http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

Reduce your carbon footprint and boost your bank account with these easy, healthy, earth-friendly tips from Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.

1. Choose eco workout wear.

Look for tops, pants, shorts — even sports bras made with recycled materials, such as Cocona fabrics, which come from coconut shells. They dry quickly and provide excellent sun and odor protection. (For info and products, go to www.coconafabric.com.) Need new sneaks? Brooks running shoes feature the industry’s first biodegradable midsole (www.brooksrunning.com).

2. Make a fair trade.

Instead of buying new fitness DVDs and books, use swapping sites like www.swapadvd.com and www.paperbackswap.com to trade with thousands of other people for free.

3. Wheel and deal on exercise equipment.

Whether it’s a bike, a Bowflex, or a Precor elliptical machine, you’ll find great deals at craigslist.org in the local classified ads and forums.

4. Get your grooves for less.

Why pay full price for an MP3 player? Check out sites that offer refurbished electronics, like www.dyscern.com where you can save more than 50 percent off the retail price. Refurbished items are typically those that were returned within 30 days of purchase, had damaged packaging or a slight cosmetic defect, were used as in-store display items, or were simply overstocked. Many are still covered by their original warranties; before they can be resold they go through rigorous defect testing.

5. Drink smarter.

More than 38 billion disposable plastic bottles end up in landfills every year in the United States. Instead of adding to that number, tote a reusable water bottle and fill it with filtered water. At FilterForGood.com, a campaign created by Brita and Nalgene, you can sign a pledge to give up disposable water bottles and get a coupon for $5 off a Brita system.

6. Save water and energy.

Less water for your daily shower + less heat = lower utility bills. Evolve has designed a series of water-saving showerheads that let the cold H20 run until the water temperature reaches 95 degrees and then stops it to a trickle until you step into the shower and turn the valve. If you choose the Roadrunner low-flow showerhead ($39.95), you’ll also save about one gallon of water per minute. Find out more at www.evolveshowerheads.com.

7. Keep cool.

Set the right temperature in your home with a Lux digital thermostat — an affordable, Energy Star-rated option that starts at about $35 and is available at stores like Wal-Mart and Sears. Energy Star requires that all of its qualified models come with four pre-programmed settings to automatically adjust temperatures throughout the night and day.
8. Breathe easier.

A HEPA filter vacuum sucks up very small particles of dust, allergens, and chemicals and traps them in the vacuum instead of spewing them back out into the air. The Eureka Upright is one of the most affordable HEPA filter vacuums available at around $140.

9. Carpool.

Zimride is a ride-share service that lets you create personal profiles, like Facebook, and select car mates who share similar music tastes or favorite sports teams. Zimmers can evaluate things like driving speed and smoking preferences before agreeing to hop in. www.zimride.com.

10. Better yet, bike to work.

Cut down on car emissions and get some exercise by cycling to your office. Go to Mapmyride.com, plug in your starting point and your destination and you’ll be able to see the route’s elevation map. Choose a path with hills for a workout, or a flatter ride to arrive sweat-free.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/spirit/your-best-you/10-ways-to-go-green-get-healthy-save-money/

Here is a list of the ways The Sustainable Development Commission, headed by Sir Jonathan Porritt, said the Government could meet targets on green living.

1. Carbon credit cards

2. Happiness lessons

3. More outdoor education

4. Free bikes

5. Locally produced food

6. Grow vegetables on public land

7. Increase NHS spending on preventing ill health

8. Use internet to help communities work together

9. Public forum on the future to look at Government policy for the long term

10. Royal Bank of Sustainability invests money in climate change projects

11. Government-issued green bonds invest in renewables

12. Low carbon zones of energy efficient housing

13. Councils and private companies join up to provide cheap insulation

14. Pay-as-you save to help households pay for efficiency measures by taking cost from electricity bills

15. Green jobs for the unemployed

16. Cap amount of energy from fossil fuels that companies can sell

17. Look at new ways of controlling global emissions as part of any international agreement

18. Charcoal produced from burning wood chips or “bio-char” could be ploughed back into the ground as fertiliser

19. Carbon captured from burning fossil fuels can be used to grow algae which is then converted into biofuels

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenerliving/5702689/Green-living-19-ways-to-save-the-planet—list.html

http://www.pcmag.com

Recycling your old, unwanted cell phone and carrying your laptop in an eco-friendly bag are just some of the steps you can take to protect the environment.

Most folks aren’t exactly what you’d call “environmentally conscious” when it comes to technology. We often leave our computers powered up for weeks on end (even though we know better). Our old cell phones get tucked away in dresser drawers alongside other discarded devices. Peek into our homes and offices, and you’ll often find chargers still plugged into sockets even though they’re not in use.

Not every techie is guilty of all of these crimes against the environment, of course. Some of us have actively taken the first step toward going green, such as investing in a green PC, or using solar-powered gadget chargers and LEDs. But these aren’t the only ways we can take better care of the environment. Whether it’s recycling an old cell phone or reducing computer power, here are 10 steps you can take towards going green.

1. Use an Eco-Friendly Laptop Bag: Targus Grove Bags

Targus recently released its line of eco-friendly notebook bags, made of recyclable material and nickel-free metals, and are PVC-free. The Grove Bags line consists of the Messenger ($49.99), Sling ($59.99), Topload ($59.99), and Convertible Messenger/Backpack ($79.99). The cases fit 15.4-inch laptops, and also include a security strap and custom pockets for your water bottle and MP3 player. Targus will offer free shipping to anywhere in the U.S. for the rest of April. In addition to the green bags, Targus partnered with Dell on its “Plant a Tree for Me” program to help off-set the impact carbon emissions have on the environment.

2. Reduce Computer Energy: The ecobutton

The next time you leave your computer to take a lunch break, attend a business meeting, or go away for the weekend, press the ecobutton to put your computer in energy-saving mode. This recycled, computer power-saving device can really make a difference for your home or work PC power usage. It can be placed on your desk and connects to your computer via USB. When you’re about to take a break, press the button, and your computer will be put into energy-saving “eco-mode,” which is said to ensure that both your computer and monitor draw the same nominal power as when they are shut down. In addition, each time your computer is put into “ecomode,” the ecobutton software records how many carbon units and how much power and money you have saved. The ecobutton is available outside the UK for £17.92 ($35 USD) plus shipping costs.

3. Unplug Your Phone Charger: Nokia’s Mobile Tip

Nokia recently shared some very helpful green mobile-phone tips with us. A simple way to save energy in your home is by unplugging your phone charger when your phone is fully charged. “Two-thirds of the energy consumed by a mobile phone during its usage is lost when the phone is fully charged and unplugged but the charger is left connected to the outlet,” according to the company. In an effort to remind consumers to unplug their charger, Nokia released four phone models that include alerts to remind people to unplug the charger once the battery is full: the 1200, 1208, 1650, and the 3110 Evolve, which is currently available in select European markets. By the end of 2008, virtually all of Nokia’s newly launched phones will have this alert built in. To learn more about Nokia’s environmental efforts, visit www.nokia.com/environment.

4. Share Your Favorite Green Products: Amazon’s Green 3

Amazon.com just launched Green 3, a site where Amazon shoppers can list the three green products they are most passionate about and would recommend to other consumers. Amazon’s vast selection of environmentally-friendly products includes everything from Electronics & Computers to Home Improvement. Consumers can also educate themselves about going green with the ongoing series of postings from leaders in the green community.

5. Web Surf the Green Way: Flock’s Eco-Edition Browser

Social Web browser Flock, which lets users organize their online interests in one place, has launched an Eco-Edition browser. Scheduled to go live on Earth Day, the new Web platform is built on the company’s existing model of social applications, offering a wide range of environmentally related content from media streams, news feeds, and recommended bookmarks that will be free to download and use. Flock partnered with major news and information outlets like Discovery Networks, The New York Times, and TreeHugger.

6. Recycle Old Phones: Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine Program

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 130 million cell phones will be retired this year, and fewer than 20 percent of those phones will be recycled. Verizon Wireless wants to make it easier for mobile phone users to recycle no-longer-used wireless phones through its HopeLine phone-recycling program. The phones are “refurbished, recycled or sold and the proceeds are donated to domestic violence advocacy groups or used to purchase wireless phones and service for survivors.” Go to www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline to find a store to donate.

7. Educate Your Kids: Planet Earth, SeaLife, and WildLife DVD Games

Saving the planet is important for people of all ages. What better way for parents and children to explore the beauty of the planet and the importance of keeping it clean than with Imagination Games’ three new DVD board games? In Planet Earth ($25), answer a range of trivia questions based on the award-winning television series. The DVD game features categories like Fresh Water/Ice Worlds and Seasonal Forests/Jungles, and is made out of 100-percent recycled materials. In SeaLife ($27), players collect sea creature cards by correctly answering educational ocean-based trivia questions. And in WildLife ($30), players explore the African Serengeti safari.

8. Shop Green Electronics: CircuitCity.com’s Online Resource

Electronics retailer Circuit City offers a new online resource that aids consumers in adopting a green lifestyle. By visiting www.circuitcity.com/green, consumers can research and shop for products that have earned ENERGY STAR designations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The site also offers tips for recycling electronics, saving energy, and spotlights Circuit City’s trade-in program, which allows consumers to turn in old electronics in exchange for Circuit City gift cards.

9. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: iLinc’s Green Meter Web Conferencing

If you’re a frequent business traveler, you may want to mention to your boss that it’s better to Web conference than commute. James M. Powers, Jr., head of the Web conferencing software company iLinc, designed the Green Meter, a CO2 savings application embedded in the company’s conferencing products. Inspired by Al Gore’s initiative to save the earth, the Green Meter uses a “mathematical algorithm to detect the locations of the people that are attending a Web conference via IP address and measures the distance between the meeting participants and the meeting leader.” The program then arrives at the amount of travel and measures how much CO2 is saved by Web conferencing rather than commuting. iLinc’s Green Meter comes standard with iLinc version 9.0.

10. Travel Green: SmarterTravel.com

SmarterTravel.com, an online travel resource, is covering new eco-friendly travel destinations for its “Trip du Jour” series every day for the month of April. The series will feature domestic and international destinations, including New York City, Berkeley, and Iceland. For instance, the site highlights the Big “Green” Apple, with organic bakery finds and environmentally friendly clothing stores.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2286030,00.asp