Hi Green Thinkers!  Remember our friends at Rapanui? Check out the press release below on their recently  received RSPCA Good Business Award.  For the American readers out there the RSPCA is comparable to our ASPCA to help prevent cruelty to animals, they are just located over the pond in England & Wales.

Rapanui Win Highly Commended Award at the RSPCA Good Business Awards

Rapanui has won a highly commended prize at the annual RSPCA good business awards for their contribution to sustainability, animal welfare policy and for fulfilling their ethos of ‘doing business the right way’.

 The brand, founded by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 aims to make eco fashion cool and to inspire people to make changes to their wider lifestyle by being open and honest about their supply chain. In response to the current state of the clothing industry they say that “It’s not that people don’t care, it’s just that they don’t know” and have designed an innovative Traceability tool and Eco-labelling initiative, aiming to inform and inspire people to go green by making it easy to find out where their clothing comes from and how it is made, “helping people shop quickly, with a conscience.”

The RSPCA chooses expert judges for their awards ceremony, including Wayne Hemmingway, co-founder of Red or Dead.

“…there is a real commitment within the industry to improve animal welfare, and it’s reassuring to see big brands at the forefront of this change.”  Mr. Hemmingway said.

The brothers have already won the 2010 Sustainable Business Awards, a finals place at Enterprise UK’s Enterprising Young Brits and a nomination for next year’s ISPO Brand New Award. They hope their recognition at the RSPCA Good Business Awards will inspire other young people to consider entrepreneurship. Now 25 and 23 respectively, Rob and Martin Drake-Knight founded their company with £200 of savings and are now listed on the Future 100 list of top young entrepreneurs.

“We hope our business can inspire other young people, even if they have no job and no money, that they can be a success too – whether you wear a suit or flip flops”

Find out more about traceability and Rapanui at: http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/eco

About Rapanui:

Rapanui is about making cool eco-fashion for young people; that means clothing that is eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable: Made from natural organic fabrics in a Fairwear Foundation audited, wind powered factory. Through surfing the brothers saw and experienced the changing environment and climate at their local beach and as inspired, unemployed graduates in a recession, they took a different path; if you can’t find a job, make one.

Rapanui has held Seminars and Lectures at UK and EU universities and multinational companies such as Centrica PLC on Sustainable Business and sit on the Panel at Plymouth University’s All our Future Conference.

Rapanui has made bespoke versions of its clothing for multinationals and charities including Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and the Marine Conservation Society.

Rapanui was set up by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 with £200 of savings and was listed in the Top 100 Startups of 2008. Rob and Martin are listed on the Future 100 List of Top young Entrepreneurs and were recently finalists in Enterprise UK’s Young Brits awards. Rapanui was the youngest company to win the Sustainable Business Awards in May 2010 and has recently been nominated for the internationally-recognised ISPO Brand New Award.

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Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Flintstones!

Happy Anniversary Fred, Wilma, Barney & Betty – and of course the kids, pets, and all the prehistoric neighbors we know & love.

I used to love watching the Flintstones on Saturday mornings when I stayed over at my Grandma & Bumpa’s house – Fred always got so mad, Barney was always trying some new scheme, and Betty & Wilma were making a fashion statement from practically nothing.

What I also loved about this show was the creative way the families made modern day conveniences without impacting their environment.  Consider the running-man car, as powerful as a big mans thighs could carry him, they love animals & pets of all kinds, and they believe in healthy living – remember Flinstone vitamins?

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Are you feeling a little wild?

Let out your ROAR with an Eco-Safari! Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida offer zipline tours through hundred year old cypress trees, horseback riding tours if you prefer to see the sites on the ground, and coach safaris if you prefer to ride it out.

Imagine floating through the skies to observe from above the lush landscape below and all that real Florida has to offer – exotic birds, alligators, plants.  It is a great way to remember exactly why us Green-Thinkers do what we do.

Forever Florida also offers team builidng activities for your next company retreat.  These trips can include anything from an actual meeting room, to working together to round up a team of cattle, and even an overnight safari campout on the grounds!

This is an excellent example of eco-tourism, 30% of revenues from the safaris are donated back directly to assist in the conservation of these lands.  I can’t wait to make this into a date-day!

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Today marks our fifth installment of the Carnival of Green Thinking.  I feel like it is a little birthday or something   Before we get down to business, I know you have been on the edge of your seat for the answer to yesterday’s GeoQuiz question - so here it is:

We asked:  True or False? 

The stability of the climate is related to the concentration of greenhouse gases.

The answer: TRUE!  The stability of our climate is related to the concentration of greenhouse gases.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff. So many kids went back to school this last week, the theme of our posted blog articles is going to follow suit. Don’t forget, if you come across an eco-friendly blog post during the week – share it with us to share with the world!

HOW MUCH PAPER DO YOU USE IN SCHOOL?!

ClimateProgress.org reports on plenty of green options to choose from when going back to school – including starting your own paper recycling program…Paper will probably be one of the first items on most back-to-school shopping lists, and it’s usually one of the biggest sources of preventable waste in school supplies. Schools throw out an average of 38 tons of paper every year. That’s 8 million sheets per school—enough to save 646 trees if recycled…

 YOU’RE GONNA WEAR THAT ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?!

Low Impact Living has some great perspective on the back-to-school fashion trends this year for the eco-happy student…First, the most important category to many kids: clothes. Of course, the greenest thing to do is to wear last-year’s clothes. Exaggerated eye roll. Hand-me-downs? Irritated stare. Thrift stores? “Gah-ross!” (Hint: try calling it “vintage”–much cooler.) And so the challenge begins…

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SCHOOL: LUNCH.

Nature Moms have the firsthand scoop on eco-friendly things for kids to get their learn-on, you gotta eat right & you gotta do it in style!…The Laptop Lunchbox- This is my all time favorite lunchbox. It is an American style bento box and I LOVE bentos. They also promotes waste free lunches because each compartment eliminates the need for plastic baggies. They also come with real flatware and a cloth napkin can be put inside it too. This lunchbox helps me pack healthy and environmentally friendly meals for my kids. You can see some of the lunches I made here and you can read a more detailed review here…

JUST FOR FUN!

As you know I love my little puppy Rigby so so so so much!  This week we are celebrating her getting her stitches out from her spay surgery last week – YAY!  So, just for fun, I thought I would share this great video that combines things I love: Puppies & Yoga.

Thanks to Care2 Green Living for sharing! 

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Our friends over at Cool People Care are featuring animals all week.  Well, we love animals here at GTB and felt inspired to join in the fun a little bit.

Are you looking for a new furbaby? Or another little love bug to add to your family?  Look no further than Petsmart’s National Adoption Weekend.  Petsmart sponsor a national adoption weekend every quarter, this coming season, it will take place on September 10-12. 

Visit a Petsmart near you to find a forever friend!  Remember, if you aren’t in a position to adopt today, you can always donate.  Most rescues are in dire need of food, beds, and volunteers.  If you can’t give a forever home to a new pet, consider giving a weekend every month to show your support.

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Ms. Rigby

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IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.

Can you hear the boom of James Earl Jones’ voice?  Can you see the crowds flocking to the fields? 

SCENE CHANGE

Hear the squawk of the seagulls, the gentle waves of the gulf lapping onto beaches free of little oil balls, the laughter of happy families enjoying their summer holiday on the coast…

This scene very well may happen since there is confirmation that BP will utiilize oil centrifuge machines to clean up our contaminated waters by seperating the oil from the water.  These machines, as seen below, are the environmental baby and $24 million investment of none other than Kevin Costner.  According to CBS News,  BP has contracted with Mr. Costner & Ocean Therapy Solutions to use 32 centrifuge machines to tackle the disaster that is in the water of the Gulf of Mexico – and they couldn’t start soon enough in my opinion.  

Costner has been an advocate and investor of this project for over twelve years, and as you will see in the video below, he is ticked that researchers have known about this idea for years and simply chose not to give it a try, which is why it has been funded privately to this point.  You would think giving these machines a whirl from the very beginning to try your chances would be a no brainer.  A test of them early on would have at least provided the process of elimination;  if these machines turn out to be the answer to our prayers, a lot of damage could have been avoided.   

Thank goodness a possible solution has finally surfaced instead of more oil balls.   

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Any sentence that includes oil and water normally doesn’t mix, especially after the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Well, for a few Lousianan pelicans, they were rescued from their hellish experience with the oil spill and given a new home in Texas.

Watch the video here, courtesy of Wesh.com.

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Memorial Day is a day to remember. 

While its origin is for those military veterans who have sacrificed so much for our protection, and they do deserve this day, we can also take this opportunity to remember heroes of all kinds. 

That includes your neighbor who volunteers at the local animal shelter, or the people who dedicate their vacation time to preserving our national forests, even the scientists who dedicate their careers to find ways for us to be more sustainable in our day to day practices.

This video depicts the power one person has.  They are proof we all have the potential to be a hero.  On your journey to be a hero, don’t forget to thank those who already are.

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As you should probably know, April 20th brought a 39 million gallons of oil into the gulf waters. 

You may have also noticed, it has been one month and eight days that I have decied not to address it.  I can’t, I can’t hardly read about it because it hurts my heart to think about that beautiful body of water to be invaded – by another resource of all things.

I can’t think about the coral that got damaged, the animals that have been injured, the anxiety that comes with thinking of how it could ever get restored to its original state. 

The Washington Post reported today that President Obama visited the Gulf Coast for the second time to see the oil approaching the shore.  What a day at the beach right?  The article reports that the ocean is blocked by “caution” tape and the beach is lined with pom poms to deter visitors, it also says that our President actually picking up several balls of tar the size of a nickel and dime. 

The reason I have been able to report on this extremely devastating event is because thre are several ways folks like you and me can help clean this up.

Besides actual clean up Events, BP is providing training for all volunteers and will determine what their task is:

Training Level Information:
Level 1 (Basic HSE Training) – This person would be a volunteer who would never come in contact with spilled oil (helping with beach cleanup, for example)

Level 2 (Contractors and Paraprofessionals) – This person would be a contractor who will be conducting work at the staging site Level 2 has a BP safety procedure that has to be instructed by someone who has been trained by BP or PEC Premier.

Level 3 (Wildlife Recovery and Rehabilitation) – This person would be a trained Wildlife Recovery & Rehabilitation volunteer, who will be helping with the clean-up of wildlife. It is a graded certification course. OSHA reviewed the Level 3 training package from PEC Premier and give special support for BP to use this training package, specifically for this incident. For this first wave of level 3 training, we are giving priority to the wildlife specialists and BP contractors. 

Level 4 – Responders who might have direct contact to petroleum (this would include boat captains and crew who are already contracted to BP). Those who are not contracted must work through the Vessel of Opportunity program. Safety, Marine and Hazwoper training is delivered if their vessel is selected to be contracted through that program.

 What level would you want to participate at?  Leave your comments here! or tweet to @greenthinking

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