I hadn’t ever thought of this before, but does the Earth want us to conserve? compost? recycle?  Have I been butting my nose where it isn’t wanted?

According to Robert Laughlin, and featured in an article in Newsweek, (Newsweek, 9.12.10 by George Will) the Earth just may not care if we meddle.  Laughlin shares the idea that the geological timeframe of the Earth will happen regardless of what we do in the meantime. He argues that ‘Climate change over geologic time is, Laughlin says, something the earth has done “on its own without asking anyone’s permission or explaining itself.” People can cause climate change, but major glacial episodes have occurred “at regular intervals of 100,000 years,” always “a slow, steady cooling followed by abrupt warming back to conditions similar to today’s.”’ 

I must say, I see his point – and since he is a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, he has some ground to stand on.  Even so, I still think it is in the interest of human nature that we embrace conservation and show a respect for where we live. 

What are your thoughts?  Leave us a comment, a tweet, or an email.

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Ever consider banking with the environment? That is right! There is a Recycle Bank.

You could get totally rich just by doing things you already do, such as  reducing, reusing and recycling.

Seriously, do you recycle at home, recycle or electronics, or belong to the eBAy Green Club?  If so, you can easily earn points to add to your Recycle Bank.  Then you get to turn those points in to get discounts at a thousand or so retailers!

Do you like shopping for ecofriendly products, do you like going out to eat, what about music on your iPod?  If you join Recycle Bank, these are just some of the things you could redeem with your points!

Already, users have helped save over 9 million trees and almost 630 million gallons of water!

Consider this, Recycle Bank could be a really easy program for you to take advantage of – but it could also be a great incentive to get that person you know who needs a little encouragement in the eco-friendly department to jump on board…I can just feel the points rolling in!

http://www.recyclebank.com/

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The iPhone 4 has gotten a ton of press, a wait list miles long, and apps that will not quit.  But did you ever think about the origins of your new techy toy?

Newsweek reported today that your iPhone, computer, or favorite electronic could have been made from materials that promote mass rape, forced cannabilism, slavery (practically) and even genocide. Turns out, the Congo holds over 20% of the natural resources that are used in these technological devices, like titanium;  but the companies who use this aren’t always in consideration of the conflicts that may arise from mining these companies.

According to Newsweek, miners are getting paid poverty level ($1 -$5/day) to mine these materials – other areas the fight for these resources is so strong it is causing murder through bludgeon, mass rapes – nothing good.  There is an organization out there to stop the use of  conflict materials however, the Enough Project is petitioning for consumers to to demand conflict free materials in their electronic devices.

You too can join some celebrity voices to stop the abuse of humanity for our technological convenience.  By urging your school to use conflict free equipment, and committing to purchase only conflict free materials yourself, you could help the mass destruction of people and natural resources in the Congo.

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Summer is here, in full swing. 

There has been a lot of talk about the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, which hasn’t brought much positivity to the beach scene this season, but Rapanui Clothing may just have something to hang-ten about.

This is a company based out of the U.K. that practices sustainability  for the entire life cycle of surf clothing.  They feature organic fabrics, employ fair trade labor, and use renewable energy to power their machines.  The company was started by  brothers Rob & Mart Drake-Knight with the philosophy that making something that would be trendy and environmentally friendly would help it catch on – thus Rapanui Clothing was born.  The brothers must be doing something right, they were  listed to the Future 100 List of Top Young Ethical Entreprenuers in 2008.

What I love about their site is that you can click on an article of clothing you are interested in, then see how it is made.  Simply click on the link and a map will appear to show you the direct path it takes from creation in a fair trade fabric factory to the transportation route, including the amount of carbon used on its travel all the way to the Rapanui store.  NEAT-O!

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Have you ever felt like you were almost at a stopping point in your life?  Like your days just melt together and then you wake up to realize you are another year older?  I hope you haven’t had this feeling, but most of us have at one point or another – it like adult growing pains.

I recently had this experience, and it occurred to me that I just may need to do something a little radical to break the spell.  What I chose to do was an all-natural detox, this was the Spring Slim Down Detox, courtesy of Laurel from GTB’s favorite blog: Laurel On Health Food. 

It totally worked…in every aspect I was looking for.  By providing myself with the 7 day challenge to eat completely different than my normal diet I proved to myself that I have the power to make a difference.  In the instance of an all-natural detox, the outcome provided benefits to myself:

• Weight loss
• Mental Clarity
• Clearer skin
• Improved attitude (also a benefit to my friends & family)
• Some new breakfast & lunch options to continue with…

Last night I watched No Impact Man, a documentary about a family who decided to challenge themselves to create zero impact on our world for a year!  That is 365 days people, my challenge was one person, benefiting one person, for 7 days.  The Beavan Family was challenging three people, benefiting thousands if not millions, for 365 days.  They win. Hands down.

Colin Beavan created this challenge as a way to create awareness.  Granted, they went to the extreme by eliminating all forms of carbon producing transportation, including elevators, as well as eliminating dispoable toilet paper from their daily use (it really does affect our tree population), and all forms of electricity – which eventually converted to the use of a solar panel, but this family grew closer and changed their way of thinking during this experiment. 

 That is my favorite part.  Through living this way, by not adding any waste & contributing to the good in the world, they impacted so many people and probably had at least 100 people who saw their media coverage commit to making a change they could live with to help our environment – so, in my opinion, No Impact Man should have been called:  Impact Thousands of People -Man!

My other favorite part is that they discovered it wasn’t easy, but that they enjoyed their time along the way.  People gave the family some pretty tough critiques, but I think that is only because those with the criticism hadn’t had their minds open yet to the importance of the experiment.

Sure, it was radical, but in the end, the family decided on a few key things they could commit to doing on a regular basis, and it will make a change to our Earth.  It will. Seems to me they have the GTB philosophy down to a pat, just making the efforts to get their arms around the tree.

I would strongly recommend you consider giving yourself an eco-conscious challenge for the summer.  Consider biking to the farmer’s market each week or volunteering  with your favorite non-profit.  Maybe even just carrying a reusable bag is something that will work for your life, but see what you can do within your limits to help contribute to the preservation of our world.  Get those arms around the tree.

P.S.  They did take toilet paper back into their lives.

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Take a look at this video that could revolutionize your daily commute or trips to the grocery store. 

These Stanford University students took the opportunity to create an electric car that is under $10K that has an uncanny resemblance to an early stage Model T.   Look out Henry Ford – this ride allows a passenger to ride in open air without re-inhaling its fumes.

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It is the Vectrix Electric Scooter – and I know who has one!

A friend of mine just won this scooter through a contest – sweet right?!

What is even more sweet is its specs – take a look under the hood:

• Ride it on the road, ride on the sidewalk, ride it anywhere you want!
• Bring along a friend, the Vectrix has 2 seats.
• Go up to 68 miles per hour, or slower so people can check you out as you drive by.
• Uses absolutely no gas, 1 small battery provides up to 50 mile travel range.
• Its own plug is built in and a full charge can happen in 3-5 hours.
• Plus, it is super cute!

Rumors have it this company may be calling in a Chapter 11, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure the MRSP for one of these sweet little babies is approximately $10,000 cool ones – but consider all you are saving in convenience, gas, and style!

Congrats to my friend – hopefully I’ll have a pic & a guest review in the near future as she is just waiting for her prize to be delivered!

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NOTE TO Green Thinking Blog Readers:

MARCH 27, 2010 at 8:30PM

Earth Hour commences.

Turn off as much electricity as you possibly can for 1 hour. 

Enjoy the light of candles with a loved one.

Meditate in the moonlight.

Save the kilowatts to save the Earth.

MARCH 27, 2010 – THIS SATURDAY- 8:30PM

This has been a message from Green Thinking Blog, in support of Earth Hour 2010.

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Did you participate in Earth Hour? Kate and I celebrated in candlelight and unplugged as many appliances as we could. Here are a few pics from Saturday night (sorry they’re not very clear). We kept the lights off for two hours because it was just fun to hang out in the dark. Who would have known?

Dinner and wine by candlelight.

Here we are making scary hand shadows on the wall. I’m not sure why we decided to do this, but it was kinda funny.

However you celebrated Earth Hour, be proud of yourself! To check out other photos of Earth Hour from around the world, visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthhour2009global/.

Update: Check out these pictures on Boston.com. You can click on the pictures of all the cities and watch the lights fade out as they took part in Earth Hour.

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On March 28th, join millions of other people all over the world and turn off your lights from 8:30-9:30pm. The hour is called Earth Hour and it began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Here’s a little YouTube about the event.

Let’s do it! If you’re one of those people who feels like its hard to make an impact as one individual, here’s your chance to do something great as a part of a worldwide event. You can signup here to receive updates and reminders about Earth Hour.

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