Green Dating

Ok, so this might not be the most typical topic on "how to go green," but someone just recently brought to my attention the idea of "green dating." I hadn't really thought of something like that, but if two people are devoted to a similar cause, such as going green, that could bring about an initial attraction anyways, and so why not both support something you believe in?

So, how exactly can you "green date" in Columbia, Missouri? Here are some ideas...

Main Squeeze Natural Foods Cafe in Downtown Columbia

Peace Nook in Downtown Columbia staffed by volunteers of Mid-Missouri Peace Works for eco-friendly products

Farmer's Market on Saturdays 8am-Noon March through November

Clovers Natural Market

The Root Cellar off Broadway

Habitat for Humanity

Missouri Humane Society

MKT Trail

Walk around neighborhood

Garden together

Game of outdoor hide and go seek, or capture the flag with friends

Tour the Recycle Plant

shop for TOMS Shoes at Swank Downtown

shop for clothes on factorygreen.com 

Even if you live some where else, and are just visiting the land of 573, you can stay green: these hotels all have a "green" rating:

Comfort Inn Columbia off Clark Lane

Courtyard Columbia off LeMone Industrial Blvd.

Residence Inn Columbia off Woodland Springs Court

These are all just Columbia specific, but there are multiple ideas and options in cities all over the country. There are also hundreds more things to do in Columbia, and we would love to hear if you have any ideas!

Let us know on our twitter @GoGreen573 if you have any other ideas!

-Christy Millweard

How Green is Your Clean?

I don't go home much anymore. Things are busy here in the land of '573', but it's nice to know that back home in Washington, Missouri, not much changes. I'd be willing to bet, for instance, that if I walked in through the garage to the back door of my childhood home, there is probably a bag from Cassidy Cleaners hanging by the door. It's filled with my dad's freshly starched shirts that he rarely goes a day without wearing. He knows every week a fresh batch will be hanging by the back door...but does he know that he' s not doing the environment any good?

My bewilderment at the concept of dry-cleaning is nothing new...I've long wondered how the whole process happens with no water. Now I know that it not only (still) seems impossible, the fact that it is possible must mean something highly unnatural is going on, and that usually doesn't mean good things for the environment. The chemicals used in dry cleaners are highly toxic. They're even known to cause bleeding and sometimes spontaneous abortions in women who work in the industry. Just imagine what they do for Mother Earth. There are other options, but Missouri is behind in offering them.

There are three big alternatives to traditional toxic-laden dry cleaning. There's the liquid carbon dioxide method, silicone-solvent based cleaning, and the one you've heard before, wet cleaning(soap and water). I won't go into detail about what they are because.... it doesn't matter.
The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, actually tracks data and keeps a list of all the cleaners that boast those other options. Missouri has a grand total of five. Three in Lees Summit, one in Dexter and St. Louis. None of them are within 90 minutes of the 573 area code. What's holding you back, Mid-MO?!

Stay tuned for GoGreen573 because we're going to find out. Think you have an idea? Let us know! Comment here or email us at GoGreen573@gmail.com.

Happy cleaning (the green kind, please),

Emily

Go Green This Halloween

Hey Everyone!

So, I had an inspiring idea! I thought since we are so close to Halloween I figured I would give our followers something to think about when they are out trick or treating or just enjoying some scary fun. Think about this... YOU CAN GO GREEN FOR HALLOWEEN! I've done some research online and I have found some things that you can do this Halloween to actually help the environment as well!

Okay, let's be real. Everyone spends tons of time and money on costumes that they only wear ONE TIME! Well a way you can save money is by inviting all of your friends to a costume exchange party! This way you can recycle all of your old costumes and still find something fun and new to wear!

Carving pumpkins can be a great way to also go green! They are almost completely organic so when they start to rot after Halloween, they are actually helping the earth! The seeds inside make a tasty snack as well. This way you are using all of your resources of that scary jack 'o' lantern.

As for trick or treating... everyone passes out tons of candy to the youngsters on Halloween night... but all of that candy adds up and usually goes to waste! I can remember countless times where I ended up with a huge bag of candy that ended up lasting me until Easter! So instead, you should try and hand out one piece of candy at a time. This keeps the cavities at bay, as well as doesn't cause waste for our environment. Trick or treaters can also help out by reusing bags. Pillow cases can work as great candy bags and provide tons of room for all of those treats!

As for decorations if you like to go all out in October, try using LED lights. They use much less energy than the normal ones. Also try to buy candles that are made out of beeswax and soy. They end up lasting a lot longer. Also, if your deciding to decorate your windows try to use non-toxic paint. Many decorations can be hand made as well. Get your kids to get creative, and have them use unwanted cartons or other recyclable items to make some scary stuff!

I have one last tip for all of you which sounds simple but happens the most on Halloween... DON'T LITTER! There are so many candy wrappers found on the streets after Halloween night and this could easily be avoided with your help! One suggestion is to keep another bag with your just for trash so you can eat candy while you trick or treat! Just make sure those mounds don't get on the ground!

Well, I hope these Halloween Go Green tips were helpful! More tomorrow!

-Chelsea

Washing Away

Here's another blog post inspired by a family member.

My sister is a scientist. Perhaps even a "mad scientist." Among her tips on living scientifically-conscious: don't use anti-bacterial soap (the clear, gel variety).

Julia says it's bad for the environment, and she's certainly not the only one. Rolf Halden (Arizona State University Institute Researcher) writes using this type of hand soap just isn't green in the least. According to his research, two active ingredients commonly found in these soaps (triclosan and triclocarban) could hurt the human endocrine system.

'But I don't eat my anti-bacterial soap,' you say?

According to Halden's research, you may be drinking it.

The chemicals in these anti-bacterial soaps don't break down; instead, they hang in the ecosystem, and can seep into drinking water supplies. According to the article, "Triclocarban is also now one of today’s top ten pharmaceuticals and personal care products most frequently found in the environment and in U.S. drinking water resources."

Interestingly, Halden says anti-bacterial soap isn't necessarily more effective than straight-up soap ("'the contact time simply is too short.'")

Another fear is the creation of "super bugs" from using anti-bacterial soap. That is, some experts say living in a bacteria-free bubble can weaken the immune system and foster the growth of bacteria that is anti-bacteria resistant.

I found various blogs and other articles adamantly anti anti-bacterial soap (do the two negatives make such an entry "pro-bacterial"? Just kidding).

Check out the links below:

Reasons to Quit Buying Antibacterial Soaps

Antibacterial soaps: Unnecessary risks, no benefits

Antibacterial Soap: An Imminent Threat to Human Health and the Environment?

-Beth

How do YOU Go Green?

So this was the basis of my idea all week, and then my esteemed colleague Christy decided to plug it in on the end of yesterday's blog. No worries though, I'm going to chug along just the same.

We've all heard of "green movements" and people "going green" on any scale, right? Whether it be buying more economically friendly light bulbs, trash bags or plates. Maybe you hear of someone going to the Farmers Market to be local to prevent all the production and packaging efforts by large companies. To some extent, we all have heard of some form of green before.

Well, followers, I am offering you a challenge this weekend. Like Christy so graciously put it yesterday, tell us what you think, or better yet, what YOU are DOING. I want to know how you are going green. What are you doing (whether it's the smallest aspect of 'going green' or if you are up for 'America's Next Top Environmentalist,' I want to know), how you are doing it and why you are doing it.

The point of our blogging and our entire efforts here at GoGreen573 are to inform our followers. Well, what better way to inform our followers than by getting their opinion. I want to hear from you all. Tell us what you're doing, what your neighbors are doing, what your friends are doing. I am going to compile all the information I am hoping to receive, I will process it, research it, and report back just how our followers are going green, and then relay that information back out next Friday.

Does that sound good to everyone? So let us know via Twitter (@GoGreen573), E-Mail (gogreen573@gmail.com), Facebook (GoGreen573 Fan Page) or comments here on our blog.

Thanks so much. Until next Friday,

Mike

Here's one I've never heard before...

Hello all going green-ers!

So I came across this the other day, and knew it's what I wanted to blog about today. I was on our city government website and found a link to this article.  The article discusses a study taking place in Rhode Island concerning the environmental impact of sprinklers. Yes, like the things in buildings and households that help put out fires. Basically, since sprinklers help "control combustion," they help control the pollution a fire can potentially emit into the environment. Who knew? Something that can save lives and prevent extensive structural damage can also help save our planet and environment from unnecessary pollution.

The study made me realize I don't really think of obscure things like this and how they affect the environment. I have only considered "going green" doing things like using recycled goods, saving energy, and carrying a cloth grocery bag instead of plastic ones. I guess I've always known this, it just made me realize there are so many other things out there that affect our environment and have an impact on our planet both good and bad. What about the types of containers we use for food storage? or the materials used for building or decorating our house? I even saw that an LCD computer monitor saves energy and isn't just for the purpose of "looking cool." 

So, what are some other odd things that affect our environment in either a positive or negative way? 

Let us know on our twitter @gogreen573

See ya next Thursday,

Christy Millweard

Braik Brothers--Going Green and Beyond

Hey Environmentalists!

Group member Chelsea, back to report to you my findings for hopefully our first webisode!

Today I had the pleasure of going to Braik Brothers Tree Care for our first official interview for our project! Braik Brothers prides themselves on being one of the first green projects ever in America! I got to talk with one of the brothers and co-owners, Dan Braik.

Dan took me around the property and told me all about their company and how they are going green. However, the weather was a bit of a problem. It was raining at the time of the interview so Dan took me around the property in his truck. The interview I did with him is while he is driving and showing me around the property. Also, all of the video of the trees, equipment, and mulch products are shot through the window. Although this was a problem I needed to overcome, I think it is a neat effect that all web users will enjoy!

I don't want to give anything away from our upcoming webisode, but I do want to share with you a little bit of what I found out today.

Braik Brothers is a way to reuse and recycle a material that in the future Dan says will be a very big commodity... wood. The company recycles every type ofproduct they use, and none of there wood every makes it into a land fill.Braik Brothers take trees and recycle them to make firewood, which in turn makes fuel.

The company helps remove trees that are dying and still uses their living parts. They turn the trees into mulch and animal pellets. Also, the company is working with the University of Missouri Researchers to test organic fertilizers and see what works best with the environment. Recycling is a huge part of the Braik Brothers Tree Company, and there hopes to expand will only further benefit the Mid-Missouri community! Want to learn more? Our webisode should be up shortly!

In the meantime, STAY GREEN 573!

--Chelsea--

Listen to Your Mother

My mom is a smart lady.

She researches like a fiend (particularly with Consumer Reports) before making any major purchases. She's been interested in automobiles lately...namely, hybrid cars.

Now I said my mom is a smart lady; not just for her researching capabilities, but she's also taking many steps to keep her home green and eco-friendly, which brings me back to hybrid cars. She wanted me to research to see if those Prius ads have any merit (that is, if plants really dance as you drive by in your ozone-layer-saving vehicle). Well, here you go mom.

Yes, hybrid cars use a battery that saves the air from your pollutants. But what about those batteries? They don't last forever. Nickel-metal hybrid batteries are cheap to make, but have a short lifespan. The other option, lithium ion batteries, are more expensive to manufacture but have a longer lifespan.

Battery components from hybrid (and even electric) cars will eventually end up in landfills, unless they are recycled. Nickel has environmental risks....not very green at all. "There are also concerns about the environmental impacts of nickel mining, and apparent challenges with fully recycling the nickel used in hybrid batteries," according to HybridCars.

According to Carseek, "The reality is that emissions results have as much to do with the drivers as the cars themselves." If you buy a Prius and drive that bad boy all over the place, your EPA numbers will look pretty green. However, if you buy the hybrid SUV, you may have similar gas mileage to conventional gasoline-drinking autos.

So mom, take all this info for what it's worth and choose wisely. Well, I suppose I wouldn't expect anything less of that gal.

Interested in more stuff about green cars? Check out GreenCarReports.

-Beth

A Guide to Green Labeling

Greetings. My name is Mike Solakian, and I am the fifth and final member of GoGreen573. After looking back over what my fellow teammates have written about so far, and seeing how each time we've written "I'm not sure what to write," I had a good feeling going into today as to what I would talk about. A friend of mine is very green-savvy, and she tweeted an article from Earth911.com that she wrote about Green Labeling to look out for. She took her information from a studying done by a branding and integrated marketing agency. I am going to talk about the labels, and have a link to her story on Earth911 where you can read up more about the labels, as well as see them.

The reason for green labels on products is to assure the consumer that the item is environmentally friendly and that they, in fact, are certified to do as promised. There is a wide range of labels, but some of the most common are mentioned in the article. The most recognizable label (and #1 on the list) is the recycling symbol. We've all seen it, the three green arrows forming a triangle. The meaning behind this icon is that the item is recyclable. Most of us know that label, and didn't need this blog to tell you about it.

There are some other less-recognizable labels to the untrained eye, however. One, for example, is the Fair Trade Certified label (#7 on the list). The term Fair Trade is becoming more and more known, but the label is still not as recognized. While some may have seen it before, others would wonder what this label means. If you see the label located in the article on a product, you can be assured that manufacturing had a fair price, fair labor conditions and direct trade, just to name a few.

Finally, I am going to talk about one more of the top 10 labels. While the Certified Humane Raised & Handled label (#9) is pretty self-explanatory, it is still important to know. This label denotes that the product prohibited the use of growth hormones and antibiotics, and that the animals must be free to move and not be confined. Most of these labels have an organization behind them, with a website, like this one. There is a website where you can do a search and find grocery stores near you that carry Certified Humane Raised & Handled products. Use Missouri as an example (where 573 is located). All Schnuck's stores carry Certified Humane Raised & Handled Eggs. This is a valuable resource if you are adamant about living a Green lifestyle.

The importance of knowing all these labels (and more) is to help live a better lifestyle. We here at GoGreen573 hope to educate the masses about Green lifestyles, Green movements and pretty much anything we can get our hands on. Having access to knowledge about labels in specific are important because we are consumers by nature. We purchase items nearly every day, and if we can recognize that the gallon of milk we buy is locally produced, or the chicken we buy is certified humane raised and handled, that one step could lead us towards living a healthier lifestyle. Also, a lot of these labels (like the recycling label) denote how we can help preserve the earth and keep are planet and environment as healthy and clean as possible.

Hopefully this list of labels can even give you one more reason to take an extra look at a label and make a more educated decision and purchase for our environment.

Have a good weekend, all. We will be back on the blogs on Monday. Don't forget to layer up in those colder regions of the country instead of blasting the heat. You can save more energy, and money as well.

What does it mean to be Green?

Hi everyone!

My name is Christy Millweard and today is my first blog post for GoGreen573. I have been trying to decide all day what it is that I want to talk about...there are just so many options surrounding this topic! But I figured since its the first week, we will start with the basics: what is green?

I think a lot of people have their own personal idea of what "green" means, but after doing a little research I came across some more concrete ideas.
First of all, "green" decisions tend to be things that have a minimal negative impact on the environment. They maybe don't add as much to your "carbon footprint." This term is something else that might need to be explained...a carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere due to our actions. So, if we make a "green" decision, it will not emit as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When we decide to "go green," this usually means we are buying things that utilize the planet's natural resources and cause little harm to the earth's environment.

One of the aspects of the "green" world is the sector of businesses and companies that are green. That alone can mean a variety of things. To some companies that may mean they are using solar energy, organic materials, or recycled goods. Maybe they are investing in renewable energy research, reducing their energy consumption, or slashing their carbon dioxide emissions. Many times individuals decide not to go green because they think it costs more to buy certain goods. Well, sometimes it does, but in the example of green companies, in their case, it might be more cost effective because going green can help save their bottom line by reducing energy and utility costs. Going green is not only a good PR move for most companies, but can actually help their profit as well.
I even found something called "green pages," which is like the yellow pages, but different because it is a directory of only green companies and businesses. People can search this database just like the yellow pages to find a business near them that is green, or sells green items.

Our GoGreen573 project is going to cover a variety of things within the green industry, but I know one thing we will be sure to focus on is going green in the business world of Columbia, Missouri. Contact us on Twitter @GoGreen573 if you have any suggestions or ideas we should look into!

-Christy Millweard

A Green Bottom Line

Economy, environment and culture: How do they combine and interact in Mid-Missouri? We’re here to find out and we want you to join the conversation.

Emily Rau here, one of the five-member team that makes up GoGreen573. In the next few months, we’ll show you what businesses in and around Columbia are doing to take steps toward sustainability…for the sake of the environment and their bottom line. Running a green business doesn’t mean making the decision to be profitable or tree hugging and earth loving. Why choose when you can have both!?

Right now it seems as though business leaders have only one environment in mind…the economic kind. We found a great program in Columbia that is helping businesses get through tough financial times while they are making their operation more sustainable. It’s called the Missouri Market Development Program. Look forward to a GoGreen573 ‘webisode’ on the project, but until then, here’s the scoop…

Missouri has an entire agency devoted to providing monetary support for efforts to protect the environment and save energy. They work with the department of Natural resources and Economic Development to inform companies about the benefits (financial and environmental) of using recycled materials. That’s not all though, they help the companies find and incorporate recycled materials in their products and services.

Best of all, there is no charge to participate! The experts that work with the program have $50,000 at their disposal for the, “purchase and installation of specialized equipment needed to use recovered materials in manufacturing.”

Want to know more? We do too. Stay tuned for details and information on how you can get involved.

That’s all for now,

Emily and your GG573 team

Brainstorming!

Hello my fellow green-goers!

My name is Chelsea Moosa, and I am a part of the GoGreen573 team. I just wanted to share with you an idea we have for one of our "webisodes" which should be making their debut sometime in the very near future! One of our ideas has been to profile the Missouri River Relief. This is a volunteer based program that holds river clean ups and educational event for the Missouri River. It's important to our group and project that we not only focus on businesses around Columbia but also non-profit organizations such as the Missouri River Relief.

To give you a bit of background, this group was started in Easley, MO in 2001. The organization has grown a huge amount since then and has had 46 Missouri River clean ups. That takes a lot of volunteer time, energy, and effort all done by Missourians! There is a lot of waste out there, and we don't want it flowing into our rivers, lakes, and streams. Members and volunteers of this group do different things, but one of them is going out on row boats and actually going out on the water to clean up the river! I don't know about you guys, but that sounds more like fun than work to me. The Missouri River Relief program has more than 10 thousand volunteers, and it's a program that GoGreen573 wants to share with you.

Our idea is to talk to members of the group and see if they can give us more insight into the program. We also want to participate in a river clean up and put in our efforts to help! We think this would be a great program to profile for our project, and would really help the community! I am in the process of contacting members of the group and hopefully we can get the ball rolling soon! For more information you can check out the Missouri River Relief website:

http://www.riverrelief.org

Until next time, thanks for your support!

Remember 573, GO GREEN!

More soon,

Chelsea

And So It Begins

Our forces have teamed up...and the Go Green 573 project is officially off the ground.

The project - in connection with triplepundit.com - will highlight green ventures throughout Columbia, Missouri (and beyond, potentially). Originally, our group (Christy Millweard, Mike Solakian, Chelsea Moosa, Emily Rau and me, Beth Ford) planned on creating a multimedia web project around green businesses. This concept eventually gave way to a new plan: profiling not only green businesses, but green non-profit organizations and green efforts around Mid-Missouri. People who see the project can learn about green businesses and maybe offer their patronage; organizations and efforts can offer ways for Mid-Missourians to get involved with the green scene.

We want to show entities, people, and places that are making the effort to live in environmentally-conscious ways. We want this project to be interactive, meaningful, and foster communication with the community. Finally, we want to come out on the other side of this project alive. We'll see how that one goes.

So, we're starting now. And we're hoping for plenty of community feedback as the project rolls along. Can't wait to show Mid-Missouri why it's not easy being green, but it sure is cool.

-Beth