009-05:00

Green Releaf-Greensburg Video

Yesterday, the first steps were taken to create the non-profit organization, "Green Helping Hands™" with the concept very simple. Creating a Green Cross, a second wave of help for communities after America's First Responders have left out of town, are on their way to another Natural Disaster. Our slogan is simple, "Green Helping Hands reaching across America." Our first responders are the best in the world, but often, communities need help after their initial needs have been met, need help in rebuilding their lost infrastructure...Green Helping Hands™ wants to help meet the need. We are looking for an attorney to help us in getting registered with the state of New York as a non profit, and taking the necessary steps to become a 501 3C.

Green Helping Hands have secured web domains, and hope to launch the site next week. The first project will be helping to raise funds and product for the people of Greensburg, Kansas. For those wishing to contribute to the towns rebuilding efforts, we have posted an address below where you can send donations. Please mention Green Helping Hands in the memo for tracking purposes. If your company is interested in donating building product to the citizens of Greensburg, Kansas, please feel free to contact Green Helping Hands™ at green_helping_hands@yahoo.com .

We will be accepting proposals from 15 corporations who would like to be founding members of this Green Charity as a part of their Corporate Social Committment to America and its citizens.

Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg needs your help with reconstruction.

Please send your donations to:

Greensburg Rebuilding Fund%

Greensburg State Bank,

P. O. Box 787 Greensburg, Kansas 67054

Every dollar you donate will go to rebuilding our city.

New Green Releaf-Heartland Bio Composites

2008-02-15T00:59:00.009-05:00

New Green Releaf, a play on words, a vision of a sustainable world where corporations look for ways to conserve world resources, recycle those already used, and through this smart green manufacturing process begin healing the world, regreening the planet. As my motto goes, Drop the F, re-use rather than refuse. One such visionary company, is Heartland Bio Composites located in Torrington, WY who is at the forefront of the natural fiber-polymer composite lumber technologies.

The green heart and soul of this company which was founded by green visionary Heath Van Eaton, is eleguently stated in the opening sentence of the company's mission statement which states:

Our mission is to design, manufacture and distribute eco-friendly, high performance,non-toxic, sustainable composite material building products that contribute to a low maintenance, healthy lifestyle.

Heartland makes a beautiful line of American Made composite fencing products that include several different styles of privacy fencing, ranch-style rail fences and picket fences marketed under the name of PrairieFence™. This beautiful Eco-Friendly fencing line is available through Green Home Solutions (builder and wholesale inquiries welcome).

Sustainable Living-Visit New York's Farm Barge

2008-02-14T22:46:00.005-05:00

Imagine a sustainable urban farm and environmental education center. Imagine it being operated on renewable energy, supporting sustainable food production. A beautiful organic green space that grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with zero net carbon emissions, zero chemical pesticides, and zero runoff. That is a wonderful vision...now, imagine that place right in the heart of New York City. Let's take that vision a step further...imagine this beautiful vision leaps wildly forward and exists on a barge! This vision exists, and you can visit the Science Barge again this year starting May 2, 2008.

From May to October 2007, the Science Barge hosted over 3,000 schoolchildren from all five New York boroughs as well as surrounding counties as part of our environmental education program. In addition, over 6,000 adult visitors visited the facility along with press from around the world.

Further information:

Know more about the Science Barge
The Science Barge education program
How to visit the Science Barge
Press coverage of the Science Barge

A Great Day Trip For Book Lovers-The Bruised Apple in Peekskill, New York

2008-02-14T20:28:00.008-05:00

Don't let any one know, but someone writing on this blog has a love affair with the written word, specifically vintage books, old hardbound editions, many made a century or more ago. I've never met a used bookstore I didn't like, can spend hours walking its small aisles browsing through books with leather bound covers, and gilded page edges. When combined with another favorite passion, a day trip, its a beautiful thing. For those looking to get out of New York for a day, one such trip worth taking is a ride on the Metro North up to Peekskill, New York where you will find a favorite haunt of mine, "The Bruised Apple Bookstore". 923 Central Avenue (914) 734-7006

If I were looking for a bookshop to film a classic movie in, this would be on my own top five list. It has a wonderfully magical, aged patina about it (think Harry Potter), the well worn wood floors speaking of times long ago gone, the musty old frangrance of the books beckoning you deeper within to explore the mystery of words written long ago. The patrons of this establishment seem almost whimsical behind the counter just inside the door, ready and waiting with a warm smile and a friendly hello, and they poccess a wealth of information about the small river town of Peekskill and its surrounding area nestled in and hugging the Hudson.

If you are having a bad case of cabin fever, are looking for a Saturday adventure, this could be just what the doctor ordered. Find your way to Grand Central Station, another fabulous place to be, and purchase a round trip ticket on Metro North ($18 round trip non-peak) to Peekskill. If you are not faint of heart, you can walk from the train station up the LONG HILL into downtown Peekskill, but it is recommended you opt for a taxi ride. With tip, the five dollar ride beats the brisk 20-25 minute walk, but to each their own.

No day trip is complete without a good lunch, browsing over your finds from the Bruised Apple over some fabulous food, and there are several choices for the discerning pallet in Peekskill, all within easy walking distance from the shop. However, sticking with the theme of the day, I highly recommend Kathleen's Tea Room (wonderful, charming lunches)which is just around the corner.

Just for the record, when you look at the tasteful use of antiques in both these shops, realize they are taking others throw aways and recirculating them into the market place, it is obvious they are role models for a sustainable society wherein we capitalize the longevity of every product produced by man.

Space Balls The Movie-Pentagon To Shoot at Garbage in Outer Space

2008-02-14T16:47:00.008-05:00

Fire up the Whinybago, and put on your Puke Piewalker pajamas, as the Pentagon is going garbage hunting in outerspace, the Final Frontier. Forget the not so famous, but truly humorous "Spaceballs the Movie", this is real life. Seems an ill-fated spy satellite launched in 2006 is about to crash back into the Earth's atmosphere, endangering mankind and the environment. (The AP story failed to express any concerns for the environment.) We as a civilized society, as a world people need to seriously rethink our imprint (not just carbon) on this planet when our military is attempting to shoot garbage out of the sky. It is saddening to think we as a world are becoming more like Saturn every day, with our ring of garbage in our oceans, and now a ring of debris circling overhead. In the boys and their toys department, this is not an attempt by George Bush to one up China's military feat of shooting one of their own satellites out of orbit.

US to Shoot Down Broken Spy Satellite

AP (Full Story)

Posted: 2008-02-14 16:30:14

Filed Under: Nation News

WASHINGTON (Feb. 14) - President Bush decided to make a first-of-its-kind attempt to use a missile to bring down a broken U.S. spy satellite because of the potential danger to people from its rocket fuel, officials said Thursday.

A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity.
Robert
Frost

Prince Charles "GREEN" Vacation

2008-02-14T08:26:00.007-05:00

You have to laugh to keep from crying...Prince Charles has decided he must establish proper green protocols, lead by example in addressing Global Warming. To that end, he has decided to reduce his vacation CARBON FOOTPRINT by renting a 246 Foot Sailing Yacht for he and his wife Camila's 11 day trip, reasoning it's better than flying. The link to the boat is well worth a peek if you want to experience if you will (tongue in cheek) some Green Envy.

Prince Charles' Yacht Vacation

Posted Feb 10th 2008 8:02AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Journeys, Water, Celebrity Shopping, Green

Prince Charles has said before that he's committed to the environment and to reducing his personal carbon footprint on the world, and for his latest trip it seems he's keeping to that promise. Next month he and his wife Camila are planning to sail around the Caribbean on the Leander, a 246 ft luxury yacht, for an 11 day trip that sounds like a mix of business and pleasure. The voyage will have them skipping around to several different locations and officials say that sailing in the yacht will result in reduced costs and reduced carbon emissions compared to having the couple fly each step instead.

The yacht, with huge richly decorated rooms and features like a sauna and hot tub, looks like a vacation in and of itself! And it is available for private charter -- if you've got the dough.

Cool Green Design-Niche-Give Them a Look

2008-02-14T05:33:00.005-05:00

Late at night, or early in the morning I love letting my "Green Fingers do the walking" © as my mouse carries me off to far off green spaces and places on the Internet Highway. Little out of the way cafes, weekend getaways, and sometimes green folk I'd like to do business with when I find myself in need of the services they offer. Tonight I found another one of these treasures, a green design firm that does absolutely stunning work with a lot of thought to creating soothing environmentally friendly places for their clients.

352 Eleventh Street, Suite 1L
Brooklyn, New York

t: 718.832.7274

f: 718.228.8606

Niche had me at hello when they spelled out their simple approach which states, "NICHE" is a modern design firm focused on creating beautiful contemporary interiors and furniture with an emphasis on sustainability." What a beautifully straightforward approach to design. Their goal is to incorporate into their designs the best sustainable building practices (LEED CERTIFIED) and products available. For the purest in the crowd, Niche is a member of USGBC.

Niche is located in the Metro New York area (Brooklyn) but accepts clients from around the world who are wanting to go green. So, if you are looking for a green designer, the Cosmic Green Rabbit gives these folks two green thumbs up.

A New Concept-Carbon Offsets for Green Charity

2008-02-14T04:45:00.005-05:00

Using Green Guilt to Drive New Industry and Profits, Changing the Direction and Focus

Americans use a whole lot of energy in living our lives, in following our decadent pursuits, and despite Global Warming, we show no signs of changing our ways, grasping and implementing the concept of conservation of the world's natural resources, including specifically our use of energy/electricity. Instead, as we drive our Hummers the two blocks to get our Star Bucks double latte mocha cherry jubilee surprise on the way to the Pilate studio, we look for Green Placebo's, easy fixes to reduce our carbon footprints, assuage our green guilt. Sadly, corporate

America

is all too happy to give us that placebo, and in giving it to us, they have us paying the way for them to OWN

America

and the world's green infrastructure, and that needs to change.

Give the devil its due...how brilliant it is that some smart individuals saw the marketing possibility of Green Guilt, and created a product that customers would buy that would allow them (companies) to amass fortunes, allow them to own the very infrastructure that will drive the newly budding green economy of the world. Enter Carbon Offsets. To understand Carbon Offsets, to in fact sell the concept of purchasing carbon offsets, we first have to understand carbon footprints, and what our own personal carbon footprint is.

A carbon footprint is a numerical representation that human activities have on climate. Being more specific, carbon footprints represent the total amount of greenhouse gases produced (measured in units of carbon dioxide), is a measure of the impact we make individually on the earth living our lifestyles. Many activities and products we buy generate carbon emissions, which contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. So, by creating an index (carbon footprint) by which to measure our individual contribution to Global Warming, some wise souls have created a new sin to add to the list of things we should feel guilty about...pollution.

If you are looking for biblical instruction on the proper management of the environment, there is no shortage of passages which apply. The prophet Nahum wrote about these things saying, "You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away." (Nahum 3:16)

Being as most of the world in one form or another is religious by nature, we easily buy into the concept of pollution as a sin, and once we buy into that sin, we have created Green Guilt, and put in place a means by which to extract from us a fee that allows us to atone for our sins...Carbon Offsets. This is not necessarily a bad thing if the funds raised are used in a socially responsible way, used to help green those who cannot afford to green themselves. The old saying says you cannot get something for nothing, but apparently Corporate America, some shrewd business people have figured out how to sell us NOTHING FOR SOMETHING. If you go to the web and do a Google search for carbon footprints, you can visit sites such as http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ that will encourage you to use their calculator to find out just what your personal carbon footprint is. These Green Sin meters will, in a matter of minutes tell you just how evil your polluting ways are, will instill in you a green guilt that you must ATONE FOR, knowing that you will want to do something to make amends to Mother Earth in such a fashion that requires no real sacrifice on your part, such as walking to the Pilate studio instead of driving the hummer, and GOD FORBID skipping your Star Bucks double latte mocha cherry jubilee.Like tossing money in the collection plate on Sunday mornings, you can erase your sins, be forgiven your polluting ways by purchasing carbon offsets. HUH?

A “carbon offset” is a greenhouse gas emission reduction credit or certificate that represents a reduction in carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere achieved by a company or organization through projects such as planting trees, building windmills, renewable energy, energy conservation and landfill methane projects. (Notice here, that most projects listed are projects aimed at turning a profit for someone.) In case you are confused, let’s make it simpler. You give your money to a COMPANY or ORGANIZATION, and they give you NOTHING but a promise that they will go out and purchase something green in your honor as a way of erasing your carbon footprint. You can brag to your friends that you live a zero carbon footprint lifestyle (think Al Gore), and they get to take your money and invest it in GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE that they own! WOW, what a concept. You get a free pass to pollute without guilt, and they get rich off of your donations in purchasing Carbon Offsets, they get to own the green infrastructure that will fuel our new green economy.

I like the concept of carbon offsets, but have a problem with us as citizens being fleeced out of our hard earned dollars by some corporation who is using the money to own infrastructure that will over time turn them a handsome profit, make themselves richer. Therefore, I am going to propose here, that people stop buying carbon offsets from companies or organizations that use their money to benefit themselves. Instead, I am going to propose a new way of buying carbon offsets, going to suggest a very strict structure of how the money from carbon offsets are to be spent.

What if the money from carbon offsets had to be spent helping poor communities and people become green? Without exception, most poor families cannot afford to buy solar panels and deploy them on their roof, which in turn would reduce their carbon footprint, and their electric bills. So, what if the money from the carbon credits were to be used to deploy free solar panels onto the roofs of the world's poor?

Millions of people here in America are now buying into the concept of carbon offsets, are spending their hard earned money to purchase them. Imagine if that money were being invested in greening poor communities! With state and federal rebates, solar could be deployed onto homes for around $20,000 dollars. Now, let’s just imagine one million Americans each spending $100 to purchase carbon offsets from one of these companies...you have just given them the ability to own $100 million dollars in green infrastructure. What if your carbon offset money were used instead to put solar on the homes of poor Americans. With $100 million dollars, at $20,000 a home, we could put solar on the roofs of 5,000 American families homes that otherwise could not afford it.

First, we are greening communities that otherwise could not afford to go green, but we also are helping, over time, to lift them out of poverty. If each of those families were saving $100 a month on their utility bills, that is $1,200 a year they can keep in their budget, use to take care of something other than paying an electric bill. Those 5,000 families combined have new wealth in the amount of $6 Million dollars a year. Figuring a 25 year life span for the solar panels that $100 Million invested in solar panels purchased through carbon offsets would generate new wealth into poor communities in the amount of $150 million over that 25 year period. Imagine if we could duplicate this effort through the funds raised from carbon offsets each and every year! In 20 years, we could deploy solar onto the roofs of 100,000 homes if only one million people a year were buying $100 dollars worth of carbon credits. At the end of 20 years we would be creating new wealth in our poorest communities of $120 million a year. Imagine if all of America's CSRO's (Corporate Social Responsibility Officer) decided to embrace this concept of the carbon offset model. Imagine the world using the money from carbon offsets (both at a corporate and personal level) to build green infrastructure literally from the ground up, bringing green infrastructure into our poorest communities world wide.

Being Green needs to mean something, being green should reflect social responsibility at a level never before envisioned. The money raised from carbon offsets could bring potable drinking water, and adequate sewage treatment to communities that otherwise cannot afford it. Our reliance on the grid could be reduced, while at the same time bringing new wealth into some of our poorest communities. Simply stated, I am proposing a simple plan change for carbon offsets. Let’s use them to be Socially Green Healers by using the money to help green those who cannot afford to green themselves.

If this is a concept you, or your company would like to investigate, explore or implement, I would ask that you contact FUSE USA. You can write this grassroots sustainable energy organization at fuse_usa@yahoo.com or FUSE USA, 351 Dyckman Street, Peekskill, New York 10566

Green Cosmic Rabbit Suggests Helping Out Greensburg, Kansas with The Green Helping Hands Project

2008-02-14T04:17:00.006-05:00

The Green Cosmic Rabbit Is Pleased to Bring You This Worthy Cause-True GreenTeam Going to Greensburg Kansas

Last year the small rural town of Greensburg, Kansas basically disappeared off the map when a tornado rained disaster down on their community. As the citizens of this American Heartland community approach the one year anniversary of this tragic event, Green Home Solutions, the Green Team and many of our friends are spearheading an initiative to help rebuild Greensburg.

Green Home Solutions, the Green Team Leaders and leaders of the community will be partnering with our affiliates and the general public in gathering donations of cash and Green Home Building products in preparation for our cross country trip. We will present our "GREEN Helping Hands” project for disaster relief to assist in rebuilding the town.

We will be off on an exploratory trip in late February/early March to spend time, understand the town members needs, and donate our talents in the rebuilding of Greensburg, lending them a hand in accomplishing their goals, recognizing Greensburg’s dream of becoming America's Greenest city.

Several corporations and green building industry professionals, companies, and builders have expressed interest in being a part of this green humanitarian effort. Many have already jumped on board, offering their commitments of time, money, and product. This is a "people to people" action the Green Team intends to duplicate throughout the USA.

We also hope to connect Greensburg, Kansas with Greenwich, Connecticut. Our Green Helping Hands project will be building the first six Eco Friendly “GREEN” HOSPITALITY HOMES in Greentown's Eco Village in parallel with Green Home Solutions Extreme Green Makeover in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Greenwich Environmental Action Task Force will be supporting our efforts to bring more attention to the plight of Greensburg, KS. Our documentary film crew will capture both events, which we hope to have happen simultaneously. In addition, the Discovery Channel is already on the ground in Greensburg documenting the ongoing efforts to rebuild the town. This will focus the nation's attention once again on this small town in Heartland America in need.

SPONSORS, CONTRIBUTORS AND PART OF OUR ADVISORY BOARD:

HEATHER BURNS-DEMILO OF CTGREENSECENE.COM HAS A TRACTOR TRAILER OF ECO-FURNITURE PLEDGED;

SHERWOOD MARTINELLI OF GHS HAS MADE ALIGNMENTS WITH VARIOUS GREEN MFG'S THAT WILL TO CONTRIBUTE;

HOLIDAY KITCHEN ECO-CABINETS, (A MASTERKRAFT COMPANY); HEARTLANDBIO FENCE; ENVIROSHAKE ECO-ROOFING SHINGLES...THE LIST IS GROWING!!

If you or your company would like to become a part of our “Green Helping Hands” project, are interested in joining one of our volunteer design and build teams; want to fund or donate the materials to build one of these Green “LEED Certified” homes; or would like to head out to Greensburg, Kansas as a part of this Green Helping Hands project please contact any member of our Greensburg “Green Helping Hands” project executive committee for a full list of the projects in need of sponsors for this “great” green event. For any donations to our Greensburg fund, checks can be made payable to THE GREAT GREEN RACE @ Greensburg. Please join us in this project and become part of the first task force ever, that will sweep America into the new “green way” of building and living. Visit the Green Town Web Page.

Sherwood Martinelli
(914) 293-7458
smartinellighs@aol.com

Heather Burns-DeMelo
(203) 470-8020
info@ctgreenscene.org

Jackie Jaques CEO
(203) 846-6060
truegreenteam@yahoo.com

Bill Thomas .COO
(203) 515-0528
btghs@yahoo.com

A Green Cosmic Hello-Green Bathrooms

2008-02-14T03:13:00.005-05:00

Greetings Green Folk:

Welcome to the world of the Green Cosmic Rabbit where we cover every topic in the world from a very green perspective. Politics, humor, green answers to your every green question over time will be answered here, hopefully in a way to have you visiting often, and bringing along a friend. To start this journey into green living as we work towards creating a beautiful self sustainable earth, thought we would address one of the most sensual and delicious rooms in our homes. (No, not the kitchen!)

Necessary Elements of a Green Bathroom

Environmentally Friendly, sustainable Green building materials combined with creative, aesthetically pleasing ecological design are the cutting green edge way to implement sound health and hygiene practices, ensuring that clean water, clean air and healthy habitat are a central theme of your bathroom remodel.

For vanities and cabinets seek out sustainable harvested woods, renewable materials like bamboo, wheat straw, or sunflower plants bound with resins free of volatile organic compounds.
Countertops should incorporate green products such as EnviroGLAS® Terrazzo which can contribute 7 or more US Green Building Council LEED® points of the 69 total available, while making a beautiful addition to any contemporary green bathroom renovation.
For an updated green version of a old classic, consider recycled glass, ceramic or porcelain tiles which are available in every color and hue imaginable.
Older toilets use up to 5 gallons per flush (GPF), Dual-flush models such as the Profile™ Toilet Suite greatly reduces water usage, preserving this valuable natural resource.
Adequate ventilation makes for a healthier bathroom. Operable windows and good ventilation keep fresh air circulating through the space.
Longevity is central to sustainability. A well designed bathroom means less maintenance, fewer repairs and can postpone costly remodels.