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Green Living News
June, 2008
In This Issue
The Green Life Guide to Sustainable Living
Eco-Gadgets & Innovations
Myth Busters
L.A. Confidential
Eco-Flicks & Books
Good News!
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Environment in the News
  • California Officially in a State of Drought
  • U.S. Senate Abandons Global Warming Bill
Greetings!

Welcome to the June 2008 edition of TeachingGreen's Green Living News, a monthly newsletter for folks interested in creating a more sustainable society through individual actions and beyond.

Inside this issue of Green Living News:
  • The Green Life Guide from TeachingGreen
  • A hands-free faucet powered by the very water that flows through it
  • Computer myths exposed
  • A TeachingGreen workshop on greening your diet
  • A must-see movie about the state of our environment: how we got here, why we must act and how we might be able to leave a viable planet for future generations
...and more!

The Green Life Guide to Sustainable Living

Due to popular demand, TeachingGreen is now selling its 65-page guide to sustainable living. This comprehensive yet user-friendly guide will help you to reduce the environmental impact of your day-to-day life in the areas of Transportation, Food, Home & Garden, Waste and Household Toxics.

This is not just a list of things you can do to save the Earth. It's a guide to the what, why and HOW of sustainable living. It contains hundreds of tips and resources to help you save energy, water and other naturalGreen Life Guide resources. Even people who already know a good deal about the environment tell us that they get a lot out of this guide. So if you can't attend our workshops or just prefer to learn on your own, order the guide today so you can stop worrying and start acting!

Cost: $20.00

To buy the Green Life Guide, call 310-372-7484 or send an email requesting the Guide to kjacecko@teachinggreen.org.

Find out more about the Guide by clicking here.

Eco-Gadgets & Innovations

EcoPower® Faucets

Got chronic water-wasters living in your home? These hands-free faucets from Toto® help minimize wasted water and use no energy in the process.

EcoPower Faucets use the very water that flows through them to power the Smart Sensor System that turns them on an off. The flow of water spins a high-efficiency turbine to create an electrical current that is stored in rechargeable cells. EcoPower replenishes its charge with as few as five uses a day and is optimized at a mere 10 uses per day.

Putting Water to Work:

EcoPower Faucet

Pricey, yes. But a wonderful example of how technology might just let us have our cake and eat it too.

For more information visit www.whytotology.com.

Myth Busters: Energy

Computers

When it comes to computers, there are several myths that lead people to leave them on unnecessarily, wasting energy and money. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, one computer left on all year uses 1,230 kWh, costing you roughly $98.

Myth:
Constantly shutting down and restarting your computer consumes more energy than just leaving it on.

Fact:The surge of power that a computer uses to boot up is far less than the energy it uses when left on for more than three minutes. According to the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, it's a good idea to shut down if you'll be away from your computer for one hour or more.

Myth:
Frequently shutting down and restarting your computer damages the hard drive, power supply, and other electronic components.

Fact: In older computers, this was true. Their hard disks did not automatically park their heads when shut off. Modern hard disks, however, are not significantly affected by frequent shutdowns. In fact, shutting down computers at night and on weekends may increase (rather than decrease) the operating lifetime of the equipment.

Myth:
If your computer goes into low-power/sleep mode, you will lose your network connection.

Fact: Newer computers are designed to maintain their network connections in low-power/sleep mode to prevent loss of data.

L.A. Confidential

Upcoming happenings in and around Los Angeles:


LA Green Drinks

Relax, have a drink, make new friends, network and share ideas with others interested in environmental issues.

LA Green Drinks - West Side: 1st Thursday of the month
LA Green Drinks - South Bay: 2nd Thursday of the month
LA Green Drinks - West Hollywood/Silver Lake: 3rd Thursday of the month
LA Green Drinks - Valley: 4th Thursday of the month

For more information, visit: lagreendrinks.blogspot.com.


TeachingGreen Workshop: Helping the Earth With Every Bite

Date: Monday,  June 16 2008
Time: 7:00 - 8:30pm
Location: Whole Foods Market Torrance; 2655 PCH Torrance 90505Whole Foods logo
Cost: Suggested donation of $5

Producing our food takes a surprisingly significant toll on the environment, but it doesn't have to be that way. Thank Mother Earth for her delicious bounty by choosing foods that nourish the body without harming the Earth. Learn about the environmental impacts of various foods, including meat, seafood, and conventionally-grown produce. For more info, visit www.teachinggreen.org.

Note: This is the second of four workshops, but each workshop is a self-contained event, so don't worry if you missed the first one.


Venice Eco-Fest

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2008
Time: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Location: 1 Windward Ave Venice, CA 90291
Cost: FREE

The newest, all day eco-festival including music & arts on the beach in Venice. For more information visit www.earthdayla.org.


Environmental Expo, El Segundo

Date: Thursday, July 3, 2008
Time: 3:00 - 7:00pm
Location: 350 Main Street, El Segundo 90245
Cost: FREE

Come and see a wide array of environmentally friendly products and services. Lots of great ideas to preserve the environment and save money. For more information, click here.

Eco-Flicks & Books

The 11th Hour
2007, Available on DVD


This riveting documentary by Leonardo DiCaprio explores the causes,The 11th Hour effects and possible solutions to the global environmental crisis. The film features dialogues with experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

 For more info visit wip.warnerbros.com.

Good News!

Brazil Protects Vast New Areas of Amazon Rainforest


BRASILIA, Brazil, June 6, 2008 (ENS) - Brazil commemorated World Environment Day yesterday by signing into existence four new protected areas, three of them in the Amazon rainforest.

Following a speech in observance of the special day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the documents authorizing the three new protected areas in the Amazon, including Mapinguari National Park in Amazonas state, named after a mythical red furry creature supposedly living in the rainforest....

Click here for full article.


TeachingGreen is a 503(c)(3) organization, and as such, we depend on tax-deductible donations from treehuggers like you! If you'd like to become a member, see the Quick Links above.

We hope you find this newsletter helpful and informative, and should you have any suggestions, questions or general comments, we'd love to hear from you.
 
Sincerely,

Kathleen Jacecko
TeachingGreen