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Best Green Blogs + Me

Check out some of the Best Green Blogs around. I'm in the running for 2010.

Miss Me?

Sorry for going MIA last month. I've been diving into the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) world and absorbing every bit of information I possibly can about the USGBC (United States Green Building Counsel) in preparation for my LEED GA exam prep. If anyone would like to share my 'yolk', feel free to log onto the USGBC LEED Prep site and start studying. You can find more resources, such as online course at Everblue.com & Greenbuild365.

I'm working on joining my local USGBC Chapter in NYC. You can also join the mailing list for Emerging Green Builders, "a coalition of students and young professionals in the New York City area intent on promoting the integration of future leaders into the green building movement."

As I prepare for this exam and delve into some green projects that are underway, I will try to keep you posted on my experiences. Feel free to share your experiences on green projects or events you are participating in around the world!

I have some great bits to come : )

Haul A$$!

Now, I'm telling your bike, not you, to haul ass, since you're the mule in this scenario. As you can see, my makeshift bike taxi has been doing overtime (see figure 2 above). Ok, ok! It's not "my" bike, per se; but it's obvious someone has been putting in some serious work.

Luckily for us, today's bike trailers, hitches, cargo bags, saddles, extensions, stone wheels, etc...(deep breathe) have evolved into less cumbersome designs. BEHOLD THE EVOLUTION BELOW!

original treehugger article

The mighty mouse of bike trailers from Carry Freedom



Hire this guy to do your cheap city moving.

Go Deustch with the Royal Shopper Plus


BicycleR Evolution has a plethora of tried and tested solutions for toting around groceries and kayaks : )


IKEA trips are a breeze with the Super Hero Trailer!

Meet B.O.B.

Toilet Tea Time ; /

It's tea-time! I'm not sure how many Americans love bidet's but in India it's all the craze according to electrical engineer Sandip who designed the biodegradable toilet tea cup! (brace yourself, I think I can recover from this one).

On long cramped commutes, it's hard to cary a decent bidet/douche with you. Most passengers resort to carrying water bottles or tea-cups with them to cleanse their special areas. It is this great frustation with the disparaging act of using a teacup to cleanse oneself that bore Sandip's brainchild, the biodegradable teacup (not FDA approved for drinking or reuse : ). Passengers can now purchase these 1.3 liter containers at the train station and toss them without a care in the world, because they'll be nothing but a memory after an hour of decomposition.


Leave it to the Danes to issue a 500k euro prize for this advent in humanity.

original article

Guilty Green Pleasures - Ladies?

Guilty pleasures can be green too! Julie Apple, former designer at Le Sportsac, has brought better, greener totes, handbags and pouches (Don't ask how I know this lingo : ) I'm going to cut myself short right here before doing further damage to my masculinity.

What I was trying to say was that Julie Apple has incorporated a waterless dye (airdye) into her designs to reduce the water consumed in the production of these bags. Check out the Julie Apple bags and enjoy the guilt-free shopping!

original article

My wedding *BLING* is gonna kick GRASS!

Yes, I've been out of commission for a while, BUT it was for good reason. I've been been pulling a double-shift on fiance duties: making sure invites, food and even bling are as green as possible ; ) My fiance and I have been supporting independent local artists through Etsy for invitations, couture, etc... I chose a unique titanium and bamboo wedding band from ZoeandDoyle's shop. This is truly one of a kind and made from my favorite grass - NO, not that! Bamboo of course.

***Check out more designs that kick grass***

The Ultimate Camping Car

This 2-story camper comes to you circa Y2K. I'm not sure how green it is but I am enthralled by its design (clean lines and...umm...clean lines). This two-story camper has a Japanese-style room on the upper level that rivals the size of most New York City apartments. This cube camper also features a stove, bathroom, sundeck and lots of storage. I'd swap this baby with my "NYC 1 bedroom" any day. If you want a change of scene, fill'er up!

Where can I get my hands on one of these?
You'll have to trek to Japan for that answer. In the meantime you can visit the Two-Story Camper online and peruse the images below.

Check out some more mobile living at Tree Hugger.

The Lazy Environmentalist

Finally! A show that reinforces my drive for going green while saving green. Nuff Said. Check out Sundance Channel's recession guide to environmentalism.

The Lazy Environmentalist

Planet Green | Couch Potatos, Do your part!

Today I'm being the worst couch potato ever, but for good reason. I'm catching up on the hours of DVR'd green shows from Dicovery's Planet Green and Science Channel. [Find the channel for your area].
The Discovery Network has been working hard to bring you the latest in green living, from food to fashion and green school busses that run on french fries and worm poop (yumm!). I'm personally catching up on my favorite shows:

Invention Nation

Three gadget geeks drive a green school bus across the country in search of grassroots green inventors. Along their journey they share the processes behind sustainable inventions that stand to change the way we live.

Greenovate

Greenovate takes you into the homes of families undergoing massive personality changes.

World's Greenest Homes

Emanuel Belliveau takes you around the globe to see the greenest, and sometimes eccentric, homes this planet has to offer.

The green series of shows from Discovery can teach you how to run your car on vegetable oil and do a green home renovation all while saving money (sometimes). That's it for me. You may return to your regularly scheduled program : ) .

Fish + DJ + Bicycle ?

Bicycles, Fish and Dj's blend seamlessly in this cannonade of music, flesh and fashion.

Cyclists from coast to coast have been tricking out their bikes to haul herculean loads or provide taxi service around the streets of NYC, but no one has come close to expressing themselves so explicitly with their bicycle artistry as this guy.

If Radio Raheem cruised the streets on a bright red Radio Flyer, this would be the seed of his inspiration. Ok, so that analogy didn't work for you. Well if David Guetta ever did a collabo/remix with Lance Armstrong, this would be their love-child...A child named Choprical Fish!

The eclectic sounds of Choprical Fish + DJ UMDJ pulse through the streets trailing their custom-made party bike. This party on wheels runs on 100% PEOPLE POWER. The party don't stop till you get enough (or you pass out from drunken pedaling, whichever comes first) : ) If you don't drink and find my previous statement appalling, what I meant to say was get "drunk" with the sounds and rhythms emanating from this eco DJ booth/fish-cycle thingy. Ummm....Yeah.

Check it out

Insert gratuitous Radio Raheem clip HERE

Is your backyard green enough?

Check your yard! Is it green? You may think so but most of us in The Big Apple don't have access to the luxuries of clean air or STREETS at that.

This story hit especially close to home because it is being piloted in NYC, and one of the co-founders, Cassie Flyn, is a friend of a friend - who woulda thunk it? (Green neighbors, share your story at info@biomeandyou.com and let your voice be heard! )

If you're wondering what you can do to make a difference, you can share your project idea with ioby.org (pronounced eye-OH-be) which stands for "in our backyards." IOBY is a an environmental non-profit in New York City that supports local environmental projects ranging from community gardens to green roofs -- allowing you the opportunity to donate your time and/or money to a project in your community.

Learn what you can do preserve your piece of The Green Apple

Listen to Erin Barnes, one of the co-founders of IOBY, speak on NPR.

I'm Getting Hitched!

If you haven't been following my fiancé's blog teneleventen here's the update. I'm being enslaved (according to my groomsmen), I mean getting married on 10.11.10 - Yes, 10.10.10 was SOLD OUT!

In NYC, green space goes for top dollar. Who thought renting out a barn could cost you a semester's worth of tuition. For those of you who are planning to incorporating green gems into your wedding, check out The Ultimate Green Wedding Guide. It's packed with quizzes, tips and tricks that will help you green your wedding.

Eco Loft | Visionaire Building Mixer

The VISIONAIRE Eco Living

Pix from the Go Green Expo

Headless Water

You're sitting in your windowless office on a sweltering summer day in the city. The building's air-conditioning is being repaired so there is no semblance of moving air other than the breath escaping your parched lips.

"What could be better than a cool refreshing glass (or reusable container) of water?" you think to yourself.

You rush to the staff water-cooler to find a mountain of empty water bottles and a sign on the cooler that reads, "If you kill it, refill it."

All too familiar with this scenario, I sought out Tana Water Systems at New York City's Go Green Expo.

Meet the Headless Water Systems

A Green Day

I know, I know. You HATE having to wash and press those collared shirts, suits and slacks for work! You may have read some articles telling you that it's greener to steam your own clothes rather than bathing them in chemicals at the dry cleaners. The reality is, New Yorkers are always on the run and have somewhere to be, but this doesn't mean there isn't a green alternative for these folks.

Scene: Enter Green Apple Cleaners

I stumbled upon this company at NYC's Go Green Expo, drawn in by their clever display of green apples. Their mission is to remove all the harmful carcinogens from the dry-cleaning process so that you can breathe clean air when wearing that fabulous ensemble rather than worry about the off-gassing of poisonous compounds. Visit their site to search for a location near you.

Now that your freshly pressed clothes are home, what do you do with the cumbersome plastic wrap and wire hangers?

Darleen, founder of Agreenday, has the answer. This organization designs custom organic cotton and nylon garment bags for you to use and reuse each time you get your dry-cleaning done. Several of these garment bags have made their way to charities, galas and even the U.N. There is currently a garment bag design contest to win $5,000.

I got a chance to speak with the lovely Mandy Lile, Eco Journalist on the Mandy Lile Show, who describes this product a heck of a lot better than me.

Oh, and don't think I forgot about the hangers from the question I posted earlier. Green Apple Cleaners will take back your wire hangers to be reused. You are now armed to go to work looking FRESH and green, courtesy of Biomeandyou.com : )

Heeeeeeere's Mandy!

Your resource for local Green in NYC

Hello Green Apple!

I promised you some useful information and I’m here to deliver.

Do you hate that chemical smell that lingers in your private jet after your maid has just cleaned up?

Do you feel your money going down the drain every-time you flush?

Do you wish you could enjoy the fizzy taste of soda (or ‘pop’ for the Bostonians) in a natural way?

[Whatever your need, you can find it close to home with hundreds of green vendors in New York City.]

Bed in a Box...Literally

Floor space, or any space at that, is a commodity in New York City. Many designers have introduced creative solutions to this problem (Micro Home), but few have been so avant-guard as Emanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec, creator of the Bedroom-in-a-Box.

If you don't have the floor space, hang your bedroom from the ceiling.

You wouldn't want to wake up on the wrong side of this bed : (

If you have the ceiling height for such a unique upgrade, you'll be a certified Greeny, utilizing every cubic inch of your existing space ( Imagine the pickup line: "You wanna see my bedroom?...No...Really." )

Original Article

Weekend in Review | Go Green Expo

Friends, Americans, Countryment, lend me your ears, for GREEN is upon us!

Breathe Deep

Can't get rid of that SUV? Here's your alternative

I rushed the Green Expo with camera crew in tow (aka. Marques "The Cynic") and have prepared some great reviews for you. There were so many innovative products, people and gorillas (you'll understand soon) that I can not possibly fit them into one post. SO, I will be posting about the inspirational people and their products throughout the week. There is something for everyone and everything for anyone.

Stay tuned for the fun-filled, haphazard antics of Smilez and The Cynic.

Go Green Expo NYC!

I covered NYC's second annual Go Green Expo 4 days before Earth Day. If you didn't attend, don't worry; that's why I'm here. I will be bringing you highlights from the over 200 green vendors in attendance.

What is Biome+you?

Biome+you | People for the Planet

After years of watching other people put their green ideas into motion to save the planet, I realized that I want to be part of the change, too. We all need to do something now, no matter how small.

The goal of this blog is to share my experiences, ideas and innovations to create a more sustainable world. I hope you are inspired by my posts and I invite you to comment on what you’re doing to “Go Blue.” (The planet is mostly water, right?)

Welcome to the green revolution,
Bienvenue | 歓迎 | Willkommen | Welcome | Boa vinda | Bienvenido

Steve (Smilezdusoleil)