Consumer bare responsibility too.

Yesterday I wrote about corporations responsibility. Every buyer is responsible too.
Before buying in the materialistic world of spend, spend, spend, think before you buy. Just a few questions to ask yourself.

Do I really need this item?
Where will this be in five years, replace or recycle or both?
If I save this money today and put off the spend, will I be hurt?
What benefit do I derive from this purchase?
Will it make my life better?
Is this for shear convenience or pleasure?
Who does benefit from this purchase?

Price is not the issue here. Questioning what one person in a seminar I attended this spring said we are suffering from stuffication. Yes, I would say so. The example Mike used was the number 1 hotest sale 2008? Self Storage, need I say more.
There are those without food, do we really need to waste more because we have more?

Please Engage the Brain

Talking with one of my nieces today, she has a young friend with a 6 year old son, his mommy is dying of pancreatic cancer. It was her turn today to take the child into her home so the young wife and mother could have time with her husband. This is the stuff that brings tears to my eyes and heart...our discussion continued, we both think the increase in this horrible disease is environmental. Believe what you want, we need help from corporate greed, pollution in all forms, as well as social responibility. STOP, ENOUGH already. We need corporate AMERICA to stop killing the human race, sea and animal life. Killing our forest. Killing wildlife. We need to stop the greed, human and corporate. Stop hiding behind the money thrown at non-proifts and PR. Start throwing the money to non-profit and do the research on the non-profit and throw money at research to STOP pollution, especially your own.

Today, quick run for milk. Cows belch and flatulation more CO2 then any other industry, yep, this farm girl loves her milk, 59 years later, still love milk. Want cows, yep. Chick filet will love this...eat more chiken! Stop pollution, come on science, work harder, I'll contribute!

Analog TV's

This morning, garbage day, I saw an old TV on the curb. Unfortunately, by the time I finished my 2 plus mile walk I forgot to drive by and pick it up. TV's and electronic equipment have 7 deadly chemicals. Don't be forgetful like me, educate those around you by sharing about recycling. I'm usually pretty good about this, picking up plastic bottles, soda cans, plastic anything really. Even brought home a bamboo tree for hubby to cut and use as exercise material. He has a personal training friend that uses paper plates!! These guys are remarkable with coming up with ways to help clients achieve success. We can all do the same with educating
others and helping the earth.

Empty Cars with Motors Running

Those poo-pooing the CO2 crisis are wrong. Yes, it is summer and yes, we all sweat, especially when we're dressed in business clothes. Again today at a grocery store someone had the SUV engine running with the AC on while inside the store. That is not a very intelligent choice for wasting gas, creating unnecessary CO2 or social responsibility. I am not fond of sweating either whether between meetings or errands. It happens, it's summer, get used to it and stop making goofy decisions.

Technology, energy and GREEN (with a little HR)

Data Centers are using the same amount of energy as the airline industry. www.greengrid.com
has tools for computing information. Spend the time doing the research you will save you tons of money over the years or your company money. Getting onto the good list at work and oh yes they do exist, is easy, just do the research and save money for the big guy. If you are the big guy, assign the homework to an employee to do the research. Then do something nice for the researcher after the company figures out what to do and what to buy, specially doing the rip or replacement of techno.

Green News for Businesses

Going to www.thegreengrid.com will help companies compare technology equipment and energy consumption. Found this out from a webinar today with a technology manufacturer of servers and other electronic equipment. Any opportunity to cut down on a corporations energy bill, reduce consumption and save money is wise.

GREEN but just a note on bleach, soap,

Every time we wash food bath, wash clothes, wash linens, clean homes, clean the driveway, use a pressure cleaner we contaminate with soap, bleach, cleani

More Green Information about Home, Sweet Home.

Reading an article from www.TheGreenGuide.com a National Geographic publication regarding beds and linens my thoughts wondered to all the people I know with sleep issues.
A lack of sleep can drain our energy, cause slow thinking and slower reactions when driving, just to name a few. I'm not from the medical community but I know my own issues as well as hubby's issues when tired. This topic in the magazine focused on GREEN bedding and beds. A few places I want to be non-toxic as possible are the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the kitchen at a minimum as well as the entire house. To cut costs a few manufacturers (if any) are using ways to cut, paste, glue for making furniture. Finding out that some beds are made of metal, without glue and resins is a good option. Linens can be a source of chemical exposure meaning while we sleep we're breathing in volatile organic chemicals or VOC's. No, I do not want to throw out the sleigh bed but put a kentia palm, Janet Craig or Peace Lilly in the corner of the room. Just remember to protect the flooring by allowing space under the plant by placing the pot into a larger pot with a spacer for protection while allowing spill free watering.

Please see Stone Rings Blogspot for Energy Suggestions

Green for Life, Home, Business

Not everyone has the luxury of building a new building, new home, or having a GREEN environment via construction. Why not add plants, reduce carpet and fabric by using other types of material. Hardwood, isn't really hardwood anymore but look alike are beautiful. Tiled kitchensand stone counter tops can make clean up easy. Checking out any old building that has been restored as a volatile organic chemicals from the air for any environment, commercial or private home. Reducing consumption of paper products helps makes us green too. If you must have paper products consider ones that can be recycled or used for more then one task. We started using linen napkins and not buying paper towels in the fall 2008. Now I still have a bunch for entertaining such as drink or appetizer size, birthday party remains, etc., and the same for paper plates but do not miss the expense of constantly replacing those items. Being GREEN may take some creativity but it is a wise choice.

Green for Life, Home, Business

Hotels, plastic, paper, linens

Hubby had three days of training to attend in Atlanta this weekend. I needed some time away to catch up, be creative and be alone and went with him to work during the day. Accomplishing goals was wonderful, however, observing the waste that goes on the training and hospitality industries was appalling. Our hotel had a sign in the room advocating leaving the towels on the rack after using only once to save water. I agreed with the message and we did exactly that. But not only did I observe a half dozen other negative practices when environmental issues are at stake but the hotel where he was training was worse. Being a personal trainer, the industry needs to consider the amount of plastic used by endorsing bottled water and having training in a resort type hotel that makes bottle water accessible via vendors, via services, via vending machines. Why can we not come up with an intelligent way to re-use not just the towels to save water but to safely recycling a world of plastic. If you care about the earth just look at the garbage wash in the Pacific. Thanks training and hospitality industries for making it worse! Can we not design a reusable product that holds liquid without toxic chemicals for personal fitness and hospitality too especially for people that value their life, body and the ability to help both?

Green Issues with Health Consequences

Reading a earth related magazine back in March, I came across some notes I'd made based on the article. According to the author and where ever the research came from it has some interesting implications:

bright city lights reduce melatonin in the body
melatonin is a hormone secreted at night which helps the sleep cycle
unnecessary lighting waste 1.5 billion a year (did they mean dollars?)
unnecessary lighting emits 12 million tons of carbon dioxide

There were other interesting facts noted also. Need to do more research on these. Make sure the source was viable. Interesting thought process. Then who does the deciding about necessary lighting?

Engage the Brain before the Drain (on energy)

Yesterday I was listening to a webinar with regards to an organization in Canada. Their mission is to educate children (and adults) on smart environmental choices. I'm not sure what the source was for the statistics but I find these frighting:

A child born today by the age of 9 will see 1.3 million kilo's of forest disappear.
By age of 17 will see water and food scarcities.
By age of 35 will see 25% of current animal life be extinct.

These are not my statistics but can we please be smarter about the contamination of the earth, reduction of CO2, reducing wood demands, reducing water consumption, stop chemical proliferation just to name a few. If we do not get smarter we will kill mankind.

Green Driving?

Last evening driving to Atlanta for the first time in about ten years, it struck me that about a fourth of society even knows what Green/Environmental issues are about.
While on interstate 20 our average speed was about 72 to 75 mph other cars were passing us like we were sitting still. Once we hit Atlanta turning onto 285 north with signs clearly posted at 55 & 60 mph again cars were whizzing by us. One driver entered onto 285 and immediately went from the entrance ramp to the far left lane.
The problem is not just the reckless, thoughtless and oblivious to rules driving habits, there is no attempt to be aware, speed uses more fuel. Until drivers are penalized for careless driving and ignoring the law, we can not possibly save fuel.
A small car scares me beyond belief even with a fuel efficient vehicle, I want to go smaller. Can anyone imagine the impact of a semi tractor trailer with a SMART car or even a huge SUV? The state patrol and police have budgets cut and could not be every where. Where does social responsibility come into play, I know it is all very rhetorical.

Green Data? It is possible

Instead of buying servers, small companies can use virtual servers instead of using real estate space for storage and use. Saving on energy costs, equipment, maintenance, real estate, etc. Saving money is as simple as knowing who knows how.
Vendors do not tell you ways to save money other then what is preached from corporate, it's called brainwashed sales people.

Beautiful Earth

As I was contemplating about what to write today I was watching the running pictures at the top right of the Green Chatter Blog. Any one that appreciates the beauty of nature, the wonder of how it works together, must truly believe we can not continue with a course of abusing our natural resources, depleting the earth of oil and fores, while poluting the waters. Mankind seems to be in a dare with God. I'm not a scientist and I never studied geology, archelogy, or space exploration but you have to admit it is all very amazing. When I give Green Talks. I openly tell people this too. That does not mean I live with my head in the sand. As a child I watched and observed the way my parents respected the earth and it's creatures. Mother & Daddy were recycling long before recyle was a the word with household recognition. Respect for the earth is simple, respect for the air we breathe is difficult unless you have a disease that limits the air intake...think about that for awhile if you think insatible is sustainable because it is not. Think about the 31.2 billion water bottles made every year.

Good Grief!

When will we learn? Today, sadly, a friend was making fun of me assuming I was an Al Gore fan, a tree hugger, a liberal, an idiot and no I am not saying liberals are idiots. So many conservatives think liberals are ideological idiots.

Call me what you like, my skin is thick. The world has an issue. Ask a Duke Energy or Alabama Power, any power company in your area how much it costs to build another power grid, then tell me about liberals and idiots or conservatives and idiots, which ever way you want to go.

Just because I care about the earth, mankind, animals and not just the ones we call domestic. I care about nature, all of nature including all the different parts of nature, land, water, ocean, air, animals, people, cultures, creatures from all domains.

Please you educated conservatives, learn something about what you call global warming before you call me an idiot. Please this is not about my ego, it is about you breathing or maybe for grand children breathing, let alone eating! As someone recently quoted and paraphasing here, "its' difficult to care about finding new resources on a empty stomach".

Green Chatter and Stone Rings Blogger

For excellent green information for business see Stone Rings for quality info on IT resources.

National Geographics Friday June 5th

Watching last night and listening to the moderator, I wanted to cry, cry out about the damage of mankind on this earth. Everything we know and love is threatened. Fish, animals, birds, plants, whales, penguins, all coral reefs, water, air, everything is at risk including humans. Abuse of the earth can not continue. At one point early in the program the statement was made "No one can conquer the world on an empty stomach". Man's creativity at manufacturing petrochemicals and all products to make plants grow is killing the soil and therefore man.

Public Awareness for Corporations

Saving energy and saving on power bill is easy for some but not corporate America. The more demand the costlier. Awareness is so important. Recently learning some percentages related to information technology projects blew me away.

Percentages from a credible source: 30% of project fail
50% cost twice as budgeted
68% no comparisons are done
74% are not tracked
80% are not qualified

The truth about one segment of business is costing corporations billions every year. Shareholders should be outraged. CEO's are being held accountable for profit while unaware of CIO staff failures. CFO's would be outraged too. Again, credible source did the numbers.

Data Centers & Energy

Looking for ways to save your company money with the Data Center, adding PODS, room layout, design tools, spread the load, supplemental cooling, reduce energy consumption, reduce cable costs, reduce budget, save money, reduce hot spots.

Cars, Engines, Fuel, Time, Money

Running into a small business recently I was again aghast to find a police car, no policeman but the engine running anyway. I'm sure police get hot and spend a great deal of time driving. Even in the most efficient fuel source this is not acceptable behavior and is not a good role model for the youth. A few days ago, same exact scenario but this time it was a shopper. Instead to turning off the vehicle the car was running, doors locked and no driver in sight. Where do these ignorant people come from? Are they running around without any exposure to media? Can anyone read, see or be exposed to nature and not want to protect it from us? God gave us a brain and it's our responsibility to use it for the good of all.

Sharing Resources, The Power of Numbers

One of the local university's has a leadership series with the business community invited to share ideas, speakers, panel discussions and best practices. A smart idea for sharing and community relations while supporting an excellent institution for educating. This morning the panel was primarily discussing sustainability in our community, Birmingham, Alabama. What struck me was the intelligence, the discipline, the willingness to share solid ideas, regarding every segment of social and business culture. Call it Green, call it environmental, call it social awareness, call it what you may the community leaders in that group had it right.
Let's share resources, the pie is big enough for everyone. I'm paraphrasing their words: intellectual property such as peoples minds, keeping our young talent in our community, principles of leadership by sharing best practices, intelligent strategies for consolidation of resources instead of political nonsense. Eliminate the bountries of race, religion, getting in the real game of sustainability, caring about community and acting through conviction. The earth is not owned by us, it belongs for everyone including the future. The earth is not a trite topic to be ignored or abused. Neither should people and their values for sustainability. Sharing together, bringing power to people to care about the earth. One last statement: Term limits for all political figures. Trite and jaded come to mind here for those the become insensitive. The world is not limited to a community, we are all here to share, together, not separately. Birmingham is absolutely beautiful, let's get our image changed to reflect our beauty instead of our shame.