Green Week

60 Minutes. 60 Things. What Will You Do This Earth Hour?

March 28, 2009 · 2 comments

Earth Hour 2009

So Earth Hour is tonight (8:30 PM local time, wherever you are). This evening we’re called to turn off our lights, unplug the electronics, and go dark for 60 minutes to spark awareness for climate change. Some of you are probably asking, “What am I supposed to do for a whole hour without the TV, without Twitter and Facebook, without any lights?” Well fear not. Life Without Pants has compiled a comprehensive list of 60 things you can do during the 60 minutes of darkness. Do one, or if you’re feeling really wild – try them all!

Start early. Who said Earth Hour only had to be an hour?
Hand-wash your delicates.
Gather family and friends for a night-picnic.
Harness the combined romance of candlelight and eco-chivalry to pop the question.
Debate whether one hour can trigger social change.
Recite memorized poetry.
Start a game of Monopoly – Then regret it. ‘It’s 4 in the morning Grandma, YOU WIN!’
Go totally 18th-century and play charades by candlelight.
Tell ghost stories. Go down to the basement in a negligee to investigate dark spooky corners.
Debate over favorite mythical creatures. Unicorn, Minotaur, Gryphon, and so on (Unicorn wins every time).
Dig out your Dungeons and Dragons dice for an atmospheric apocalyptic game.
Prove to yourself that yes, you can go 60 minutes without updating your Twitter status.
Take the dog out for a walk.
Boycott venues that are still switched on.
Reminisce about old school Nickelodeon shows and use phrases like ‘they don’t make em’ like they used to’.
Make light masterpieces. Bring out the battery operated LiteBrite and create art with coloured pegs.
Unplug chargers (laptop, cell phone, and so on).
One Word. CLUE. Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick.
One word: Fondue! You get a great meal, no electricity required.
Cuddle in bed with someone you love (or at least like).
Say to your neighbour, “Dude, this is so Amish.”
Play a game of Chess. Master the ‘En Passant‘.
Take a blanket outside, lay down, and look at the stars.
Question: What will you do once the zombies come? Think about it.
Make streetlight shadow puppets (yes, the streetlights stay on, for safety).
If going out, do your makeup by candlelight. It’s harder than it seems. Pretend it’s eighties punk.
Naked Twister Party? No?
Don’t forget fitness. Practise naked yoga. Ok, last nude activity reference.
Throw an indoor marshmallow roast (use shish-kebab skewers, mini-marshmallows, and a tea light).
Write someone a hand-written letter (it really is a lost art these days).
Take a relaxing bath by candlelight (preferably not alone – that’s how most horror movies start).
Go for a run, or a brisk walk.
Contemplate our dependency on technology. Count how many times you say ‘I should Tweet this’.
Play the spoons while singing Soundgarden’s ‘Spoonman’.
Go over to Mom’s house and look at old, embarrassing baby photos.
Play dress-up in the dark. Don’t wear color-coordinated clothes.
Think about changing a few habits during the other 364 days, 23 hours.
Whistle ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ over and over for 60 minutes. Yeah, that’s not annoying.
Turn down the heat a couple degrees (and keep it there).
Knit, crochet, quilt, paint, or engage in some other crafty activity.
Start watering you Chia Pet.
Relax, take a nap, or just go ahead and go to bed early.
Read a book by candlelight (or free book light if you happen to be a Snuggie owner).
Talk about how you’re going to watch Twilight for the 7th time after Earth Hour is over.
Soften your ice cream.
Throw away all your hole-y socks.
99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around….
Try to come up with a list of 60 things you can do during next year’s Earth Hour. It’s not as easy as it looks!
Master your origami skills.
Build a cool fort out of cushions and blankets.
Tell some ghost stories.
M.A.S.H. your friends.
Bust out the Ouija board, host a séance.
(Another) One Word (or is it two?) – GLOWSTICKS!
Print out this list (before Earth Hour) and read it out loud – should take at least 4-6 minutes to get through.
Unplug appliances you rarely use (or even the coffee pot you use every morning).
Change out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.
Invite your friends over for slightly-less illuminated evening of Texas Hold’em.
Take your date somewhere discreet and make out.
Why turn the lights back on? Leave them out for the rest of the night!

What will you do this Earth Hour? Whatever you do – do it in the dark!

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Take It Off! (Guest Post by Sam Davidson)

March 26, 2009 · 0 comments

sam davidson

Sam Davidson is an entrepreneur, writer, inspirer (made up word), and all around awesome guy. His company, Cool People Care, motivates people to learn something new every day and challenges everyone to change the world, 5 minutes at a time. Sam is paving the way for social entrepreneurs. A for profit company benefiting non-profits, seeking to continually give back to others, and serving the bottom line of the community. I encourage all of you to visit Cool People Care on the web at www.coolpeoplecare.org – Stop by Sam’s personal blog www.samdavidson.net, and follow him on Twitter: @samdavidson. Odds are you’ll probably learn a thing or two, be motivated to try something new, and make a great friend in the process. Much thanks to Sam for putting this together. You rock dude!

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Take It Off!

So Matt doesn’t like pants. I mean, he named his entire blogging empire (is it an empire yet?) one that encourages pantlessness.

I don’t really like socks. Well, unless they’re really good, like the ones I run in. But I like them because they don’t feel like socks. This is why I take my shoes off as often as I can. It’s also why I rock flip flops, slip-ons, TOMS, and any other kicks that allow me to remove them quickly when appropriate (or not) so as to go about my tasks in sockless and shoeless bliss.

Some people don’t like hats. Some don’t like scarves or even underwear. And, as such, those people don’t wear those things and they’re able to get along fine and perhaps even be more productive in the process.

That’s because accumulation prohibits us from becoming our best selves.

Unless you have Excessive PackRat Disorder (not sure that’s the official medical term), you feel somewhat liberated when cleaning out your closet or getting rid of what’s clogging up your storage space in your garage. And while we’re centuries removed from our nomadic ancestors, we still weren’t meant to carry around a bunch of stuff on this journey called life.

Don’t get me wrong – I own a lot of stuff. And I don’t think I could easily get rid of most of this stuff. Stuff like my laptop, my TV, my bed, my sockless shoes, my couch – you get the picture. But, I’m always pleasantly surprised when I get by with less. In fact, I feel extremely free, unshackled by the things I own, all of which dare to own me right back.

Don’t believe me? Try getting rid of something. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, or even something you’re particularly fond of. In fact, it can be downright neglected and hideous. Do it. Give it to Goodwill. Offer it up for free on Craig’s List. Trash it. Whatever you do, before you go to bed tonight, get rid of one thing.

Take a deep breath. How was that? Feel better?

Here’s the kicker: the fewer things we own, the happier we’ll be. Studies show that one of the biggest factors for personal happiness isn’t the size of our house or our bank accounts. Rather, it’s the length of our commute. So the moral of that story is to downsize and move closer to our job. Then, we’ll be happier. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

By decreasing our consumption, we’ll also help the planet, the very thing that will be stuck with our stuff long after we’re gone (remember: hearses don’t have trailer hitches, so you can’t take your crap with you). Want a better explanation of all that? Watch the Story of Stuff (then read my blog response to it).

In the end, we’ll be happier and so will the planet. So while Matt’s call to live a pantsless life can have many meanings, I’ll take the one that is good for the environment.

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How Can You Go Green? (In 140 Characters or Less)

March 25, 2009 · 7 comments

The focus of this ‘Green Week’ journey is primarily to reach out to the community and get some folks thinking about developing and embracing a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Hopefully, this week at Life Without Pants has been and will continue to be a learning experience for many of you – and my hope is that there are some habits and ideas you can take away and implement into your own lives. Yesterday, I reached out to the Twitter community and asked them to provide one (1) simple tip for going green – I encouraged creativity, and of course, I was not disappointed. Below are 21 of the responses and replies I received. With Cool People Care’s EH2ED campaign starting this Saturday, we are all challenged to try something and establish a new habit each day. If there ever was a lack on inspiration, you’ve got 21 ideas to get you started (showering with your lady [or man] friend is always an especially…fun way to be more environmentally conscious). Thanks to everyone who stepped it up and got involved!

21 AWESOME & CREATIVE WAYS YOU CAN GO GREEN

@jdoron11 – I use glass containers to pack my lunch – no plastic or bags and I can freeze and microwave in them!
@MondayNight – Buy organic milk to avoid growth hormones. Organic milk tastes so much better anyway.
@EvaRykr – Brita rather than bottled water!
@JunLoayza – Ride a bike to work.
@katiepm – Say “no” to ATM receipts.
@Tbenedetti - Help the environment, save money and brighten your home all at the same time w/ daylighting!
@GreenestDollar – Use a French press instead of electric coffee maker: saves energy, skips paper filters, and you can easily reuse grounds.
@JunLoayza – Take showers with your girlfriend to conserve water.
@RoughDraftBeer – Avoid washing your clothes at all costs!
@BuildBabyBuild – Drive 55 mpg. Fastest, largest impact overall.
@Jennyferry – Use cloth napkins. We do, it makes mealtime seem special!
@Ashleymittman – Download your software instead of buying it when you can.
@Clean4cheap – Get rid of toxic cleaning supplies
@samdavidson – Go to YouTube and search for “dunk bag”
@AmyPredsFan – Use Kroger (reusable canvas) bags when you bag your groceries. You’ll get 5 bonus points for Kroger fuel each time (with PlusCard).
@maddiemarie - Make your own cleaning supplies. lemon, baking soda & vinegar save money and they are non-toxic! or just don’t clean at all
@nicholaswyoung – Quit breathing. According to the EPA, it works wonders.
@YouRenew – Have an e-waste recycling party with your friends and family. Bring old computers and batteries over to a local recycling facility.
@jamievaron – Bring your own coffee mug to the coffee shop, so you don’t waste cups.
@lovernla – Buy groceries in bulk. For instance, yogurt in large tubs can be scooped into Ziploc containers. Better for your wallet and the less waste!
@NashvilleBen – Unplug the charger when the battery you’re charging is full and don’t recharge again until it dies. this is good for battery life too!

Which one is your favorite? I promised the most creative one a free Cool People Care t-shirt – and a CPC t-shirt they shall recieve! But I want to make my selection as objective as possible. Help me out by picking the best ‘green tip’ – and while you’re at it, share one of your own!

As Green Week rolls on, continue getting involved with the other ongoing conversations, and head over to the Kickoff post to learn how you can win some free stuff just by getting involved. Tip: You automatically get an entry into the ongoing contest for commenting on ANY Green Week thread, AND when you sign up for the LWP Post. If you love Life Without Pants, and you love winning free stuff – get involved and spread the word!

Why Don’t We Go Green?

March 24, 2009 · 10 comments

connected

‘Going green’ has become a trendy thing to say – it’s a hot topic to discuss, we constantly hear about global warming, that we are destroying our environment, and how future generations will suffer because of our actions. But somehow, there seems to be an overwhelming number of people who just don’t care. Why is that? Is it because it’s a problem that none of us can fix by ourselves? Is it ‘too big’ of an issue? Is global warming a concern we look toward the government and legislature to fix? How is something so important not only to us, but our future generations, thrown by the wayside without a second thought by so many? Why don’t we go green? What’s holding you back?

I can’t afford it

This is one of the major issues holding a lot of people back from taking the ‘green’ plunge: Money (or lack there of). With the economy continuing to struggle, money is tight, stretching the dollar has become more important than ever – so drastically changing a habit is something people are reluctant to do, but the idea of not being able to afford a ‘greener lifestyle’ has been an issue long before the economy was on a downturn. We automatically label ‘organic’ foods as more expensive (and in many cases it’s true - but the health benefits typically outweigh the extra few cents your paying). We don’t want to pay the extra money to transfer our lighting to CFL lightbulbs (even though they last MUCH longer and will save you money on your electric bill). The up front ‘cost’ is greater, and this turns a lot of people away. Many of us get caught up in the short term costs and fail recognize the long term benefits.

It’s someone elses problem

Many of us were inspired by Obama’s promise of ‘Change We Can Believe In’ – but that change isn’t going to come from the top down. Yes, certain policies will (hopefully) bring positive change to our country, but the changes starts from within – it starts with the little people (ehem, that’s you and me). It’s a lot of people doing small things that will lead to big change, not the other way around. No one is going to enforce their will upon us to change our habits; we have to inspire that change in ourselves, and in turn get others on board. It’s absoutley imperitive that everyone understands that this is OUR problem and it’s up to ALL of us to make a few changes, even if it’s only a couple things, to see results. Start by reading ‘Going Green at Work’ - I offered 5 super easy tips that you can start today.

I don’t have time

For this I want to share a story from someone via Yahoo Answers that illustrates the point. I asked the question ‘Why don’t people go green?’ - here was one of the responses:

Area Woman says, “I was at an earth day fair telling families that they could pack their own “lunchables” at a fraction of the cost (and packaging) of “lunchables”. One mother yelled, “I DON’T HAVE TIME TO MAKE LUNCH FOR THESE THREE!” while pointing at her three adorable little boys. I wondered how much time she spends on her butt watching TV and if she had any idea how many preservatives, trans-fats, and salt are in those crappy packaged lunches. If I had three cute little boys, I’d feed them nutritious food and be happy to do it.”

What this story does illustrate is the overall laziness of society in general. We want instant gratification, even if we pay a premium, the ‘time saving’ element is more important. This mindset will not change overnight – but if we start making more time for ourselves, start prioritizing, making lists to organize your daily tasks, maybe we would have more time available to make better decisions and save our planet. While many label society as label, there is also a drive and passion within all of us – we can be extremely motivated and when passionate about a cause or belief, the sky is the limit as to what we can do. But it starts with changing the mindset of ‘I don’t have time’ to ‘I will make time’.

I’ll be dead before any of this matters

It sounds morbid to put things into perspective like this, but it’s apparent that a lot of people do feel this way. Global warming may not effect us personally to an extent that we need to be worried – but it will have a dramatic impact on our children, grandchildren, and so on. As we pass on from generation to generation, global warming and our overall negative impact on the environment will only continue to grow – unless we realize that we can make changes now that will preserve our future generations. But what will motivate someone to change their way of thinking?

Return on Investment

I have always been an advocate of sustainable business practices and have met some awesome people who do great work and strive to preserve the environment around us. With that being said – I’m no environmentalist. This post is not a sermon written by a tree-loving woodsman. I’ve used most of the excuses I discussed above. But I do know what contributions I can make. I can see what is happening in the world around me, and I know that it all starts with me. Maybe it’s all about return on investment. Maybe it’s all about clear RESULTS. Noticing a difference in your electric bill by switching to CFL lightbulbs. Saving a little money (10 cents) at Starbucks by using your own travel mug, enjoying the local park a little more after gathering some friends together to clean up trash. People (in general) don’t like to do something for nothing, and changing habits takes time, added effort, and commitment. So maybe it takes clear, objective results for us to make the change - to realize that the problem may be bigger than you and me, but that a few small changes can produce real definable results. In the end, is it all about a return on investment?

The Next Step

Why don’t people go green? If you fall into that category, what’s holding you back?

I challenge all of you to make ONE change today, right now. Commit to something. Maybe you’ll start collecting paper throughout the day at work and putting it in the recycling bin before heading home. Maybe you’ll turn off the water while you brush your teeth, or open a window instead of turning on that lamp. Maybe you’ll continue educating yourself by reading through TreeHugger or signing up for Cool People Care’s 5 Minutes of Caring email. Whatever it is, put the excuses to rest and take the first step toward your own greener way of living, today. Share the one thing you’ve committed to below, and inspire others to join in!

Bonus: For each thing you commit to today (and write down here in the comments) you’ll receive 2 entries into the ‘Green Week’ contest where you can win free Cool People Care and WE ADD UP swag. Head over to the kickoff post to learn more about how to get involved in Green Week all week!

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Five (Easy) Ways to Go Green At the Office

March 23, 2009 · 9 comments

green-home-office-01 It’s Monday morning – say so long to the weekend and welcome in the start of another work week. Typically, we lack that ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude as we head into work on Monday, but this week, I’m challenging you to start anew and start making a few (simple) changes in your everyday habits. Grab a cup of coffee (in a reusable mug) and read on for some tips on how to green your previously non-eco-friendly work environment.

TURN OUT THE LIGHT, OPEN A WINDOW. Those beaming lights overhead account for almost half of all electricity use in office buildings. Turn off your lights and open a window when you can. Going out to lunch? Make it a habit to kill the lights before heading out. Your computer isn’t afraid of the dark.

MAXIMIZE COMPUTER EFFICIENCY. Getting your company to invest in energy-saving computers might be impossible, but we can all give our computers well-deserved rest after a full day of rocking out documents and spreadsheets. Remember to turn off the PC (and even better, unplug it from the outlet – eliminate that ‘phantom’ energy consumption).

SAVE SOME TREES. The average U.S. office worker goes through nearly 10,000 sheets of paper per year. Think about how much you print out on a daily basis. Then think about how much gets tossed in the trash. Print less if you can, and make the extra effort to recycle old documents. No recycling in your office – get the ball rolling yourself!

GO DIGITAL. Technology can be a wonderful eco-tool! Think before you print. Does that 50-page PowerPoint NEED to be printed out for your boss to review, or can it just as easily be looked at via email? Practice ‘smart printing’ and reduce your companies environmental impact.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE. I get it, morning coffee is a crucial part to the start of every day. Odds are, you were huddled around the office coffee pot this morning with a few coworkers. But, did you bring your own mug? Or did you use the paper cups the office provides? Buy a travel mug and reuse, reuse, reuse. Not only will it keep your cup of joe warmer, but you’ll reduce the amount of non-recyclable trash. As an added bonus, many coffee houses, including Starbucks, offer a 10% discount for using your own travel mug. Quite the win/win, right?

Commit to changing a few of your office habits. Start turning off the lights, buy a reusable travel mug, walk the extra 20 feet to your office’s recycling bin, turn off your computer before heading home today – make a few changes STARTING TODAY. Then challenge and inspire your coworkers to do the same. Start a green office revolution!

GET INVOLVED: What other ways can you become more eco-friendly at work. If you start changing some habits, share your story here. I would love to hear about what YOU are doing to minimize your office’s environmental impact.

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