Travel Green - Support Green Hotels

I travel a lot for work and one way that I try to offset my travel output is by staying at eco-friendly hotels. I am HUGE fan of the Kimpton Hotels (when I stay in SF, I love the Hotel Triton and I just saw today that the staff at one of the Kimpton Hotels, Hotel Solamar is supporting the victims of the California Wildfires in San Diego...too cool...

Being a conscious spender means being aware of a company and their practices and I have always admired the Kimpton company for their environmental eco-friendly hotel practices (organic bedding, towels, conservation, recycling and more) but now I am a super fan of them socially too...

See their message below. If anyone wants to help the California fire victims, please do so and as a conscious customer, SUPPORT GREAT COMPANIES LIKE KIMPTON HOTELS!

We have been following the news of the wildfire and want to do something to help.

The staff of Hotel Solamar has begun efforts to provide emergency supplies to surrounding shelters to help the victims of the wildfires. To provide more widespread aid, Hotel Solamar is also collecting donations to be distributed by St. Vincent De Paul Charity and Goodwill.

If you would like to join us by making a donation, please bring the following items to the front desk at the Hotel Solamar between the hours of 8 am and 8 pm, through November 7, 2007:

* Clothing
* Blankets
* Non-perishable food
* Baby food and diapers
* Bottled water
* Pet supplies

Team Three Leaf is going to the Co-Op America Green Conference in SF! Come see us!

Team Three Leaf is going to remove ourselves from our computer monitors next week to attend the Co-Op America Green Conference in San Francisco!

We will be getting our green brains on and meeting like-minded green companies and organizations.

Stay tuned for blog updates from the show and contact us if you want to meet up! We are making tree-free holiday cards this year for organizations to save time, trees and money and can't wait to talk it up next week!

If you haven't yet, sign up for the green business conference!

Green Goods - Instyle.com

It is often a challenge to be a shopper junkie and a conscious spender, so I was stoked that Instyle.com had a Green Goods slideshow on their site...perfect for conscious spenders like us!!!

Pure Prevention - Help Reduce your Chances of Breast Cancer

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so the team at Breast Cancer Fund, Luna Bar and Pure Prevention have joined forces to help fight the fight by preventing breast cancer in the first place!

There are easy steps that can be taken to help prevent Breast Cancer, many are simply conscious choices:

1. Create a Healthy Home - Be conscious and make wise choices about your household cleaners, furnishings and pest killers. We breathe all that crud you know!!!
2. Eat Smart - We are what we eat, including the chemicals in our food. Before you fill that grocery cart up, think before you buy. Buy quality food, your body will love you for it!
3. Choose Safe Cosmetics - The makeup we buy matters. Some of the industry's worst offenders include nail polish, hair dye, hair relaxer and skin lighteners. For a list of save cosmetics, visit Skin Deep
4. Get Outside - The air indoors can be really toxic, mix it up, breathe fresh air and move that body!
5. Join the Pure Prevention Campaign

Toxic Costumes? Halloween Goes Green

Not really. Halloween wouldn't be Halloween, after all, if there weren't the staple colors of orange and black everywhere!

But, now your Halloween can be ³greener² thanks to some tips provided by Treehugger.

PVC and vinyl create toxins such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates. Yea, thanks but no thanks.

And if you read our post about how toxic make-up is, then you already know about how toxic these face paints really are. Some of the toxins you will find here include formaldehyde, lead, and other potential cancer-causing agents.

Treehugger suggests getting creative and finding things in your closet or the local thrift store that will turn your children into those Halloween ghouligans!

What about the make-up? Maybe try to make your own this year. Might be
fun. Read more about Green Halloween Costumes

The State Of Our Planet, Graphically Speaking That Is

People like you and me post on blogs like Conscious Spending, make conscious choices in our living and try to make a difference for the world because we are aware of what kind of impact we have on our environment. So, we all also know how big of a threat the climate crisis really is.

But, amazingly, many people are still in denial when it comes to just how critical and urgent the situation really is. BBC came out with a great story that shows the effects of global warming and human impacts on the climate crisis, with nicely illustrated pictures.

Now, for those of us who are unable to "picture" the breadth of this looming disaster, now we can get a great visual reference through these images.

Check it out on BBC.

Wildfires Consume California

We are all aware of the devastating situation with the wildfires in Southern California. I¹m sure there are a lot of factors contributing to the destruction by this super fire, including overgrowth of plants in the area, high-population density and the intense winds. With crazy gusts over 50 mph, the wind is helping to spread the fire quickly and creating a very dangerous environment, which includes the now famous Fire Tornado.

Now, area residents are being warned to stay indoors as the air quality continues to decrease. These types of fires emit very dangerous, and tiny, soot particles that can cause extreme health concerns, especially for the younger and older populations.

I was in Denver during the Heyman Fire, and the skies were an eerie orange glow and their was ash constantly falling on my patio; and that fire was a good 50 miles out of town. I can only imagine how intense and crazy this urban fire is and the kind of havoc it is wreaking in this densely populated region of the US.

Our thoughts are with the residents, both those in danger and those 500K displaced people, and hopefully Mother Nature will lend those brave firefighters a hand.

Pre-Consumer waste bags are HOT!

I was oogling over my friend's cute tote bag the other day and it turns out that it they are made from pre-consumer waste...it may not sound sexy to some, but to someone like me who is trying to make eco-friendly purchases, I was giddy.


Bazura Bags is a women’s cooperative in the Philippines that utilizizes ‘Pre-Consumer’ waste packaging gathered from juice container manufacturers and used advertising banners in and around Manila. This waste material is normally deposited into landfills.

The co-op cleans the used materials and recycles them into these great bags! Way to take poor recycling systems and find a positive spin! Great holiday gift too...

Your Next Home A Tree House?

Every year the car companies come out with these insane concept ideas for cars of the future; and now there is one for homes!

Tree houses aren't just for kids anymore. There is an architectural concept for a house that can be built by, and in, a tree over the period of 5 years.

From future-thinking architects Mitchell Joachim and Javier Arbona, this tree house utilizes vines, roots and the tree itself to build a perfectly "normal" house.

The inside of the home will be plastered with the usual materials and techniques, while apparently the windows are the last point of concern. The architects still work to discover a way to make soy-based windows, or some other natural material, that can continue to grow with the house.

I'm not sure how mud and plaster would grow with the house, but I love this futuristic idea! I love that people are thinking about what our future can be like, beyond flying cars, and living in the skies like the Jetson's.

Check out the house for yourself with this green living tree house video

Three Leaf In Santa Barbara Independent - Green Greeting Cards

Three Leaf Cards was featured in the Santa Barbara Independent today! Very cool that our local press is into conscious companies, especially as we approach the holidays. It's the year to send tree-free cards!

Happy Heating

I don't know about where you live, but here it is getting downright chilly at night. The heater is starting to get warmed up for the busy winter season.

With winter nipping at our toes, here are some helpful hints to make your heating experience greener.

1. So, think you'll be saving some cash this winter by using that fireplace? Did you know that fireplaces are, on average, only 10% efficient? That means they lose 90% of their heat through the chimney, which may not make this such a good idea after all. If you must burn, consider ecobrics. They are made with compressed sawdust and are less harmful on our atmosphere. Burning longer is also a plus.

2. Here's an easy, low-cost, no brainer... it is actually zero cost. Since most of a home's heat is lost through the windows, pull those drapes closed at night!

3. Speaking of windows, storm windows can save up to 50% of heat!

4. It also helps to have any leaks or cracks fixed. If you have a broken seal on your window, or you can see light gaping through the door and the frame, you probably have a little work to be done. Don¹t overlook outlets!

5. The last tip for today is to spread the wealth. A fan set at low can keep the air moving at eye level instead of trapping all that good heat in the ceilings or in unused spaces.

Here are 3 even bigger ways to step it up:
1. Harness the sun. ­ There are a couple of ways to harness the unrelenting power of the sun: solar panels and solar water. There are many more tax rebates available for installing such energy savers, and the costs to build are getting much cheaper. Many homes have an option for one or both ways to capture and store the sun¹s energy, and it's easier than it ever was before.

2. Solar panels not in your future? If not, you can upgrade your current furnace and/or water heater. Today¹s models are much more efficient, potentially saving electricity, gas and water. You may want to have a handyperson give your old units a quick look through, as they may just need a minor tweak or two to operate at a very acceptable 78% efficiency.

3. Gooooo Geothermal! The stats from Treehugger¹s post about geothermal are so staggering, I¹m pasting them below (mostly word for word):
While a 3-ton geo system at $7,500 compares with $4,000 for a traditional HVAC
system, a geo system could save around $700/yr., paying for itself in less
than six years, not even counting the lower maintenance costs as well as the
government rebates and incentives available. Over 1 million homes in the US
use geo-exchange systems, saving 9 billion pounds of CO2 per year.

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, don¹t mind the brown of the trees and the white of the snow; just keep thinking green.

States Rank In Carbon Output

Hope everyone had a great Blog Action Day! It was such a success that they are planning to do it again next year. Over 20,000 websites participated. You can read more stats on how big of an impact we all made at www.blogactionday.org.

Speaking of stats, I stumbled upon a very interesting website today. It details, by state, exactly how green we are, regionally speaking, based on our energy consumption.

There are some obvious winners, like the fairly populated states, but there are some surprises in here. For instance, California fares better than N.M. in per capita carbon output, while Alaska, which has one of the lowest population ranks, is the number 3 contributor to U.S. carbon output, with Wyoming taking No.1.

Check it out in detail on Eredux.

Conscious Spenders – Get on Green Dry Cleaning!

I felt like I was pretty green when it came to dry cleaning. I do not get plastic bags over my garments (which is easier said than done), I recycle my hangers, and I wear my dry-cleanables as many times as I can before I have to take them in. However, after I read Co-op America’s article today about Green Dry Cleaning, I am realizing that there is a lot more to the equation….

Part of the Green dry cleaning equation is about the waste, but is it very much about the chemicals that are used to “clean” the clothes too - chemincals that are dangerous to our health and the environment (which of course, impacts health, all cyclical)

According to the Occidental College’s Pollution Prevention Center, 85% of dry cleaners in the US (over 35,000) use perchloroethylene (also called perc) as a solvent in the dry cleaning process. This is a toxic chemical that is not good for people or the planet.

But we are not doomed to perc-cleaning. There are ways to clean clothes bearing a “Dry Clean Only” label without putting toxins into the environment, or bringing dangerous chemicals home or harming the health of the employees working at dry cleaners (thinking about their exposure to all those chemicals freaks me out)

We love Co-Op America’s suggested alternatives to dry cleaning:

Best Bets for Delicate Clothes (from Co-op America)
Our top recommendations for dealing with your “Dry Clean Only” clothes:

• Handwash your dry-clean-only clothes: Green living expert and Care2.com editor Annie Bond offers eco-friendly instructions on safely handwashing silk, wool, and rayon clothing.

• Use wet and liquid CO2 cleaners: Occidental College recently launched a national directory of liquid CO2 and wet cleaners. (The liquid CO2 cleaners listed do not include Solvair cleaners, which use a toxic solvent as part of their process.) Also, keep in mind that some wet cleaners, like Chicago’s Greener Cleaner, allow you to mail in your clothes and will mail them back to you wet-cleaned and pressed. Contact Greener Cleaner at 888/875-8345.

• Avoid hydrocarbon, greenearth, and solvair CO2 cleaning: Though somewhat better than perc, these methods all use toxic solvents.

And because Co-op America rocks, they even condensed all the information in their Real Money green dry cleaning article into a portable dry cleaning alternatives wallet card you can take with you. Get your downloadable green dry cleaning wallet card here.

Green Internet TV ­ A Tribute to Blog Action Day!

Happy Blog Action Day! In celebration of Mother Earth, bloggers all over the world are participating in Blog Action Day, where over 15k websites are all going to unite and blog with one voice for the environment.

For our participation, not only are we having a party with cake and streamers, but also we thought we would share some great websites that stream videos, all about the environment.

The first is Green.tv. Produced by the UN Environment Program, Green.tv takes a look at all environmental issues with a focus on climate change. Sounds like the latest college degree, doesn¹t it?

Big Picture TV features environmental speaker¹s videos from conferences and forums, primarily covering the topic of Ecology. It costs to play in their sandbox though.

UK-based Public TV offers videos from government, private and public organizations, with a dedicated channel to the environment. Keep a pulse on what is going on with environmental issues in other country¹s political chambers.

Frontier.tv ­the short and sweet is that this website offers a section that features a directory covering environmental and conservation topics.

Lastly there is Friction.tv. If debating is your game, this is the place for you.

Happy Blog Action day! Keep blogging away and keep thinking GREEN!

Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize

I can't help but imagine what the state of our country would be if Gore had not conceded and had taken a seat at the desk in the oval office on that controversial day nearly eight years ago.

Not only does he have an Emmy and an Oscar under his belt, but now he is also among the elite Nobel Peace Prize winners, joining the ranks with social advocates such as Jimmy Carter.

Of course, Al didn't win this on his own and shares the big prize with the UN Panel; but this is a huge win for the earth either way.

Not only has the general population finally accepted the fact that climate change is a real crisis and not just some Halloween myth, but now changes can finally be made to help reverse or slow global warming, which is affecting animals, plants and humans alike.

Read the full story on Al Gore's Peace Prize on Yahoo.

Be a part of the change you want to see in the world. You can send this free make a difference about climate change ecard to spread the word and inspire change.

The State Of The Paper Industry

According to GreenBiz.net, we aren't the only people working to limit our consumption of paper in the office and in business in general. On average, 42% of industrial wood harvest goes to paper.

The State of Paper Industry report produced by the Environmental Paper Network, takes a first-of-its-kind look at the paper consumption world, from recycling to forest depletion, within the context of climate crisis.

With "Reducing Your Carbon Footprint" becoming a common topic for more and more companies in North America, businesses are waking up and becoming more aware of their carbon footprint. They are taking steps to help alleviate their impact on global warming and the ever-threatening climate crisis.

Just a couple of key findings from the report include:

* Paper manufacturing is the largest consumer and polluter of our fresh water resources

* The paper industry is No. 4 contributor to greenhouse emissions.

You can read the full article and download the report by visiting GreenBiz.net.

Environmental Threat To Pregnant Women

Mostly in the farmlands of California and Florida, a pesticide used in strawberry farms to rid us of those nasty pests was banned after research found that it was contributing to the depletion of the ozone.

They replaced it with Methyl Iodide, which poses a more immediate threat to pregnant women and their unborn children.

Many scientists are urging the EPA to remove the pesticide and replace it with a safer chemical, but the debate continues.

You can read more about this issue in the recent article on Treehugger.

You can run, but you can't hide from climate change

Yep, you heard me. Climate change is scary...and so is Halloween, so in the name of seasonal online greetings, Three Leaf Cards created a spooky halloween ecard that has a cute climate change twist.

Check out the scary climate change ecard and tell us what you think.

And in the name of upcoming Hallmark holidays, there's no harm in a shameless pitch to remind all our conscious customers that you can send meangingful cards online to save time, money, stamps, resources and contribute to great nonprofit organizations (who are working to make the planet a better place) all at the same time.

Get a membership to Three Leaf Cards and you can pre-schedule all your Halloween cards now!

Stop Junk Mail - Help the Planet

I was at the post office today picking up my mail and I was abhorred by the poundage of junk mail discarded by the mail picker-uppers. As much as I wanted to have warm fuzzies that lots of the crap solicitation garbagio was going to recycled, I could not stop my level of growing infuriation (in public) that the stinking junk mail was delivered to all our mailboxes the first place.

I managed to not loose it in front of the other mail-gatherers and got into my car and remembered that change starts with me...so, what's a conscious consumer to do? The obvious answer was to take steps to stop the junk mail in the first place.

Being the conscious consuming nerd that I am, I started my research of companies that help stop junk mail. Some sites show you how to stop junk mail on your own but being a busy person, I realized quickly that I wanted to engage the help of a third party to do the heavy-lifting for me.

After comparing several stop junk mail sites, I found www.41pounds.org. Not only do they contact tons of direct marketing folks to stop your junk mail, they are an official carbon-free organization. 41pounds serves to stop junk mail and the service fee covers five years AND they donate more than a third of the fee to non profit organizations. Way coolio.

I had a wave of conscious consumer giddiness after I signed up. Here's to stopping junk mail and making a difference!

Almost 500 Different Cosmetic Products Deemed Toxic!

No longer should we be asking, “Rosy Rouge or Plumpy Pink?” Now we should be asking about what kind of toxic materials are we putting on our faces when we… well… put on our faces!

Yesterday, Environmental Graffiti published an article stating that the Environmental Working Group released some revealing research exposing 478 cosmetic products sold in the US contain doses of toxic chemicals which are unsafe! Holy cow!

Those are some staggering facts. Formaldehyde, selenium, hydrogen peroxide and lead acetate were found in large quantities of test samples. Not only is this toxic for our faces, but also just think about what it does to our environment!

You can check out more disturbing facts on the Environmental Working Group’s website.

Blog Action Day 2007

I do believe this is the first of its kind. Blog Action Day, sponsored by
blogactionday.org, has been slated for October 15, 2007. This new *holiday*
was created to encourage and provoke action, and this year's subject is the
environment.

If all the bloggers around the world united on a single day to talk about a
single subject, to voice the general public's concerns with one resounding
voice, could we make the change that we so need for the future of our world?

Just maybe we can. Tell your friends, make a blog, get involved in this
unique opportunity to lobby for our Mother Earth in any way that you can.
But, most importantly, do something instead of nothing.

GreenBASE likes us :)

We were pleasantly surprised today to see that the folks at GreenBASE (the intersection of music and climate change) posted Three Leaf Card's climate change video. Rock, rock on!

50 Tips to Living Green

We are all made of excuses when it comes to living green… but fluorescents don’t work well to light kitchens or bathrooms, but I need room in my car for my family, but I like my house at 72 degrees. The list goes on and on.

But there are easy ways to living greener, and they aren’t as hard or lifestyle changing as one might think.

Kathleen King gives us 50 easy tips to lessening our impact on our environment, that are all easy to do and can be executed with relative ease and little money… today.

In her “Divine Caroline” article, the first 5 tips start with:

1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.

2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.

3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.

4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.

5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.

These are all easy to do and don’t require much effort on our part. Click here to read the full 50 tips at DivineCaroline.com.

Global Warming: an elaborate hoax...or?

The founding members at Three Leaf Cards created a video to allow all of us to spread the word about Global Warming...with a sense of humor! Check it out, spread the word!

Use commerce as a force for good

This is your daily break from the hamster wheel of life...yep, put down the latte, remove your cell phone from your ear and take a deep breath...good....

When we take a moment to be present in our lives we have the ability to think. When we have the ability to think, we envelop the energy to make wise choices that count.

Believe it or not, taking a moment of zen can have a tremendous impact on conscious spending. As willing (or unwilling) participants in this time crunched culture that we exist in every day, we may not be able to do as much as we want make the planet a better place, but one way we can make a difference and make a statement is by being mindful of what the green in our wallet is going to, through and for.

We stumbled upon a new initiative called Project Good that is being created by eBay and World of Good to build the largest people positive marketplace of products from around the world.

They will be launching their socially conscious community in October to provide people with positive shopping guides.

For those of us that are too time crunched to do a lot of research on how to help people and planet with our purchases, Project Good will make conscious spending a little more seamless.

Stay tuned and sign up to be notified of their launch.