ParkHowell.com » Earth Hour

Download Your Earth Hour to Earth Day Challenge Calendar and Start Saving the Planet 5 Minutes at a Time.

Park — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:47:58 +0000

As you know by now, I’ve taken the CoolPeopleCare.org Earth Hour to Earth Day Challenge. In fact, I’ve written two posts that make it easy for everyone to participate. Each provides 26 things you can do every day in five minutes or less at your home and/or office to complete the challenge. I wanted to make it even easier with your own downloadable EH2ED calendar, which includes all of the links from the posts. Just check-off each day as you complete one of these easy green tasks. You can even mix them up if you like. And of course, please let me know of any five minute activities that I missed.

Download your calendar from this link: parkhowellcom-eh2ed-challenge-calendar

And please feel free to retweet it with your Twitter world. Thank you.

Eco-Capitalism: How to Build a Small Empire from Worm Droppings

Park — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:55:59 +0000

What better way to follow-up Earth Hour as we move towards Earth Day than with a spotlight on one the world’s leading eco-capitalists: TerraCycle.

Essentially, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, upcycles trash and turns it into new products. We’re not talking just plastics, cans and glass. We’re talking just about everything.

They got their start by feeding organic waste to worms, liquefying their poop and packaging it in reused soda bottles.

Today, TerraCycle produces a host of organic lawn & garden products, household cleaners, fire starters and logs, bags, and office products; all from upcycled materials.

TerraCycle isn’t just selling to you. The company gets you involved. Check out their “Capri Sun & Honest Kids Drink Pouch Brigade” From their site:

Every year BILLIONS of drink pouches end up in dumpsters and landfills across America. TerraCycle, Capri Sun and Honest Kids are working together to put an end to this awful loss of resources. As an eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle is going to convert the used drink pouches into unique fashion bags, tote bags, and pencil cases for kids and adults!

Where a lot of “green” companies fall down is the lack of education on how exactly they produce their products, which leaves much to the imagination of a cynical public. Not TerraCycle. Throughout their site they do a nice job showing how the products are made.

Finally, you don’t become a great eco-capitalist without some great eco-marketing. Last year TerraCycle teamed with Target stores and Newsweek Magazine on a brilliant promotion. Again, one designed to get their customers involved in their mission while generating the “raw materials” they needed for their inventory: In this case, plastic bags.

TerraCycle ran an ad on the cover of Newsweek and created a postage-paid envelope that invited readers to send in their used plastic Target bags. The returned bags were then re-purposed into the store’s unique ReTote bags. Those mailing in their bags received a coupon for a free ReTote from Target. This ad ran last year in the April 7 edition of Newsweek.

Keep an eye for hopefully another clever marketing/recycling/educational stunt by TerraCycle.

26 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet Between Earth Hour and Earth Day.

Park — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:30:37 +0000

I’ve taken the CoolPeopleCare.org’s Earth Hour to Earth Day Challenge. Now I’m daring you to do the same. I’ll even make it easy by recommending 26 different things you can do every day to help save the planet five-minutes at a time. It all begins on Earth Hour on March 28 at 8:30 pm and runs through Earth Day, April 22, 2009.

You can start by signing up for Earth Hour to Earth Day Challenge on Twitter for your daily tip. And be sure to send a tweet or email each day letting your friends, family and followers know how you’re greening your lifestyle.

For each of the 26 days, take five minutes to do one of the following:

Follow Water – Use It Wisely on Twitter to receive your daily water-saving tip.
Change out three old fashion light bulbs in your home or office to compact flourescent lighting (CFL).
Give up your car and don’t drive it (or anyone else’s) for one full day.
Pick-up three re-usable shopping bags from your grocer and keep them handy in your car, and of course, use them instead of paper or plastic.
Take five minutes to properly set your thermostat with this easy guide from EnergyStar.
Learn how to increase your gas mileage, whether you own a hybrid or not.
Learn how to start a community garden for your neighborhood. You may end up growing more friendships than produce.
Take five minutes to play “Tip Tank” water conservation concentration game. Great for the entire family.
Wrap your water heater. Once you pick-up the insulating blanket, it doesn’t even take five minutes to install it. You’ll save energy and money.
Make five minutes to take your lunch to work.
Make sure your irrigation timer is set appropriately for spring and summer.
Wake up five minutes earlier every morning and put that time to use for a green project or thought.
Sign up for CoolPeopleCare.org’s daily email on easy things you can do to help the planet five minutes at a time.
Take Kohler’s 3-minute toilet quiz, and learn how you can get a FREE high-efficiency commode while raising funds for Habitat for Humanity.
Use your blog or website to offset 350 pounds of carbon by placing the Brighter Planet badge on your site.
Opt out of receiving wasteful yellow and white pages printed phone directories.
Donate/recycle your clothes and household items to Goodwill, and don’t forget to take five minutes to find a treasure in their stores.
Download this directory of 100+ websites all about green living for easy access, sharing and use in your daily life.
Take five minutes to learn how carbon offsetting works so that you can apply it in your personal life and promote it through your professional one.
Learn how NOT to be an energy sucking appliance vampire with this incredibly inventive 54-second video from DoTheGreenThing.com

Plug Out Boy feat. Green Monday from Green Thing on Vimeo.

Download the new iPhone app, GreenMeter, which helps you calculate your car’s carbon footprint relative to your commute and driving habits.
Learn the easiest, most convenient places to safely recylce hazardous materials in your neighborhood and commit to getting rid of the paint, insecticides and other harmful chemicals in your garage this weekend.
Quickly learn how to compost and re-use organic waste instead of filling up your garbage and our landfills.
Shorten your showers to five minutes or less and you’ll save thousands of gallons every month. Download 100+ other water-saving tips for easy reference.
Learn the 12 things you can do to reduce particulate pollution.
Throw an eco-friendly Earth Day party!

What are you going to do to make a difference for the Earth Hour to Earth Day Challenge? Please let me know by commenting below and/or sending me and your followers an email or tweet.