I'm Back.... (Soon)

Hey all!
I just wanted to let you guys know that sometime soon, I'll be posting again!
Summer is here and with it, vacation! As soon as I get a few other things sorted out, I'm going to be posting here again!

Posting Delay

Hey there!

Sorry about the delay in posting... again.

It's just that real life has been very very busy the last few weeks, but in a good way.

My semester is winding to a close, and it looks like I'm going to have passable grades this time around, which makes me happy...

I've been working more hours at my job, which is nice because it means more money in my pocket...

Plus I've got family things going on, what with the holiday coming up and all... But I love my family, and they don't make me too crazy...

You're probably wondering what my point is, right?

My point is this:

I'm taking a short break from the blog. I'll be back at the end of the month. By that time the holiday will be over, my semester will be over, and my work schedule should be back to normal.

I love this blog and I don't plan on stopping it, I just may need to take breaks every once in a while to deal with real life!

In the mean time, feel free to contact me, either by posting comments, or by e-mailing me @ bethechange@rock.com

Stay Green!

Upcycling Pictures!

Check out these awesome products for sale at IvyLaneDesigns Etsy shop:

Here's one for those of you who have a sweet tooth (or just have a thing for Girl Scout cookies!)

Here's a cool tote bag made from an old t-shirt!

Another cool notebook, this one made from an old album cover:

And here's a link to one of my favorite products for sale, check it out :

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13530147

Enjoy! See ya next time! Stay Green

All About Upcycling!

Hey there loyal readers! (all 2 of you) I’m back with a brand spanking new post all about upcycling!

What is upcycling you ask? That is a very good question!

Wikipedia defines upcycling as: a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products. It is generally a reinvestment in the environment. "Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value."[citation needed] This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials.

Cool!

Wait… what does that mean?

Okay, basically what upcycling is, is taking something that you are no longer using, like an empty box or an old t-shirt, and making something new out of it!

What’s the difference between recycling and upcycling? Recycling generally involves breaking something down into its basic parts and building it back up again. Like what happens to the plastic pop bottles you drop off at the grocery store. Upcycling however, usually involves taking a used product much as it is and making something new out of it.

For some really awesome examples of what upcycling is, check out IvyLaneDesign’s Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5114099), where you can browse and buy tons of completely awesome upcycled products!

Okay people, that’s all for today, check back here in about a week (this time I’m actually going to update) to see some more cool posts all about more cool Green things!

By the way, Wikipedia also tells me that The term upcycling was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

Stay Green

North American International Auto Show pt. 2

Okay, this is the part 2 to my 2 part post about the North American International Auto Show!

The main reason I broke it into 2 parts is that it was getting way too long, and I wanted Toyota to get their own post. (I want them to feel special!)

But truth be told, not only did Toyota have some truely awesome cars at the show, the display itself was really really cool!

Going along with Toyota's theme about environmental responsibility, their display was made out of recycled or sustainable materials!

I found this really cool picture on the Auto Show's homepage, and I added some numbers so you can know which things I'm referring to.

• First off is number 1. The flooring of the display is not actually wood, but bamboo, which grows 'much' faster and is much more sustainable.
• Number 2, the glass floor tiles were all made of reused or recycled glass!
• And finally, one of my favorite things, number 3, Toyota was the 'only' company at the Show giving out reusable bags. The other companies had plastic bags with their logo on them, to be used for carrying souvineers and pamphlets and such. But Toyota gave out reusable red bags with 'green' ideas and suggestions printed on them!

Okay, well this wouldn't be a post about the 'Auto' Show unless I said at least something about cars! So here's a few cool pics I took of Toyota's electric car. I'm not sure when it's going to be on the market, or how much it will cost, but it's got flowers on it, so I want one!

Alright folks, that's it for now! Sorry this post was a little late, but I had a few other things I needed to take care of first...

Anyway, I'm comming up with so many cool things that I want to share with you guys, that I'm thinking I might be updating the blog twice a week in the near future.

For example, I would have my usual long-ish post on Tuesday, but now there would be another quick (read shorter) post on Fridays as well!

It's an idea I've been working on, so let me know what you guys think!

I'll see you all next time, Stay Green!

'Green' Searching

Hey there loyal readers! Just a quick post in between my rave reviews of the Auto Show!

I thought I'd write a little bit about something I've been using a lot lately. I'm talking about 'green' search engines.

You might have already heard of Blackle.com (sometimes referred to as 'black google'), or a newer one called ecoGNight. But if you haven't, I'd like to tell you a little bit about them!

The basic principle of a green search engine is that it features a black background on the site instead of a white one. The assumption being that a darker background will take less energy for your monitor to display.

It's important to remember though, that different search engines can have different problems. These are a few that I've noticed:

- ecoGNight isn't that great about spelling errors. You know, that 'did you mean?' thing. Not a huge deal, but not exactly convenient for those of us who use our search engines as a spell check!

- Blackle, another popular 'green' search engine, is great except it doesn't provide you with a list of search suggestions (like the drop down list that Google provides), and it also does not have an image search, which is a bummer.

I personally use ecoGNight, but there are a lot of different green search engines out there. My experience is with ecoGNight & Blackle, but I did find this cool list with links to a ton of different 'green' search engines:

http://webecoist.com/2008/08/20/list-of-green-and-eco-friendly-search-engines/

If you guys wanna try any of them I'd love to hear what you think! I'm on FaceBook, and I can also be reached at my e-mail: bethechange@rock.com

I think that's all for now. Stay tuned for the rest of my post about the Auto Show, coming at you next week! See you guys later!

Oh! And before I forget, some screen captures of the two search engines I mentioned, ecoGNight and Blackle, in that order:


Go Black to Go Green!

North American International Auto Show, pt. 1

Guess who got to go to the Auto Show in Detroit this year! I’ll give you a hint, it was me!
I had a blast at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, and I just wanted to share a few cool things that I saw there!

First of all I should say that it was a lot of fun getting to meet the 1964 Volkswagon Beetle. Yes, the one from the commercials. And yes, he really talks! (I’ve never met a celebrity quite like him before!)

Anyway, I think my favorite part was getting to see all the new fuel-efficient cars! The new hybrids and the new all electric models!

I got to see the Tesla Roadster! The only all electric car currently on the market! Check out their site over at

http://www.teslamotors.com/ And check out the cool pictures I got :



Next up was a new car by a company called BYD Auto (formerly a Chinese company that made batteries, and now apparently makes cars!). I got to see their new e6 model, that’s pure electricity! It’s an awesome looking car! You can take a look at their website at http://www.byd.com/ and take a look at a picture of most of the electric car: (Yes, it says you can plug it into any household outlet…. For when you decide to park your car in the kitchen or bathroom? Made me laugh…)

And even Dodge is getting onto the electric bandwagon, check out a picture of a new all-electric concept car they were showing off! I like it, it’s orange:

Okay, I think that’s enough for a quick note! I’ve got more to tell you, so stick around and pretty soon I’ll have my next Auto Show ’09 post up! I can’t wait to tell you my absolute favorite part of the show! Stick around, and I’ll see you next time!

Old CDs = Disco Ball?

Okay. Originally, my post for today was going to be about how to properly recycle old used light bulbs. But while researching that, I came across something that was just too cool not to share!

There is a way to turn your old scratched or unwanted CDs into your very own disco ball!
No way, you say?
Yes way!

I found all the instructions you'll need right over at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Disco-Ball-with-CDs

WikiHow is almost (read exactly) as cool as Wikipedia. It's got lots of cool How-To articles on Reducing Reusing and Recycling, so you should check it out!

But if you want to make your own disco ball, all you need is a pile of unwanted CDs, and really, who doesn't have a pile of those sitting around some where? I think I've got a few old Brittany Spears and Spice Girls CDs that I wouldn't be too upset to part with... Yikes!

Anyway, the process is fairly simple. It mostly involves cutting the CDs into little squares, and then hot-gluing them onto a Styrofoam ball... I'm normally not a fan of Styrofoam (see my post about Biodegradation), but if it's for a disco ball I'll let it slide...

So, I'm going to get started on this project as soon as I finish with my Plastic Bag Bag (yes, I'm still working on that).
If any of you guys make one, I'd love to hear about it! Send me pictures and I'll post them here!

So for now, happy crafting, happy recycling, and I'll see you next time!

Long live Disco! (or at least, Disco Balls!)


P.S. Congratulations to President Obama! May your impact on our country be huge, and your ecological footprint small. :)

10 Reasons to love Reusable Bags!

Hello out there! I’m still here!
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I’ve been swamped with work. Which is too bad, because I’ve been wanting to do this post for some time now.
I know that a lot of you readers out there probably already use reusable bags in places like grocery stores and drug stores. But in case you don’t, I thought I’d post some of the reasons that I love reusable bags!

10. They look a lot nicer than those dinky plastic ones, or even the paper ones for that matter. They come in lots of different colors and styles.
9. If you have a heavy load (I’m thinking milk or 2L bottles of soda) the straps don’t cut into your hands the way the plastic ones do.
8. This goes along with the last one, if you have a heavy load, the bag is a lot less likely to split open and send your groceries flying (happened to a friend of mine on the bus ride home).
7. Certain types of reusable bags are machine washable, so they don’t need to be thrown out if something spills all over them (I swear, the milk leaks every time I buy it!).
6. Not only are they resistant to heavy loads, but they can take wear and tear well over time, so they should last you a lot longer than the plastic or paper ones.
5. It’s easy to remember which bags are yours, especially if you use public transit a lot (and if you do, way to go!).
4. Some of the reusable bags are nice enough to take anywhere. My mom’s got a pink one with paisleys, and she uses it as a purse!
3. Unlike reusing plastic bags, stores don’t tend to get upset (or want to check your bags) if you use bags from competing stores. (Like brining a Hiller’s plastic bag to Krogers) They don’t care as much if they’re the cloth kind.
2. Some stores will actually give you savings on your total purchase for using the cloth bags! (I know Krogers and Hiller’s will give you 5 cents off for each bag you bring in!).
1. And the number one reason I love reusable bags: They’re environmentally responsible! They’re good for more than just groceries and can be used over and over again, what more could you want?

Okay, I hope this has got you thinking about reusable bags, and maybe even seeing them in a new light?

Anyway, if you’re not sure where to get reusable bags, your local grocery store is a good place to start. Most of the plain basic ones sell for about 99 cents, but you can certainly get nicer and bigger ones if you want!
And, a picture "borrowed" from: http://eco-friendly-bags.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-reusable-grocery-tote-bag-5-pack.html