New Year’s Resolution– Commit To Live Green

by
Health

Health (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

As New Year’s Eve descends upon us, and we give serious thought to resolutions, we should try hard to commit to live green.  The best reason to resolve to live green is that by doing this, so many of the other items on our “usual” lists will happen as an offshoot.  Considering that most people’s list of resolutions include exercising, losing weight, eating healthy, reducing clutter, reducing stress, being more spiritual, and spending wisely, you will find that with the adoption of green initiatives, all or most of these goals will be accomplished in the process without the anxiety and trepidation often felt when focusing on these goals directly.

To get you started, we here at LGBG would like to offer some tips on green living.

Buy local to eat greener.

Buying local is important because it gives consumers more immediate access to fresher food, particularly fruits and vegetables.  Additionally, local farms often are governed by very restrictive ordinances in terms of fertilization to prevent runoff of chemicals into rivers and streams.  These farmers are members of the communities that they serve and are expected to endorse sustainable practices.  On the other hand, large corporate factory farms are invisible to communities and often can obtain favorable legislation for their practices through lobbying efforts.

It also is important to note that locally grown food reduces the need for extended transportation to markets, thereby reducing the carbon footprint.  You also will find fewer additives to maintain color or prolong freshness of the food products.  Finally, buying from local businesses promotes reinvestment in the community.  The big payoff here is that the consumer gets healthier, less expensive food and his/her purchases benefit the community.  So for the New Year, make sure your green resolution starts with your diet.

English: Healthy Food For Life logo

English: Healthy Food For Life logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Resolve to clean green in 2014.

Now is a great time to switch from toxic cleaning chemicals to eco-friendly products.  There are so many green cleaning products on the market that will help you make your house spotless without contaminating the air in your house.  Also, try stocking up on baking soda, vinegar and even castile soap for daily cleaning, along with reusable cleaning cloths.  You can breathe easier and reduce spending on cleaning products.  Simultaneously, you can apply some elbow grease and burn extra calories.

English: The carbon footprint as it is underst...

English: The carbon footprint as it is understood by people. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Walk, run, bike, play– Resolve to get moving.

Make this the year that you get off the couch and get moving to burn calories.  Exercise, along with a healthy diet, will aid in weight reduction, healthier joints, lower blood pressure, improved heart rate, improved food digestion and improved sleep.  This is a great chance to use the features of a smartphone.  Download your favorite songs and create a playlist for exercise routines, reduce stress with motivational music and audiobooks or engage exercise apps to track your dietary record or exercise progress.  Join a bowling league, softball team, tennis club, etc.  Physical exercise is great for family time or to engage socially and make new friends.  Make 2014 the year that you get moving.

English: Exercising outdoors is healthier than...

English: Exercising outdoors is healthier than working out indoors. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Make green living a habit.

Unlike past years, this time around plan to make healthy green living a habit.  Do not overload yourself or set a specific date to achieve a goal.  Plan a lifestyle change.  Be creative and involve the entire or family in green initiatives.  Have fun, save money, and enjoy the health benefits that follow.

From all of us here at LGBG, we wish all of our readers a healthy, happy and green New Year!

Credit: www.hdwallpapersinn.com

Credit: www.hdwallpapersinn.com

___________________

Resources for this article:

[1]  http://life.gaiam.com/article/green-resolutions-new-year
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/green-new-years-resolutions

Patrick and Becca’s Great Adventure

by

In late 2012, Patrick Halligan, co-founder and CMO of Live Green Be Green by PMD United, was presented with the opportunity for temporary reassignment from Citystash, Washington, DC to the San Francisco office to assist with business marketing, development and operations.  Patrick, a 2012 graduate of the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, viewed this offer as a great chance to hone his business skills and to boost his resume.  He eagerly accepted this proposition and set out to ready himself for the trip.

With the assistance and support of his girlfriend. Becca Donnelly, a recent graduate of George Washington University, Patrick carefully planned this cross-country trip.  While they realized this would be an awesome road trip, they had no idea that it would be an amazing testament to green living and sustainability.  It turned out that each step of this journey tells a story, a very personal one, of two members of the Millennial Generation, whose daily lives and interests seamlessly incorporate and reflect principles of green living and sustainability.  While having fun seeing the sites and enjoying each other’s company, Patrick and Becca’s journey unintentionally created a symbolic quilt with interlocking pieces displaying a theme of those principles.

Family.  In planning their journey, Patrick and Becca looked to family for moral support and encouragement for their trip.  Additionally, they made sure their route included stops to visit family, including cousins, a sibling and niece and nephew in Chicago.  They also reached out to west coast cousins while in California.  During their time in California, they took time out of their busy schedules to entertain east coast family members visiting in the area.

Energy Conservation.  As part of the Millennial Generation, it was only natural that Patrick and Becca chose to take this trip in a Fiat 500, a small energy-efficient car that gets great gas mileage.  With careful planning and limited space, they readily adopted a minimalist attitude, taking only what they needed.

Climate Change.  Patrick and Becca’s chosen route resulted in an unintended reference to climate change, often associated with extreme temperature changes and violent storms.  While visiting in Chicago, they encountered a severe lightning storm, and while driving through Wyoming and Nevada, they experienced continuous days of extremely hot weather with temperatures soaring as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit.  In San Francisco, they experienced a summer quite different from the east coast, with some days not even making it to the 70 degree mark.

Nature.  Throughout this trip, Patrick and Becca experienced nature at its best, reinforcing the idea that we as humans do not own the earth.  Rather, we are stewards of this land, and as such, we are obligated to coexist with nature.  They visited many landmarks, including Mount Rushmore and Deadwood, as well as Yellowstone National Park and the Badlands.  While in Yellowstone, they saw animals free to roam, rather than being in corals.  After arriving in San Francisco, they walked the foothills, swam and played in the ocean and enjoyed the wonders of Big Sur where man’s footprint ends, and nature is in command.  They also enjoyed amazing sunsets, undisturbed by man’s light pollution.  They stood beside sea lions, allowed to coexist with man without being reduced to a commodity, contained in zoos or aquariums for the entertainment of man at a price.

Sustainability.  On their journey, Patrick and Becca included a stop to the Coors Brewing Factory in Golden, Colorado. There they were treated to a lesson in sustainability.  They toured the brewery where they were educated on the company’s business practices that makes it a priority to increase the productivity of natural resources with zero waste tolerance.

Their adventure also reflected the importance of people, which is recognized as an integral component of strong sustainability theory.  The success of their journey is largely attributable to the support of people, starting with the owners of CityStash, who believed in Patrick and offered him the opportunity to work in the west coast office.  Also, it is important to thank the Wygant family — Scott, Joelle, Bill and Diana.   These kind people graciously served as Patrick and Becca’s safety net in this leap of faith, particularly Bill and Diana, who provided them with a place to stay and helped them familiarize themselves and navigate the San Francisco landscape.

There are so many lessons to be learned from Patrick and Becca’s journey, too many to discuss in one article.  Perhaps the greatest lesson is that each of us should seek to engage the greater good in life, which in most cases will lead to living a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.  To do this, it is important to take a leap of faith, drop many of our rituals that encumber us and to heed the call of the universe to “come away with me” to a new place.  To do so is to live green, be green.

http://youtu.be/enAzQ3F2psk

Celebration of Ben Franklin– A Visionary 200 Years Ahead Of His Time

by
Benjamin Franklin 1767

Benjamin Franklin 1767 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

In recognition of the 223rd anniversary of Ben Franklin’s death, we here at LGBG feel that it is important to remember and salute this visionary and his accomplishments, particularly those relative to the green movement.

 

Ben Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts and died on April 17, 1790 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Franklin was a printer by trade and a scientist, a librarian, inventor and statesman.  He was internationally renown for his work to harness electricity with the invention of the lightning rod.  His values were consistent with the green movement in that he espoused thrift, hard work and education.

 

In addition to inventions of the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and a flexible urinary catheter, Ben Franklin also was a social innovator.  He is credited with the “pay it forward policy whereby an individual in receipt of a good deed repays the assistance by doing something good for someone other than his/her benefactor.  This practice has evolved into an international movement of random acts of kindness.

 

Ben Franklin was a man ahead of his time and a proponent of green living and sustainability, as evidenced by his influence on the then emerging science of population study and demographics.  He was an astute observer of population growth trends, both in the United States, as well as in Europe.  He acknowledged the importance of maintaining an adequate food supply to accommodate the fast-growing U.S. population.  Out of concern for economic development and the reliance on the shipping industry for transportation of goods and people, Franklin studied the currents in the Atlantic Ocean, and gulf stream charts and made recommendations on navigation currents so as to control sailing time to various destinations.  He is best known, perhaps, for his work with electricity, and he also delved into research on refrigeration and evaporation.

 

At an early age, Ben Franklin adopted a set of virtues which he used to guide his life.  Several of these virtues are consistent with the tenets of the green movement and sustainable living.

 

1.  “Temperance.  Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”
2.  “Order.  Let all your things have places.”
3.  “Resolution.  Resolve to perform what you ought.”
4.  “Frugality.  Waste nothing.”
5.  “Moderation.  Avoid extremes.”
6.  “Cleanliness.  Tolerate no uncleanliness.”
7.  “Humility.”

 

Benjamin Franklin was a visionary, who fully appreciated the gift of this earth and lived his entire life dedicated to healthy living, industry and the protection and progression of mankind.  His accomplishments cannot be understated, and our current Earth Day celebration would be lacking without the observance of this great man.  He was a true  example of what it means to live green, be green.

 

_______________

 

Sources for this article:
1.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin.
2.  http://www.ealmanac.com/2974/numbers/the-thirteen-virtues-of-benjamin-franklin/.

 

Green Living– More An Obligation Than A Choice

by

On this good green news Monday, LGBG has opted to use this opportunity, in light of the tragic events at  Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, to reflect on the meaning and obligation of green living.  We know that green living means different things to each of us, from protecting the air, land and water to recycling and not polluting to eating healthy diets and getting exercise.  No matter the individual perspective towards green living, I think it is safe to say that there are basic tenets central to our understanding of green living.  They are as follows:

  • The choices made by any one individual affects all of us.
  • The choices we make today will affect us at some point in the future.
  • When we speak about saving the planet or the environment, we are talking about saving ourselves.

With this understanding, it is important for everyone to make living green an obligation, not a choice.  The greatest obligation we have is to our planet and to our children, each and every one of them.  They are the future of this land and as stewards of the Earth, we are obligated to deliver to them a clean, healthy environment.  It is our responsibility to love and protect our young and to do all that we can to ensure that they grow up to be healthy, happy and prosperous adults.  To that end, we are obligated to educate them.  We send them out to school each day with the expectation, and a very reasonable one, that they will return home to us.  In turn, our government has an obligation to provide a safe learning environment for our children and a guarantee that they will be protected and will be returned to us at the end of the day.

A major concern of green living is the safe and environmentally friendly design of buildings, and the conversation regarding this matter must be a top priority.  It is urgent that city planners, engineers, environmental consultants and elected officials design and build schools that are safe and secure from intruders, with the staff and technology to monitor all visitors and deny admission to anyone perceived to be a problem or who pose a potential danger to staff or students.  We know that buildings can be designed to be secure as our prisons are secure on any level that we need.

We also must address the safety of our society, especially our children, from a health perspective.  This begins with coming face-to-face with the issue of mental illness.  We need for every citizen to have access to health care.  This goes a long way to aid in the identification of people, young and old, with mental health or emotional problems, which apparently is a substantial portion of our population as evidenced by the widely used mental health diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder , bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  We must provide treatment for these individuals, just as we would for people with cancer, heart conditions, arthritis autism or any other physical anomaly.  A change in attitude that regards mental illness as a sickness will help families to come forth and seek help, rather than hiding these conditions so that a loved one will not be made to feel like a pariah in the community.

Green living obliges us to raise our children to respect our environment and the other people and animals who occupy this space with us.  Our choices on how we treat our children, what we feed their minds and bodies, and the examples that we set for them to follow will determine their physical and emotional development and well-being.  We must teach them to be kind to others and to never be a bully to any person or animal.

If we all accept green living as an obligation, not a choice, we can take a major step forward to heal from these recent tragedies and move forward to save our planet and our children.  Let’s all respond to the call of duty to live green, be green.

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Description unavailable

Description unavailable (Photo credit: theloushe)

Green Initiatives Threatened by Looming Fiscal Cliff

by
Tax

Tax (Photo credit: 401(K) 2012)

Any discussion of the looming fiscal cliff must address the impact on green initiatives as any budget cuts or tax increases will adversely impact the efforts of both families and businesses to go green.  With the realization that compromises will have to be made on both sides across the aisle, it remains important that our elected representatives focus on the fact that governmental spending need to include investment in human and physical matters that will pay dividends in the future.  A green economy qualifies for such investment because its tenets lead to a healthier society and an environmentally friendly world.

Several of the tax incentives for living green were derived from the Bush era tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire at the end of this year if not renewed by Congress, thus creating the looming fiscal cliff.  A few notable ones to mention are as follows:

  • The residential energy efficiency credit.  This credit is given to homeowners who purchase high energy-efficient appliances and home improvements.  Many Americans have received reductions in tax liability through the use of these credits while at the same time making their homes more energy-efficient.
  • The American Opportunity Credit.  This credit provides a $2500 tuition tax credit, thereby enabling more people to go to college.  This opportunity directly affects the potential pool of trained people needed in the research and development of green technology and the direct training needed for operation of green industries.
  • The payroll tax credit.  Taxpayers will see a decrease in their take home checks if this credit expires, thus impacting their ability to exercise healthier choices in the purchase of foods and organic products.
  • The production tax credit (PTC).  This credit subsidizes wind power by 2.2 cents a kilowatt hour.  This is important to states and localities working hard to establish wind power as an alternative energy source.

As the discussion and bargaining proceed over the next few weeks, it is important that we advocate our positions on green initiatives which will be affected by budget decisions.  Now is the time to contact your congressmen by phone or email and state your position on these issues.  Today’s investment of time will reap tomorrow’s dividends.  Let’s live green, be green.

Sources:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324073504578104464153878672.html?mod=rss_economy

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/wind-power/index.html