November 7, 2012 / Issue 124

     

Mrs. Green's World  



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Greetings!

 

A Few Words On Superstorm Sandy
& Green Talk Radio

 

I could not write a newsletter on this day without sending love, support, thoughts and prayers to the millions of people whose lives have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy. I am a Jersey girl so I was feeling the pain from afar as the news rolled in. I was in constant contact with a niece and two friends who related in their own unique ways the depth and breadth of the devastation. We will continue to send our good, healing thoughts and prayers and donations, to the extent possible, in these days, weeks and months to come. And as passionate as I am about spreading the good word on green talk radio, it felt weirdly okay that our show streaming was interrupted for exactly one week. I guess at some level it made me feel more a part of the far reaching impact on the lives of so many and our lack of power over any of it. Respect for Mother Nature indeed.




The Green Kids at St. Michael's Have It!

(And so does Sam Levitz)

 

The judges have cast their votes and the winner of Arizona's Greenest Workplace Challenge is......(imagine a drum roll here) St. Michael's Parish School! And the People's Choice Award goes to......Sam Levitz Furniture. Congratulations to both winners and please do read on.

I encourage you to read all about the efforts of St. Michael's Parish Day School by visiting their submission on our website. The short version is their initiatives center around water, electricity, and paper products. They are saving water (56,000 gallons of rain water annually by collecting rainwater in cisterns) and are reducing their use of electricity (they installed SOLAR, retrofitted light fixtures) in every way they can. In addition (and one of my favorites) they installed HET's (high efficiency toilets) to save even more water and can now enjoy guilt free flushing.

In addition to water and electricity reduction, St. Michael's has made a major effort to reduce their waste by doing wonderful things like purchasing iPads for teachers and students to allow them to receive instructional material electronically as well as engaging in an aggressive paper recycling program.

As to reusing? This might be one of my favorite lines from the submission: "One of the main reusable goods that we purchase is textbooks. Since the school began we have had the policy of sending used textbooks to World Care so that they can be used by other academic institutions." Bingo! They are learning to give back at very young ages.

The number one reason the judges gave for choosing St. Michael's is a great one to share - it is about hope for our future and the future of our planet. Seeing what the children are learning and doing did not make the choice an easy one given all of the great submissions but it is what gave St. Michael's the top spot. Here's the last line from their submission: Its mission is to provide for the development of leaders for the 21st century global community. Congratulations and stay tuned for an update on the celebration. I hope I get invited!

The People's Choice Award was Sam Levitz Furniture! Their submission and their contribution to our community AND the global community is significant, impressive, and certainly makes them worthy of receiving this award and recognition. I sincerely hope you will take the time to read about what Sam Levitz's has done and continues to do to act as good stewards of the planet. Here are some highlights:

 

  • They are on track to reduce their landfill waste by 16% from 2011 to 2012
  • By taking energy saving measures at four of their retail facilities, they are reducing consumption AND their cooling costs by 15%
  • They have updated their fleet using the newest technology to lower carbon emissions, cut down on idling time, and have reduced their fuel usage by almost 3000 gallons annually
  • They donate in EXCESS of $50,000 of furniture annually to social service agencies
  • They are on target to recycle almost 1 MILLION pounds of cardboard this year (an increase of 35% over last year)

 

There's lots more they have done and continue to do so please follow the link to learn more. They are locally owned and are truly an outstanding example of what one company can do to make a difference. Yes, they reduce and recycle - big numbers in fact. Yes, they give back through various community organizations. Yes, they employ almost 500 people! AND yes - they care enough to do what they do in terms of commitment to a healthier planet for all of us. And the BEST part for me? They cared enough to share it with us and everyone in the Mrs. Green's World community. I hope they will inspire other businesses to action and to share their stories and incredible accomplishments with us next year. Kudos, praise, thanks and high five to Sam Levitz Furniture - the people's choice for greenest workplace!

 

Intentional (as opposed to random) Green Thought from Mrs. Green

Every member of the Mrs. Green team constantly thinks of ways to actively support our sponsors and advertisers. We use their businesses, promote their businesses to family, friends and co-workers and use our own personal social media platforms to do the same. Why? Because, we believe in them and in their companies. I invite you to get to know them, to check them out, to support them by buying their products or using their services. Each, in their own way, contributes to the health of our community and to the planet.  


What's Going On at Sea of Green? 

I had the pleasure of having lunch with Justin Cosgrove, an owner of Sea of Green, last week. He has his own garden, raises chickens, cares passionately about our planet and supports other locally owned businesses whenever possible. It drives him crazy that he can't buy everything they sell in their five stores from suppliers based in Arizona. We aren't there yet but people like Justin give me hope that we are moving in the right direction. Check them out

Upcoming Shows     

 

November 10

Update: National Resource Defense Council   

Ed Osann

Ed Osann, Senior Policy Analyst, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Ed was such a great guest that I promised to have him on the air again. I always keep my promise. He will be talking about safe chemicals and defending the Clean Air Act. And this made me laugh: "In my off-hours, I'm a good gardener, a fair angler, and a mediocre (or worse) golfer. Hunting, tennis, and, water skiing are more memory than reality. But maybe next weekend I'll get back into one of them." Looking forward to it? Check this out. This show sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.  

   
November 17 
Gas Hole of the Month 
GasHole
Scott Roberts - Host of the TV show FSTV
& producer of the movie Gas Hole
Scott was one of the very first guests on my show almost four years ago. He is fun, funny, passionate and entertaining. And did I say smart? Join us to find out what Gas Hole - the Movie is all about. It will shock AND inform you. Hope you are in. This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.


November 24

The Organic Consumers Association  

Carmelo Ruiz

How do I make yet another show jump off the page at you? Read on. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. They are the ONLY organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. I can't wait. This show sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.    

 

December 1

Field to Fork  

Anita M Kobuszewski Anita M Kobuszewski, MS, RD - AnitaBeHealthy: A Food, Nutrition & Lifestyle Consulting Company.

Want to hear some passion about healthy food? Sustainable gardening? Nutrition? Wellness? I have met Anita and she is all that and more. In her spare time, she wrote a book called Field to Fork about how to grow sustainably, shop wisely, cook nutritiously and eat deliciously. Think she will have some great thoughts/tips/experiences to share? You can count on it. This show sponsored by The Fairfax Companies.

 

December 8

Credible Green Marketing  

Jacquie Ottman Jacquie Ottman - The Green Guru

Jacquie is an internationally recognized expert on the rules of green marketing, she is loved and respected by people and companies all over the planet and she is a mentor and friend to members of the Mrs. Green team. She authored the book , The New Rules of Green Marketing, she consults with Fortune 500 companies, writes a regular blog and she is a much sought after public speaker. Sounds like enough? Not for the Divine Ms. Ottman. Her latest passion is the launch of a campaign that I encourage you to check out and join. Incredible human being, incredible show! This show sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.  

 

December 15
Little Injections of Wisdom
PLEASE NOTE: This show did not air on November 3 due to power outages as a result of Hurricane Sandy 
Eric Sinoway Eric Sinoway - President & Co-founder of Axcess Worldwide & author of Howard's Gift
Eric wrote this book to "capture and share little injections of wisdom" he received whenever he spent time with his teacher, colleague and now dear friend Howard Stevenson. Mr. Sinoway is an entrepreneur and a pioneer in corporate partnership development but he was shockingly reminded to make every day count when his friend suffered a near-fatal heart attack while walking across the campus at Harvard. This show will be of the sustaining your soul kind - likened already to Tuesdays with Morrie. Now that is saying something. Hope you will join us. This show sponsored by The Fairfax Companies

Mrs. Green's World 
GREEN TALK RADIO Show
Please remember to tune in to Mrs. Green's World every Saturday at 12:00 pm PST, live streaming on the Internet. 

  

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