The Green Life

Join the Huddle

Have something to say about eco-friendly products? Or about shameless displays of greenwashing? If your friends and family have had enough of your rants and raves, check out Huddler's Green Home social network. The recently-launched site (still in beta) has discussion forums and a wiki, which allows any registered user to add, edit, or remove content from articles. As of this morning, you'll find entries ranging from the 2008 presidential candidates to bio-based plastics and maximizing fuel economy. If you give it a spin, come back and let us know what you think!

Source: Triple Pundit

Science on Tap

Global warming, stem cells, and invasive species aren't typical fodder for happy-hour chitchat. But "science cafes" bring experts to the corner pub for freewheeling conversations on just such topics. It's like the best college lectures--plus beer and minus the exams. The grassroots phenomenon started in 1998 in the United Kingdom; since then, at least 50 cafes have bloomed in the United States, bridging the gulf between great discoveries and regular Joes and Janes. To find an event in your area, visit sciencecafes.org. --David Ferris

(Illustration by Adam McCauley)

New Year, New You

Eight ecofriendly resolutions for a happier, healthier 2008

1. Bring camaraderie to your commute
Carpooling saves gas and turns traffic delays into socializing opportunities. Find fellow riders at goloco.org and zimride.com.

2. Be an informed eater
If you're torn between the trout and the halibut, text 30644 with the message "FISH" and the type you're considering to learn which is the more sustainable choice (fishphone.org).

3. Junk the junk mail
Inundated by catalogs but too lazy to call and get off their mailing lists? Just register with catalogchoice.org, which will do the legwork for you. (Services like greendimes.com and 41pounds.org stop other kinds of junk mail too--for a fee.)

4. Become a mix master
DIY kits make it easy to blend up your own nontoxic household cleansers, skin products, and pet-care items (all from eco-me.com) as well as all-natural baby food (freshbaby.com).

5. Learn to share
At neighborrow.com and borrowme.com, you can find neighbors willing to lend you books, tools, or other things you'd rather not buy.

6. Give back on your next getaway
Count whales or plant trees in exotic locales--opportunities abound at greenvolunteers.com and in The Ethical Travel Guide (Earthscan) and The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life (National Geographic Books).

7. Just say no to bottled water
If tap water is good enough for some of the country's top restaurants, isn't it good enough for you?

8. See more meaningful movies
Sick of Hollywood fluff? Subscribe to a socially conscious film series at earthcinemacircle.com or ironweedfilms.com and get cinematic conversation-starters delivered to your door.

What's your green new year's resolution? Share it with us in the comments section.

(Illustrations by Josef Gast)

A Tip a Day...

...keeps global warming at bay. (And other environmental problems too!)

Want to start living a lower-impact, higher-quality lifestyle? Not sure where to begin? Sign up for our new Green Life newsletter and receive an easy tip every day about a small change that can make a big difference. Simple steps like replacing conventional lightbulbs with more efficient ones, keeping your car tires properly inflated, or adjusting your thermostat a degree or two can save you money, reduce waste, and help save the planet. Don't delay, sign up today!

Fair Treat

Fair-trade parties give the Tupperware model a sustainable twist by offering edible, wearable, and decorative products that support workers and environmental initiatives in developing countries. While some organizations will provide hosts with goods to sell, you can do it yourself by supplying educational pamphlets, a few donated samples, catalogs to order from, and fair-trade coffee and sweets to entice guests. sierraclub.org/trade/fair_trade

(Illustration by Mark Matcho)

Take Back Your Time

Feeling frazzled? Overworked? I know I am, and I'm not alone--Americans work longer hours than they did in the 1950s, and a stunning nine weeks per year more than Europeans do. Makes me tired just thinking about it. Toss in our consumer-oriented, car-dependent lifestyle and it's no wonder we're spending more time acquiring things and less time enjoying them. (Hectic schedules have also fueled environmentally unfriendly trends toward driving more, buying more pre-packaged food and other goods, and being less engaged with our communities.)

I'm thinking about this today because October 24 is Take Back Your Time Day, an annual event to raise awareness about the "epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment." This year's theme is "Let's Get Back to the Table." So instead of eating on the run tonight, gather with friends or family, savor some good food (locally grown or organic, of course!) and talk about things that matter. It may be just one meal, but it's time to start somewhere.

Party for the Planet

Good food, friends, and conversation are the classic ingredients of a great dinner party. Organic Valley adds an ecofriendly twist with its "Earth Dinner" concept, a do-it-yourself theme event with seasonal regional recipes, take-home favors of herb starters or wildflower seeds, and "creativity cards" that keep the conversation flowing with thought-provoking questions about what food means to you, your family, and the place you live.

Welcome!

"The Green Life" was launched in the November/December 2005 issue of Sierra magazine as a place to showcase trendsetting people, cool products, and empowering ideas. Quickly we saw that there was too much happening, too fast, to limit our coverage to a few bimonthly pages, and thus this blog was born.

When we devoted our January/February 2005 issue to the burgeoning green-lifestyle movement, we saw there was a huge interest in earth-friendly options for living well. What we wear, where we live, how we get around, and how we spend our money affects not only our own quality of life, but the quality of our environment. Fortunately, style and sustainability increasingly go hand in hand, reaffirming our belief that the best things in life truly are green.

What's your favorite green product? What ideas have made your life a little easier and the Earth a little happier? Share your rants, raves, tips, and questions with other readers and us.

--Jennifer Hattam, editor