More Hip Than Hippie #221 - Green Summer

Summertime is the season for fun. Whether you hit the road or hang out at home, you can leave a lighter footprint.

Here comes the heat! There are plenty of eco-friendly ways to celebrate the sunny season. The Hipsters looks at ways to work with the sun, not against it. Listen for tips about summer food, drinks, clothing and fun! Also, Val blogs about her latest social faux pas while Dori defends Green Day.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Another cool label for Val's collection! Coney Island Lager from Shmaltz Brewing Co. boasts 8 malts, 6 hops and an intriguing amber hue. Delightfully hefty, as lagers go.

Chocolate: Even Dagoba falls a little short sometimes. Their New Moon 74% Rich Dark Chocolate got a big "meh" from Val, while Dori is unable to taste anything but nasal fluids.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Why pay $3-$4 a box for sugary popsicles this summer? Cool down your body and your wallet with the Frozen Ice Pop Maker. Add chunks of fresh fruit to healthy juice and freeze a little fun!
• Lettuce begin. No space for a garden? With a few seeds and a little water, you can grow your salad greens in a reusable tote. We like produce that bags itself.
• Pandasonic. A compostable bamboo cell phone? Will it grow new cell phones?

 

Hip News

• Green house effect. President Obama's plans to renovate public housing will create green jobs in those communities.
• Letter rip! Our friends at Green America want you to send this letter to Exxon, asking them to please spend more of their record profits on renewable energy and less on greenwashing.
• Know Your Enemy. That's the new song by Green Day. Wal-Mart believes you shouldn't hear it, so they won't sell it.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

As the bounty of summer fills the stalls of your farmer's market, make it a point to try something new. Choose something that looks interesting and ask the vendor how to prepare it. If it's fresh, local and seasonal, it can't be all bad, right?

Green Summer

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is in the headlights. You already know the basic moves to save water and energy. Now, with a little help from Planet Green, the Hipsters take you to the next level with ideas for a cool green summer to remember!

• Grill. Cook outside to save energy, using propane or natural briquettes. Serve those summer meals on compostable dishes. Clean the grill with an eco-friendly cleanser like Bon Ami.
• Skill. Learn how to prepare raw foods. Work them into your diet for maximum nutrition with minimal electricity. Eat smaller meals several times a day.
• Chill. Wear lightweight cotton or linen fabric like seersucker or madras. Splash water on your pulse points. Munch on spicy foods containing capsaicin; your body will sweat to cool itself, without raising your core temperature.
• Kill bacteria and mold in wet laundry with the natural bleaching power of the sun. Good ol' Sol can also charge your gadgets and brew up delicious tea.
• Fill your free time with green volunteer opportunities. Plan day trips to local attractions and events, but don't overbook yourself! Leave time to relax with family and friends.

Listener E-mails

• Carolyn in Melbourne, Australia wants to know why we think the Canadian seal hunt is cruel. Good question! The HSUS has the answer.
• Alisha in Virginia found a study calling reuseable bags a public safety hazard. (Sponsor: Plastics industry!) She also has a new "bamboo management program"...Freecycle.
• Trystan at Yahoo! Green shares new uses for plastic bottles, reveals how fresh air is killing us and wonders if she should compost despite having no plants. We say yes, if only to further horrify your neighbors!

Be a part of our show! Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog! And remember to post articles, links and BBQ recipes at our MHTH forum!

Send Val at least 25 beer caps or labels for her patio project, and get a free MHTH bottle opener! Mail them to More Hip Val, 275 Fairchild Ave. #107, Chico, CA 95973. No Sierra Nevada please!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Graduation or everyday!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow us on Twitter: GrnDiva, MoreHipDori and JRich9 at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes and Learn Out Loud.

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.

More Hip Than Hippie #146 - Greenie Meets Weenie

Global warming is a hoax? Sure, and I'm the Queen of England. Dori and Val discuss dealing with skeptics.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Blackberry Blonde by Etna Brewing Co.

Chocolate: Climate Change Chocolate by Bloomsberry & Company. It's 55% dark chocolate and for every bar purchased, TerraPass will purchase 133 lbs of verified carbon offsets. Go ahead, have your chocolate and eat it too!

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Green travels. Next time you're looking to book an eco-conscious vacation, check out the Green Travel Hub at RezHub.com. Hotels are given green scores of 1-5 branches based on how eco-friendly they are.
• Take a good long soak. Snorkel.com offers customers red-cedar spas heated by an underwater stove, so you take a long, hot bath without with using all the energy.
• For your viewing pleasure. Check out EarthDayTV.net.
• We'll drink to that! If you live in the Northeast US, next year you'll want to do your taxes with Tavern Tax. For 10 weeks each year before the tax deadline, you can make appointment at your local tavern to have your taxes done by a certified CPA. You can have a beer while they take care of your taxes.
• Permaculture Magazine. Win one of 100 free one year online subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine by recommend a community/project who you think they should support.
• Shout outs! Thanks to the YoGeek Workout Blog and ecochick shopping blog for mentioning More Hip Than Hippie and Greenfeet.com.

Hip News:

• Go big or go home! The Palazzo Las Vegas has been named the largest green building in the world and given a Silver LEED Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
• Ski green. The Mt. Bachelor ski resort will start purchasing 100% of its power from renewable energy sources beginning in June of this year.

 

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

This week's Teenie Weenie Greenie™ is to start a dialogue with 5 people about Earth Day. Talk about what Earth Day means to them and share what you're doing to make the planet a better place.

When Greenie Meets Weenie

Dori and Val talk about dealing with skeptics. Check out the links below for information and tools for talking with skeptics.

• The We Campaign from Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection
• Climate Change: a skeptic's guide from the ThinkingShift blog
• Answers to Global Warming Skeptics
• How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic from Grist.org
• Global Warming Myths and Facts
• Climate Myths

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

• Let is all hang out. Dot wanted everyone to know that April 19th is National Hanging Out Day, a day to encourage people to line dry their clothes.
• Cool down. Brandi wanted to recommend the Futuregirl blog that has some great tips for keeping your house cool when you live on the high level floors of a building.
• Yahoo! for Earth Day. Trystan wanted to spread the word about Yahoo!'s Earth Day Campaign. They have partnered with FreeCycle and are encouraging people to check out the FreeCycle by hiding Earth-friendly prizes in random reuse groups. Check it out and you could win a Smart Car, organic food delivery, and other green products.
• A Message from the Earth. Colin and Carrick have made another amazing video entitled "Message from the Earth'. It's a wonderful video with an important message.
• Diaper duty. Liz wanted to let all the new parents out there know about Fleurville.com, which makes awesome diaper bags that are PVC free.
• Green product reviews. Christina wants everyone to check out the beta for Huddler.com, a website with green product reviews.
• A new web series from Sundance Channel. Lindsey wanted everyone to know about an upcoming original web series, The Good Fight.
• Plastic bottles bad for boobies! Brian sent an article about how BPA from plastic bottles has been linked to breast cancer.

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1530.554.2605. Don't have Skype? Get it - it's free!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com

More Hip Than Hippie #101 - A Chat With Bruce Littlefield

Bruce Littlefield, author of Garage Sale America, calls in for a chat.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Eye of the Hawk Select Ale from Mendocino Brewing Company

Chocolate: Trader Joe's Figments, black mission figs in rich dark chocolate. You can't buy it online, but you can find a Trader Joe's near you.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Madame Tussauds goes green. Madame Tussauds unveiled their first eco-friendly wax figure on May 23, 2007. The figure is of Prince Charles to reflect his efforts to combat climate change. Workers used recycled wax from a 1989 figure of the Prince of Wales, 82 pounds of organic beeswax, and 55 pounds of clay and fiberglass to sculpt the Prince's likeness.
• Green feet. Looking for an eco-friendly pair of shoes? Check out Sneaker Peek from NOW magazine online for some recommendations. Val recommends the green toe line from Simple shoes.

News:

• Global warming: it burns! Since 1987, forest fires in the Western U.S. have occurred more frequently, covered more area, and burned longer. Researchers believe that rising temperatures due to global warming could be responsible for the increase in forest fires.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

This one comes from listener Tom. Instead of throwing away household items you don't want or don't use anymore, post them on an Internet list like FreeCycle.org or Craigslist.com. If someone sees your listing, they contact you to set up a time to come pick up the item from you.

A Chat With Bruce Littlefield

Bruce Littlefield, author of Garage Sale America, calls in for a chat about the eco-friendly art of garage sale shopping.

Listen in for Bruce's tips for finding treasures on your next garage sale outing. And don't forget to pick up your own copy of Bruce's book, Garage Sale America.

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

• Rain gear anyone? Paige is a camera operator and was wondering about eco-friendly companies that make rain gear. Val recommends Patagonia, which uses sustainable practices and resources in the production of their products.
• Carbon offset reviews. Smart Chick Sara wanted to let listeners know about a report by Clean Air - Cool Planet that reviews carbon offset programs.
• Save the chocolate! Stacy discovered Don't Mess With Our Chocolate, a web site forum about saving real chocolate. Apparently, members of the U.S. chocolate industry are supporting change in the basic formula of chocolate, by allowing the use of vegetable fat substitutes in place of cocoa butter.
• Super soy candles. Khristina wanted to spill a little secret. . . Soy Candles by Phebes are her favorite soy candles! They burn much cleaner than other candles and she's been hooked for years!
• News for knitters. Jennifer was excited when she saw that the latest issue of Knit.1 Magazine was a green issue. The issue went on sale May 15th.
• Controlling Poison Ivy in the yard. Don't let poison ivy get you or your garden down! Jenny recommends a formula to kill new poison ivy that uses ingredients you can find in your kitchen cupboard.

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1 530.554.2605. Don't have Skype? Get it - it's free!

More Hip than Hippie - A Tour of Dori's House
This week we take a look at Dori's house, visit with Rob (Val's hubby), and we select a winner from the Valentine's contest.

The winner's are Announced - You can see the winners of the contest here.

This week's finds

• From Natural Home and Garden's Magazine - Make the Most of your home. An article about organic McCoffee from Green Mountain Coffee - a small start, but a start none the less.
• 'Lost world' found in Indonesian jungle - find out more here.
• Exxon Profit Sets Record, Stirs Anger - Read article here.

The Chocolate: Rob chose it this week. Newmans Own - Sweet Dark Chocolate Orange

 

The Beer: Big Daddy IPA - from Speak Easy

A tour of Dori's House
- Check out the photos from the tour here.

Visit Earth911.org - This site helps you to know where to dispose of the stuff we usually throw away when we remodel. Or visit freecycle.org.

Man on a Mission - Podsafe song of the year (according to Rob) by Chance.

Listener Emails

• Amy - I work at Super Target and thought I would tell you that we also carry bamboo pillows I don't know for sure how much bamboo content there is but I thought I would mention it in case you didn't see them. Another thing I noticed at Target was that we have a new gift card that you can purchase that is made of corn starch. I thought this was a great alternative for the plastic gift cards that we sell. And I am going to definitely talk to my store manager about the organic flowers. I went to Organic Bouquet.com and those flowers were so beautiful.
• Liisa - Hey ladies! Thought this link was relevant to recent discussions on both whaling and dog food...
• Miranda and Howard - about Endangered Species Chocolate issues - Val has researched the issue oprmagazine.com. It's a lengthy answer, so listen to the podcast for the whole thing.
• BJK - Could we get another pet episode? I would like to see an episode on natural solutions for flea and tick control, ear mite issues, internal parasites, and grooming. (Also, are there any nasty tasting substances that do not harm cats? My younger cat is pulling fur out of my olderone)
  Also, here is my cyber Valentine's card: Picture a stack of recycled paper implanted with seeds that are ready to sprout the second you bury the paper. Punxsutawney Pa's Trailhead Gallery carries notecards and other recycled paper goodies made by a local artist....all ready for planting in your flower bed.
  (Yes, we listened to your podcast on the way to see Phil...next year we are getting married there)
• Doug - Reduce your dependency on oil - read more here.
• Karen - Diabetes from a Plastic? Estrogen mimic provokes insulin resistance. Read more here.
• Kalah - Found this website & book about "new materials that are transforming our physical environment" and wanted to share it with you both.
• Philippe - Secondly, Dori, you were totally right about the Belgian situation; I didn't expect any less of you ;) However, I am from the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. My French name came from my mother, who's French speaking...

 

Don't forget to vote for us at podcast alley, and review the podcast on itunes.

 

More Hip Than Hippie - Pets Part II - What comes out!
This week we taste an interesting chocolate, focus on what comes out of your pets (ick), and answer lots of listener emails.

The Chocolate - This chocolate has a little kick of chili and nibs. As suggested to us in a listener email - Xocolatl from Dagoba - Check it out.

The Beer - This one is from England - Young's winter warmer a dark seasonal ale from the Ram Brewery Wadsworth.

Val's Waxing: Val is going to try perisa leg wax. A natural product for hair removal - She will let us know how it goes.

Dori and Val are Proud to be a Californians:

• Approved California Solar Initiative - Learn more here.
• Legislature considers bill to ban chemical from kids' products Bisphenol A found in pacifiers, toys and baby bottles - Read the article here - and a guide to safer toys and home here.
• Industrial Hemp Farming Act - State Hemp Legislation Making Advances- Read More here.

Finds for the Week

• Martha Stewart Living Magazine - Suggests putting pebbles (that can match your decor in a baking dish and putting your boots on that so the moisture can be wisked away.
• Also from Martha Stewart Living - Paw Care- Winter walks are fun, but the rock salt used to melt snow can make a dog.s paws raw and chapped. To prevent a pet injury, fill a container with warm water before going outdoors, and briefly dunk each paw in the water when you return home. Keep a towel nearby for drying off.
• From Real Simple Magazine - Furnace Filter Replacement Reminder - Before this winterâ��s high energy bills have you heading out to the backyard to build a windmill, make sure youâ��re not adding to them by neglecting your furnaceâ��s filter. For maximum efficiency, it should be replaced at least every three months, but often this task is forgotten. Sign up at www.filtersontime.com and filters will be shipped to you automatically, right on schedule. (You can also have water filters and air-purifier filters sent regularly.) Thatâ��s one less task for the to-do list.
• Another from Real Simple Magazine - Keeping your garbage disposal fresh - To get rid of odors, make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the garbage disposal. Simply run cold water through the drain after grinding. You can also use lemon, which will leave your disposal smelling lemony-fresh.
• For the party-goer - Tabletopics.com - great icebreakers and questions to freshen the conversations at your next cocktail party or family gathering. Val adds a few Valentine's party ideas. Email us your great party ideas at hip@greenfeet.com

Your Pets - What comes out of your pet and how to deal with it
A city of 1,000,000 people would have an average dog population of 60-80,000. Each dog produces about a 1/4 of a pound of waste a day. That's 52,500 lbs of dog poop a day in just one city.

 

Pet waste can contain pathogens and bacteria that can be harmful to humans. Here are some of the illnesses that can be contracted by pet poop (any carnivore eating pet, that is) typically through ingesting contaminated water

• Parasitic worms such as round, tape and hook worms
• Cryptosporidium (val pronounced it right - yay!). It causes nasty intestinal unspeakables and fever
• Salmonella
• Giardia (beaver fever - don't get Dori started on this)

Chlorine doesn't kill all of these pathogens so water treatment plants are not the answer. We need to dispose of poop properly.
What to do?

• Control where your pet relieves him/herself.
• Use biodegradable/compostable pet poop bags such as BioBags.
• Till an area in your yard to make pooping in a specific area more attractive to Rover
• Flush pet waste down the toilet (good for cat poop, but can fill up septic faster)
• The best idea is to compost your pet waste. You need to create a condition where the temperature is high enough to kill pathogens - it's like setting up a mini doggie septic tank. Here are the tips that Val found on the internet on how to make your own pet composter.

Remember: NEVER use pet compost on edible garden or flower beds. It's best to use for trees and shrubs away from little hands.

 

Listener Emails

• Annie -
  1. Freecycle: thanks for turning me on to this - people have, and will take, ANYTHING (so TRY it!)
  2. Essential oils: I went out and bought tea tree and lavender oils. Tell me about the droppers, though. My oils have the droppers in the lid - and not the kind of dropper that you squeeze like eye drops. These seem kind of hard to control - do you recommend these kind and how do you know what the dropper is like if you can't open the bottle?
  3. Method products: have you learned anything about these? I have tried the dishwashing detergent and it seems to clean well but I want to know if they're good for the environment. Check out what Method has to say about their ingredients here
  4. When I pack my child's lunch, I have to use recloseable container so that the school can have him repack what he does not eat. I WAS using zip-top bags but found a fabric wrap at www.reusablebags.com that is a square of fabric with a safe plastic on the interior and a velcro close - it's called a Wrap-n-Mat. My son (4) can open and close it with no problem and it works great. Thanks for turning me on www.reusablebags.com - I also bought some reusable shopping bags and am working on remembering to Just Say No to plastic bags at the store!
  5. Tell me about baby wipes. I use a lot of them with my 21-month-old and wonder about them. Are they recyclable - how can you tell?
  6. On a recent podcast, you talked about getting rid of the plastic, especially in your kitchen. Bet you didn't know you are not only green, but in style. In the most recent catalogs I received from Williams Sonoma and Crate & Barrel, they are carrying glass refrigerator ware! And, you talked about environmentally friendly paints. I just opened Sundance catalog and they are carrying a line of paints that use only post-consumer paints - decorators turn in their overages and Sundance blends them into paints that then leave no environmental footprint. How cool! Don't know if they are low VOC however ...
  7. Sirius: Congratulations on their interest in you! My thoughts are that if the deal had been right and meets your primary criteria, do you really care about the theme song? If so, make it a deal point that you get approval on a new one. Bottom line, I think your real value is your approach and your brand - More Hip Than Hippie is an awesome brand and you girls just rock!
  8. Is wax paper recyclable? Afraid Not
  9. Idea: Ok, what if manufacturers had to include ideas on how to recycle/reuse their packaging as part of the packaging?
  10. Idea: Plastic bags: Why not take your extra bags to your local library or thrift store so they can reuse them (until you run out because you're using reusable bags!)
• Dennis - Hi Dori, Hi Val,
  Thanks for reading my email on your show! You are more than welcome to add my blog link to your site (meadowdance.blogspot.com)- it shows the progress of my next book.
  Your suggestions are perfect. I've actually had dinner with Doug Wood, the author of Old Turtle. He's a great guy.
  I look forward to next week's show as I have a 100 lbs. Golden Retriever that leaves all sort of recycled dog food all over the yard. I've always struggled with the best way to deal with it.
  Dennis
• Shayna - Because of your ladies wonderful show, I've started trying to find ways I can make a difference. I've told my family I will not buy disposable plastic silverware, cups and plates anymore. I've started recycling all our newspapers and plastic bottles and hope to start saving the cans soon.
  I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond today and found these GREAT reusable "shopping bags". They had a bunch of colors, they are probably 2' x 2' and zip closed across the top. The best part, is they fold up nicely and snap shut and have great handles. I bought 3. Thanks for the great show and all the good ideas!
• Diana - Dori and Val, I have been listening to the show for quite a while now and it just gets better and better. I've been influenced by you to change a few things: I no longer use perfume or air sprays.. Instead I now use essential oils-I've found my favorite so far to be sandalwood. In the new year, I vow to find green household cleansers so the episode where you touched on that topic I found to be very helpful. And one more thing. I know that you didn't want to get too technical or scientific about essential oils, but, I was given an essential oil body spray. I wonder if there would be any red flags as far as ingredients that would make this false? Keep up the good work! I'll keep listening!
• Rowena and Gerry - Hey there, Dori and Val. Happy new year to you both!
  My husband and I really think your show's a great thing! ... just wanted to let you know that we think you're doing an excellent job of "planting seeds" for a greener world.
  We're gradually making the switch away from plastics and teflon to glass, stainless steel, wood, etc.
  I was wondering if you have any suggestions for healthier alternatives to foam when it comes to stuffing pillows? I thought I heard one of your guests who specializes in green construction of buildings mention in one of your summer or fall shows that foam is something you want to get away from when creating a healthy indoor environment. We're looking to stuff 2 beautifully handcrafted (in Bangladesh) floor pillows that are 32 inches square. Look forward to hearing any green suggestions you've got!
• Bob - I was listening to your ideas about reducing the amount of junk mail you get. I like your idea of using a different middle initial, but if you want some more fun, give yourself a different title each time. It's so much fun to open a piece of mail addressed to Dr. Val or Dori, PhD. Plus you can get really creative with your different titles.
• Tom - Hello Dori and Val, and a very Happy New Year and belated Merry Christmas!
  I've been on holiday in the UK, visiting my family, for the past three weeks so was excited to come back to several podcasts from you waiting for me!
  I was just listening to your latest podcast and heard you mention some great schemes done by Co-op America, I wanted to mention that in the UK the Co-op supermarket chain has made all of their own brands fairtrade. I just thought you'd like to mention that, for anyone who doesn't know it.
  Also in Japan (where I teach English) there is a green Co-op system which supports local farmers. You can get a catalogue of locally produced produts and, where I live at least, you place an order and on Wednesday they bring you your fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy products, all produced locally.
  Also I noticed that if you download the podcast on to an ipod (there are other mp3 players available mind) and press the centre button whilst it's playing, after you go past the skip function and the rating function you come to the show notes. The full show notes too! So Jill's work is not in vain, you can read them on the go and thus there is no excuse not to now!!
• Chris - Hello ladies, my name is chris and im new to your pod cast... but I love it and it is by far my favorite of all ive heard... I just wanted to know more about you guys and how long you have been "hippies", im about 17 and im the only hippie in the whole school... so i just wanted to talk to someone who knows what they are talkin about... I'll stay in touch
• Aster - Hi Dori and Val, what a great New Year show! I have a podcast too (i'm from the Netherlands, that's the 'horrible English excuse'), and my latest podcast, was about truffles, organic slave-free chocolate, and Vivani chocolat! Isn't it great? Its called chunks 'n bits, and it's in international>dutch (itunes), but it's dutch, so i wouldn't know how that could be to any use. Well, i'm defenitly naming you in the next show! By the way, my dad owns an organic-food shop, that's why I know quite a lot about that stuff actually (the reason to make my podcast). I still wanted to tell you something about the 'Beauty to die for' show. Check out 'urtekram'. I don't know if it's available in the US, but I love their shampoo and deo (it just works :) ). Love your show!
• Theresa - I really like that you guys suggest fairtrade/organic coffee, but the next time you talk coffee, please urge folks to practice green coffee making at home in one more way - use a reusable filter. They are thin metal mesh and the coffeemaker companies sell them for $20 or $30 dollars. Dump the grounds in your compost pile or garden and there you go - no wasted filters!Keep up the great work!! - Try hemp filters
• Joe - I did better that vote for you at podcast alley (which I have done for last few months).... (drum roll....)
  More Hip than Hippie has won the Best Environmental Podcast for 2005 on moraca.org !!!! I know it is exciting .... anyway I know at least one or two of my friends here in Sarasota have started listening and several hundred people have seen the posting... Keep up the great work...

Val's Pet Picks
Check these items out at greenfeet.com - Y.U.M. (Your Ugly Mutt) - a line created to clear out the doggie odor. Vitae - Spotted Dog line. Ceramic dog bowls. Organic catnip toys.

Stick a Fork in It! This week the remodel on Dori's house begins, Val attends a "Green Wedding", and we are "joined" on the patio by David Zutler from Biota Spring Water. We finish up our green building topic by focusing on indoor air pollution and cutting your energy costs through your green building choices.

Places to Purge Your Belongings

• Freecycle.org
• Throwplace.com

 

In the News

• The Most Fuel Efficient Cars of 2006
• NicoShot - Beer with Nicotine

 

The Interview - David Zutler - Biota Spring Water
David "joins" us on the patio via the phone, and fills us in on why Biota (Blame it on the Altitude) Colorado Spring Water is different from the other bottled waters on the market. Here's a hint: It has a lot to do with the compostable, biodegradable PLA plastic bottle. Visit their website, biotaspringwater.com to see the demonstration of how this bottle decomposes in 80 days under the right conditions.

The Beer of the Week
As promised, in honor of Halloween, we are trying a Pumpkin Ale from Buffalo Bills Brewery in Hayward, CA.

Green Building - Part 4
Indoor Air Pollution - Watch out for indoor air pollutants

• Carpeting and Wood laminates
• Joint Compounds
• Paint
• Cleaners
• Air Fresheners
• Mildews and Molds
• Wallpaper (Vinyl)
• Blinds and Window Coverings
• Press Board or Particle Board
• Plastics
• Salt Treated Lumber
• Bedding and Mattresses
• Radon
• Damaged Chimney Flues
• Malfunctioning Appliances

How Can You Tell if You Have a Problem?

• Unusual odors in your home.
• Stuffy
• Poor Venelation
• Lack of Air Movement
• Faulty Equipment
• Headaches or Nausea that dissipate when you leave, and return when you come home.
• Excessive Humidity
• Visible Mold

Improve Your Air Quality

• Open Your Windows
• House Plants
• Natural Cleaners
• Get a Bagless Vacuum with Hepa Filter
• Choose Healthy Natural Candles
• Choose Flooring other than Carpet (Check out Debra Lynn Dadd's Book Home Safe Home for more information).
• Choose Less Toxic Paint (Safecoat, Benjamin Moore, Bioshield)
• Avoid Pest Control Treatments

 

Ways To Cut Your Energy Bill

• Reduce the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees.
• Install an insulating blanket around your water heater
• Use Energy Saving Settings on appliances
• Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Replace filters in heaters and air conditioners
• Caulk windows or use film covers for insulation
• Seal up air leaks
• Install Clock Thermostat
• Water Saving Showerheads
• Use the Kill A Watt to check your appliances.

   

Chocolate of the Day: Dagobachocolate.com

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Recycling is this week's topic of conversation. We cover the basics and discuss the importance of shifting our attitude towards reducing our consumerism as well as how buying recycled closes the loop and actually increases the demand for recyclables. Val's recovering from a nasty bug and Dori's got another crime caper. Enjoy the show!

Ideas? Feedback? Email us!

Links:

Earth911.org: Probably the best place to start. They have tons of information about recycling and a fairly comprehensive directory of recycling locations. The resources listed are for the U.S. and Canada.

Grass Roots Recycling Network: A great source for general information on recycling and recycling activism.

RecycleForLondon.com: Here's a UK recycling resource. If you know of a good resource in your location, shoot us an email.

Re-use! The following links provide exchange services where you can get rid of what you don't need and find something that your looking for - all for free.

• FreeCycle.org
• ThrowPlace.com
• ABC Free.com

 

Shout Outs:

• FairHemp.com: Check out listener Alex's company's web site.
• The Run-Off Groove: Listener John Book writes a weekly music column for Music For America. Check it out.

 

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