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http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=38&story_id=32882 No not from the phones being thrown on their heads from twenty story high windows – Germans fear “Elektrosmog.” In fact, “A whopping 55 per cent said they believe cell phones emit harmful levels of electromagnetic and low-level microwave radiation…just 38 per cent believe Germany faces any imminent terrorist threat.”  We all know the age old debate (ok, years old) about how much we should be doing to minimize the effects of climate change. What are the Germans doing to combat their fear of Elektosmog? Surprisingly, not very much: “Ironically, the survey findings coincide with figures from the telecommunications industry showing that there are now more than 90 million mobiles in Germany, compared to 82 million human beings.A quarter of those human beings - presumably infants and inmates and invalids - still have no mobile. That means the vast majority of Germans have at least one mobile phone if not two or more.” Evidently, extended cell phone use can do something which makes cell membranes explode, but no one seems that worried.

With Bill McKibben’s “Step it Up” program getting airplay from the New York Times, this groundswell movement is set to explode (full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/science/14mckibben.html?n=Top%2fNews%2fScience%2fTopics%2fGlobal%20Warming). What to expect across the country on April 14th? Some examples:“Skiers in Wyoming plan to descend a shrinking glacier. New Yorkers plan to form an unbroken human line (dress code: blue shirts) along what might be the new southern shoreline of Manhattan. A group of Dominican sisters and a Wisconsin environmental group are organizing a conference on Sisinawa Mound overlooking the Mississippi River.” 

Step It Up Rally Bar Mitzvahs are also on the agenda. Here is an angle that I have not heard addressed before: 

“Van Jones, director the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, Calif., is one of relatively few black community organizers to find common cause with those calling for drastic cuts in emissions from the country’s tailpipes and smokestacks. Such changes could make poor peoples’ electrical bills go up. But Mr. Jones says climate change will hit the poor first and harder than any increase in their electricity.”  Calling Al Gore “climate change’s American Idol“ made me laugh. Watch this space for Step It Up coverage. 

If you have been following this blog (I know there are some silent fans out there) you know that going green to make money is one of my favorite trends – sorry purists. Check out this ZNet article on eco-friendly technology: http://www.zdnetasia.com/blog/btw/0,39056810,61996400,00.htm 

“You could see going green as part of corporate social responsibility, or even a political move like those made in the United States. But, it can also be motivated by very selfish reasons, especially since choosing eco-friendly technology means IT cost savings, says Robert Worrall, CIO of Sun Microsystems, in a recent interview.”  There you have it – there are big bucks to be made in green fields. The restaurant industry is also jumping on the bandwagon: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7872679&ft=1&f=1006 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/08/tech/main2547648.shtml CBS News explores the top ten green cities in America, according to Country Home magazine.  

Parameters examined included air and watershed quality, mass transit use, power use and number of organic producers and farmers’ markets.  Burlington, Vermont tops the list. Be honest – what is more exciting, their green effort or Ben & Jerry’s? “Among its green assets: v      A compost facility that collects food scraps from restaurants, supermarkets and food manufacturers and sells the compost to farmers, gardeners and landscapers. v      The Burlington metropolitan area’s 16 farmers’ markets, five organic producers and three food co-ops. v      Although mass transit use isn’t big, car pools are — 12.3 percent of Burlington-area commuters use them, according to Bert Sperling, a research consultant who worked on the rankings for Country Home. v      About 5.6 percent of the work force walks to work, and 4.6 percent work at home…”

Cnn Reports:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/27/environment.baggs.reut/index.html

Congratulations to San Francisco for being the FIRST community to BAN plastic bags.

Welcome to the 21st century California! Our ‘plastic’ hats off to you for helping to promote the environment.

I am losing it.  I am REALLY losing it.   Steven Furtick from the Elevation Church (http://www.elevationchurch.org/) is the HOTTEST on the web.  Not because of his holiness.  Not because of the church.  Because he doesn’t want to respond to negative publicity.  What about us living in reality.  Something here doesn’t make sense….. What about our economy.  What about the war.  What about our ENERGY.  WHAT ABOUT LOWERING OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND STOP THE NECESSITY FOR BUYING OIL AND ENERGY!  Brazil did it.

When are our hundreds of thousands of clients going to GET INVOLVED!  Get into Energy.  Make energy our Steven Furtick.  Make a difference.  Read this.  Comment.

Visit our energy efficient store — How about Environmentally friendly BATTERIES.  Our chargers that use the sun and NOT OIL!

Our store:  http://www.idtenergystore.com

E-friendly Batteries:

http://www.idtenergystore.com/product_info.php?products_id=80

Sun Chargers:

http://www.idtenergystore.com/index.php?cPath=52_60

Treehugger has the latest on a solar powered mobile phone: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/new_solarpowere.php. With 25 minutes of talk time for every 40 minutes of sunlight, candle light or even compact fluorescent light, it sounds like a viable option for green gabbers.

http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/03/bag_the_schwag.html

I did not only chose to post about this topic because of the title – but c’mon it is pretty compelling.

Looks like the tech world is taking

Check out Jetson Green for tips on how to make sure you are getting the most, environmentally speaking, from your landscaping efforts: http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/2007/03/green_building_.html. 

Some highlights:

1. The writer is a big fan of composting, pointing out “You can use organic waste from your home to return needed nutrients to the soil. Things like fruit peels, grass clipping, leaves, etc. are great materials to recycle and mix into garden soil. Composting has many benefits, including: (1) Reducing municipal waste, (2) Improving soil moisture retention, (3) Boosting plants’ immune systems, and (4) Reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.”

The IDT Energy Store happens to carry a garden composter – details here: http://www.idtenergystore.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=56

2. Use solar powered landscaping lights.

3. Buy an energy efficient lawn mover.

Plus other concrete suggestions for keeping your lawn green. 

This story on a champion leaf raking grandmother may encourage you to abandon your power leaf blower completely: http://www.burbia.com/node/574

The crux of Gore’s message:
“Humans are artificially warming the world, the risks of inaction are great, and meaningful cuts in emissions linked to warming will happen only if the United States takes the lead.” (full story here)

All 38 minutes of Al Gore’s testimony before Congress. Happy watching.

To see the heated exchange between Committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) click here.

Bloggers’ reactions to Gore testimony here.