Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Microlending success

via PSFK, microlending pioneer Kiva has a problem. a good problem to have, however. they are out of recipients for microloans. the demand is certainly out there for microloans, it's part of Kiva's job now to find it and attract those individuals and organizations. this is truly remarkable to me, and warmed by the success of Kiva, which really paved great ground for other lending and investment options targeting social change.

you can follow the above link to Kiva's site to make a donation of your own!

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

China...leading the U.S. in envionmnentalism?


that's phrase you don't think of often, however, with China's recent ban of plastic shopping bags, the country moves ahead of the U.S. as a whole, and joins progressive American cities such as San Francisco and soon NYC.

i converted to reusable bags a number of months ago and have found that the biggest barrier to use is remembering to throw them back in my car trunk after emptying my groceries. i really never plan to go to the grocery store...it's an "I'm near HyVee" kind of thing, so it's good to have them on hand when I decide to fill my fridge.

you can buy reusable bags at most grocery stores, and many mainstream retailers. also, head to www.reusablebags.com for more information on the impact of plastic bags and eco-friendly bag options.

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Monday, January 14, 2008

Green gadgets...a solution!

gotta love finding a solution to a previous blog post about totally not-green tech. here's the Greener Gadgets conference and competition. kudos.

check out the presenter list.

someone want to buy me a plan ticket?

early registration ends on the 15th!

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Sunday, January 13, 2008

a little green inspiration

for those literal folks out there, who need some numbers, facts, to back up the greening of their worlds, Epic Magazine, which I just found today, has a nice little fact farm.

1. If you replace just 10 100-watt light bulbs with CFLs, you will eliminate as much C02 as an SUV generates in a year.

2. For every 10 people who walk instead of drive a one-mile trip every week, we can reduce 500 pounds of emissions every year.

3. For every 10,000 people who print the majority of their documents in "draft mode" printer setting, we could reduce the number of discarded ink cartridges by 20,000 annually.

4. For every 10,000 people who use only recycled copier paper, we can save 12,000 trees.

5. On an annual basis, American use enough plastic wrap to completely cover the state of Texas. Switch to recyclable, recycled aluminum foil for a safer, eco-friendlier food wrapper.

6. For every 10,000 people who change their 1980s-style toilets to more
modern, low-flow ones, we could save 100 million gallons of water annually.

7. For every 10,000 people with one-quarter acre yards who change to non-toxic weed killers, we can prevent an additional 5,000 pounds of harmful herbicides from becoming part of our environment.

8. For every 10,000 people who stop leaving the hose on while washing their
cars, we can save up to 1.3 million gallons of water.

9. Every year in North America, people use enough disposable wipes to fill
up 9,000 tractor-trailers. You can help reduce this quantity by choosing
reusable wipes.

10. For every 10,000 people who empty their lint filters after every load,
we could save the energy equivalent of 670,000 load cycles.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

green technology


continuing on the threads of consumption and waste, PSFK's Piers Fawkes posted an inspiring and frank opinion on the Consumer Electronics Show's lack of true green hues. granted, CES is promoting and featuring products that are in no way green and in every way replaceable and wasteful. it's the electronics industry. some companies like Apple have gone greener after much pressure, but most companies and consumers have no idea how to stop the toxic consumption and more importantly, what to do with their products after they go kaput or are shelved for a newer product or advancement.

Fawkes makes a number of great points, the most relevent in my opinion is that greening the electronics industry is a cultural change. it's going to take a shift in development, production and usability before electronics will be green. i also think it's going to take consumers rising up and being a bit more realistic in their expectations of gadgets. sure, the new iPod Touch is hot and yes i want one and could muster the funds to buy it, but my iPod Classic has been wonderfully reliable and i don't need to replace it.

i believe the answer lies within design. a word and theory and even more powerful practice that i believe will define the moving forward of sustainable consumption and greener retail. how can we design products to live through new software versions? how can we produce less toxic gadgets while still ensuring function, durability and sexiness? how can we integrate recycling and waste reduction into the lifespan of these products?

on a brighter note, the EPA and a number of cell phone manufacturers and wireless providers have launched a new cell phone recycling program. more at npr.

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Monday, January 7, 2008

Stuff

had an inspiring and busy weekend, enjoying the unseasonable weather in Kansas City by getting in some quality think time on mountain bike trail, in the dog park (my dog officially likes people more than his canine peers) and coffee shop porch. thought a lot about consumption and recycling and how Interwoven Threads is contributing - although positively as possible - to a consumption-based lifestyle. even more about Interwoven Threads can further its environmentally-conscious message. a buying moratorium is not in order, but being smarter and more discriminating about what you use, as it relates to what you waste, is good for everyone.

i get especially thoughtful about my own waste on Mondays, as it's trash day. so to mark trash day, here are a couple thought-provoking pieces all about stuff.

Katherine Hubbard's Private Life of Trash from Good Magazine.
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Interwoven Threads on Fox 4's Morning Show

I had a great time discussing Interwoven Threads with the morning crew from Fox 4 yesterday. big thanks to them for helping me kick 2008 off with a bang. click here for the video...i'm nowhere near as photogenic as the models, who gave their time to show the goods - thanks Hilary and Shaun.

2007 ended frenetically, with a barrage of online sales right up to the wire and deliveries made to the folks who might have saved their shopping till the last minute. i can't believe the amount of T-shirts that went out the door in December, and moreover, the shirts that will be donated to reStart at the end of the month!

a sincere thank you to all who have supported Interwoven Threads this year. i'm humbled by the response and excited for the ride to come. stay tuned for new styles and new opportunities to do better with your purchase power.

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008

A lesson in green business: New Belgium Brewery


just posted a lengthy report from my tour of New Belgium Brewery over at my other blog, WoolardSpeak. check it out.

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