Craft Inc. book launch party

Do you live in the San Francisco area? if you do, check out Craft Inc. launch party on Tuesday. If you don't, maybe you should :-)

I have heard about the party from our good friend Victoria E, and here are the details from the blog of the author Meg Maeto Ilasco:

The book launch party for Craft Inc. will be hosted by the wonderful ladies of Rare Device.

When: Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Where: 111 Minna Street, San Francisco

Time: 6pm-9pm

As it says above, we'll be raffling off a TON of prizes. Literally, 2,000 pounds of Chronicle Books craft titles and goods donated by local indie businesses and the profilees featured in the book. Really nice stuff like an In Fiore body balm, a Lotta Jansdotter bag, fat quarters of Denyse Schmidt's new line "Katie Jump Rope", a gift certificate for Rare Device and so much more!

And the best prize of all (if you own an indie craft/design biz) is one month of free advertising space on design*sponge.

So come to the party to buy a signed copy of the book and to meet me! Or if you already know me, then come to win a prize. Or if you don't care to win a prize, then come to see all the very nice-looking people that will be there. I've paid them handsomely to stand around looking pretty. Don't let my good money go to waste!

(If you're in LA: yes, I will be having a book party there, too, with Reform School in November. Details to come!)

So what's the book all about? "Craft Inc. is the hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money. Pro crafter Meg Mateo Ilasco offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today's creative minds to become tomorrow's trendsetters." (Amazon.com)

Interested to learn more? check out Victoria E's exclusive interview on her blog with the author, Meg Maeto Ilasco.

Enjoy the party and if you happen to win one of the books that will be given there, don't forget to balance it out with Eco-Libris :-)

Raz

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

More News from the Field : Help Sustainable Harvest International Win $10,000

We got today a newsletter of our planting partners and friends at SHI (Sustainable Harvest International.) Recently storms and hurricanes hit parts of Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua, where SHI operates. But as the newsletter reports planting trees helps prevent more severe damages:

Despite these recent hardships, we feel lucky. Sustainable Harvest Honduras Field Trainer, Juan Carlos Sandres tells us that SHI is not in the business of disaster relief, but disaster prevention - and it's working! In his own words, "After the experience of devastation in my country from Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Sustainable Harvest Honduras has been dedicated to sharing agro-forestry techniques with families that were impacted by the disaster. We have been able to improve many vulnerable areas through soil conservation, reforestation, crop diversification and disaster prevention training. We know that when there are natural disasters, the families we work with are more resilient and their parcels of land are much less susceptible to erosion and crop loss."

So here's your chance to assist SHI with their work in these communities to bounce back from the hurricane damages, and do even better in other places:

SHI has created two groups on a new social networking site and will be eligible to win $10,000 if we can get 100 people to join our online groups. It is free, easy and will not lead to any unwanted mailings. $10,000 could allow SHI to begin work in at least 3 new villages, reaching many more Central American families that are anxiously waiting for our help. Please take a moment to join today and encourage others to do the same.

Register at http://beta.razoo.com/ and join our groups at http://beta.razoo.com/groups/shi and http://beta.razoo.com/groups/sw. Then make sure to tell everyone you know how to join each of these groups!

And don't forget to mention that you are joining because you heard about it right here :)

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Pizza Fusion: 2007 People's Choice Award - part 4

Friday is a great day for Pizza, isn't it? well, you've got to the right place! Please allow me to introduce nominee no.4 on the Eco-Libris blog Unofficial Guide to Co-op America's 2007 People's Choice Award for the Green Business of the Year:

Pizza Fusion

Business description: This is the world's first organic pizza chain, with two places operating in Florida, two more slated to open by the end of 2007 and contracts for more than 60 franchised units in seven states. Pizza Fusion serves a variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads, desserts, beer and wine all made with all-natural and organic ingredients. Its cofounders Mike Gordon and Vaughan Lazar are working to build their business on the motto, “Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time".

Located at: Fort Lauderdale, FL (headquarters)

Operating Since: 2006

Website: http://www.pizzafusion.com/

The questionnaire (thank you to Eric Haley, Pizza Fusion Vice President of Communications):

1. What makes your business a green business?

AT PIZZA FUSION, WE CARE ABOUT THE PLANET AND OUR CUSTOMERS. WE CARE SO MUCH THAT WE HOLD OURSELVES RESPONSIBLE. BY BEING COMMITTED TO AND CONSCIOUS OF OUR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE CONSUMER, WE’VE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO FOLLOW AND WE’RE PROUD OF IT.

PIZZA FUSION ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S HEALTH CONSCIOUS CONSUMER WITH CONCERN FOR BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY SUPPORTING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE THROUGH OUR 98 PERCENT ORGANIC MENU AND PRACTICING AN ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACH TO ALL OUR OPERATIONS. FROM THE CREATION OF OUR FOOD TO ITS DELIVERY TO THE CUSTOMER, EVERY ASPECT OF OUR OPERATIONS WAS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE ON SOCIETY AND THE WORLD:

IN OUR RESTAURANTS:

• OFFSETTING 100% OF OUR POWER CONSUMPTION IN OUR RESTAURANTS AND AT THE CORPORATE OFFICE WITH THE PURCHASE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES

• PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE BY SERVING A MORE THAN 98% ORGANIC MENU

• BUILDING OUR RESTAURANTS ACCORDING TO THE LEED (LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN) CERTIFICATION STANDARDS SET FORTH BY THE UNITED STATES GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL BY UTILIZING A VARIETY OF UNIQUE ENERGY EFFICIENT TACTICS AND ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS (MAKING US THE FIRST AND ONLY NATIONAL RESTAURANT CONCEPT TO DO SO)

• DELIVERING OUR FOOD IN COMPANY OWNED HYBRID VEHICLES

• RECYCLING AND GIVING CUSTOMERS DISCOUNTS FOR BRINGING BACK THEIR PIZZA BOXES TO RECYCLE THEM

• USING ONLY ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANERS TO SANITIZE ALL OUR STORES

• SERVING OUR FOOD IN PLASTIC SUBSTANCE LIKE CONTAINERS THAT ARE MADE 100% FROM CORN STARCH AND ARE DESIGNED TO DECOMPOSE IN LANDFILLS IN 30 DAYS

• USING ONLY SPUDWARE UTENSILS THAT ARE MADE 100% FROM POTATOES THAT BIODEGRADE IN 30 DAYS

• RECYCLING THE HEAT FROM OUR OVENS TO HEAT THE WATER IN OUR STORES; ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR WATER HEATERS

• ELIMINATING THE USE OF AIR HEATING UNITS BY REDISTRIBUTING THE HEAT FROM OUR OVENS TO WARM THE RESTAURANTS IN OUR NORTHERN LOCATIONS

• USING A GREYWATER SYSTEM THAT RECYCLES WASTE WATER INTO OUR TOILETS AND SAVES 1/3 OF OUR RESTAURANTS’ WATER USAGE PER YEAR

• SELLING AND PROVIDING OUR EMPLOYEES ONLY WITH ECO-APPAREL MADE FROM 100% ORGANIC COTTON

• USING 100% POST CONSUMER TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWELS IN ALL OUR BATHROOMS

• PRINTING OUR IN-STORE GRAPHICS ON A BANNER MATERIAL MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED SODA BOTTLES AND PRINTED USING NON-VOC INKS

• USING ECO-FRIENDLY PAINTS FROM GREEN PLANET PAINTS

• USING COMPACT FLUORESCENT (CF) BULBS IN OUR STORES WHICH SAVES ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION

• USING SEAT CUSHIONS MADE FROM SOYBEAN OIL, INSTEAD OF PETROLEUM BASED FOAM

• INSTALLING COUNTER TOPS MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED DETERGENT BOTTLES

• USING PANELS FROM 3-FORM, A RECYCLED MATERIALS PAPER COMPANY WITH A MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT, TO BUILD SHELVES AND COUNTER TOPS IN OUR STORES

• USING RECLAIMED WOOD TO BUILD OUR TABLES AND CUTTING BOARDS

• REUSING GLASS BOTTLES FROM OUR STORES TO CREATE FLOORING TILES FOR OUR FUTURE LOCATIONS

• INSTALLING A SMART LIGHTING SYSTEM IN OUR BATHROOMS THAT AUTOMATICALLY TURNS OFF WHEN THE BATHROOM IS VACANT

• USING DRYWALL IN OUR BUILD-OUT THAT IS 95% POST-CONSUMER CONTENT AND LOCALLY MANUFACTURED

• USING FSC (FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL - HTTP://WWW.FSC.ORG/EN/ABOUT) CERTIFIED WOOD TO BUILD OUR CABINETS AND WOOD FIXTURES

• ALL APPLIANCES ARE ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED

• USING INSULATION IN OUR RESTAURANTS MADE FROM RECYCLED BLUE JEANS

• USING THE MOST EFFICIENT HVAC UNIT ON THE MARKET

• USING 30% RECAPTURED INDUSTRIAL CONCRETE

• USING CEILING PANELS MADE FROM 74% RECYCLED ALUMINUM CANS AND 24% POST INDUSTRIAL METALS

• INSTALLING USG GYPSUM BOARD MADE FROM PRE-USED DRYWALL

• INSTALLING BAMBOO VENEER FACE COVERINGS FOR FIXTURES

• USING CEILING BAFFLES MADE FROM RECYCLED COMPOSITE BOARD

WITH OUR MARKETING:

• USING PAPER IN OUR COLLATERAL THAT IS FSC CERTIFIED, PRODUCED CHLORINE FREE, AND CONSISTS OF 50% ALTERNATIVE FIBER (RENEWABLE SUGARCANE) AND 50% RECYCLED CONTENT

• USING AN ELECTRONIC VERSIONS OF OUR COLLATERAL, SUCH AS OUR FRANCHISE BROCHURE (HTTP://WWW.PIZZAFUSION.COM/FRANCHISEBROCHURE.PDF) AND PRESS KIT (WWW.PIZZAFUSION.COM/PRESSKIT.PDF), WHENEVER POSSIBLE

• HOSTING OUR WEBSITE WITH A ‘GREEN’ WEB HOSTING SERVICE PROVIDER THAT OFFSETS THE POWER CONSUMPTION OF THEIR SERVERS WITH THE PURCHASE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES• BRANDED PENS MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED CARDBOARD AND RECYCLED PLASTIC

• USING SEED PAPER (HTTP://WWW.BLOOMINPROMOTIONS.COM/PRODUCTS/BOOKMARKS.HTML) FOR VARIOUS COLLATERAL

IN OUR CORPORATE OPERATIONS:

• OFFSETTING 100% OF OUR POWER CONSUMPTION IN OUR RESTAURANTS AND AT THE CORPORATE OFFICE WITH THE PURCHASE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES

• OFFSETTING THE CARBON IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH OUR TRAVELING WITH THE PURCHASE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES FROM 3DEGREES (HTTP://WWW.3DEGREESINC.COM) AND, WHEN ASKED TO SPEAK AT ENGAGEMENTS, REQUIRING THE ORGANIZERS TO PURCHASE RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES TO OFFSET THE CARBON IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH OUR TRAVELING

• SEEKING OUT ONLY ECO-CENTRIC VENDORS TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH AND PUSHING THEM TO FURTHER THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS WITH THEIR OPERATIONS

• MAKING A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO MINIMIZE OUR ELECTRICITY USAGE AT THE CORPORATE OFFICE BY SHUTTING OFF ALL COMPUTERS, PRINTERS, LIGHTS, AIR CONDITIONING, ETC. EVERY NIGHT BEFORE LEAVING

• MAKING A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO MINIMIZE OUR PAPER WASTE BY REDUCING OUR PRINTING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

• EXPANDING THE RECYCLING PROGRAM IN OUR OFFICE COMPLEX TO ALLOW ALL TENANTS TO RECYCLE

EDUCATION, PHILANTHROPIC & POLITICAL:

• DONATE MONEY TO ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES IN, AROUND AND BEYOND OUR COMMUNITIES

• HOST A FREE ORGANICS FOR KIDS CLASS EVERY THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH THAT EDUCATES CHILDREN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

• LOBBYING FOR POLITICAL ACTION, SUCH AS THE SAFE CLIMATE ACT (H.R. 1590), THAT SUPPORTS A MORE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FUTURE

• SPEAKING AT VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS IN AND AROUND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

• FURTHERING OUR ECO-IMPACT BY SPEAKING AT VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AND ORGANIC CONFERENCES AROUND THE U.S., SUCH AS THE 2ND ANNUAL BUSINESS OF ORGANICS CONFERENCE (WWW.ALMEVENTS.COM/CONF_PAGE.CFM?INSTANCE_ID=29&WEB_ID=1017&PID=625) AND THE 2008 ALL THINGS ORGANIC CONFERENCE (WWW.ORGANICEXPO.COM/07/PUBLIC/CONTENT.ASPX?ID=14290)

• FOUNDING A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, THE LITTLE SPROUT FOUNDATION,,, DESIGNED TO RAISE MONEY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS AND PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN VISITING TOWNS AND CITIES THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH, HOSTING EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS AND ORGANIZING PARK CLEANUP.

2. What is your green characteristic you're most proud of?

WE’RE MOST PROUD OF A SINGLE ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE, BUT MORE SO OUR ENTIRE APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. EVERY ONE OF OUR GREEN INITIATIVES IS THE RESULT OF OUR COMMITMENT, RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND PRO-ACTIVE OUTREACH THAT HAS ENABLED US TO FURTHER MINIMIZE OUR ECO-FOOTPRINT AS A BUSINESS. WE’RE EQUALLY PROUD OF ALL OUR ‘GREEN’ CHARACTERISTICS.

3. What is your biggest achievement so far?

WHILE WE’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO PROMOTE A MORE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FUTURE, FROM COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES. ALTHOUGH, WE CONSIDER OUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT TO BE THE CREATION OF THE PIZZA FUSION BUSINESS MODEL, WHERE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PROFITABILITY. WE’RE EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE THE GREENEST RESTAURANT CONCEPT IN AMERICA.

4. In what way do you think that you help people to take a green action and make a difference?

WE PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS WITH AN ECO-FRIENDLY DINING OPTION WHERE THEY CAN DINE-IN, CARRYOUT OR ORDER DELIVERY WITH A MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. BY SERVING A 98 PERCENT ORGANIC MENU WE ARE SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE THAT IS HEALTHIER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE INDIVIDUAL.

WE ARE CONSTANTLY STRIVING TO EDUCATE OUR CUSTOMERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING THROUGH OUR COLLATERAL, IN-STORE DESIGN AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. OUR ‘ORGANICS FOR KIDS’ CLASS EDUCATES CHILDREN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ECO-FRIENDLY LIVING AND EATING ORGANIC. ADDITIONALLY, WE TAKE PRIDE IN SPEAKING ON THE IMPORTANCE SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT PRACTICES AT VARIOUS EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, SUCH AS THE 2ND ANNUAL BUSINESS OF ORGANICS CONFERENCE (HTTP://WWW.ALMEVENTS.COM/CONF_PAGE.CFM?INSTANCE_ID=29&WEB_ID=1017&PID=625) AND THE 2008 ALL THINGS ORGANIC CONFERENCE.

5. Who is your green hero?

“MY MOM. SHE INSTILLED IN ME THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE RIGHT FROM WRONG, WHICH IS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE BEHIND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE CHOICES AND PREMISE BY WHICH PIZZA FUSION WAS FOUNDED ON… DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY. THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET IS A REFLECTION OF THE CHOICES WE MAKE,” VAUGHAN LAZAR, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF PIZZA FUSION, STATES.

6. What's your green dream for your business?

“OUR DREAM IS TO BECOME A ZERO IMPACT RESTAURANT WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN COME IN FOR A QUALITY DINING EXPERIENCE WITHOUT LEAVING ANY IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT,” VAUGHAN LAZAR, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF PIZZA FUSION, STATES.

The next nominee: Green Living Now

And if you missed the parts of the Unofficial Guide we published so far on Eco-Libris blog, please check them out:

Introduction
Part 1 - Natural Pet Home Store
Part 2- Mountains of the Moon
Part 3 - Yoga Nine

Yours,
Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for everybook you read!

Yoga Nine: 2007 People's Choice Award - part 3

Welcome everyone to part 3 of our nominees series. Take a deep breath as we are about to enter the world of yoga. Please meet nominee no. 3:

Yoga Nine/Buddha Body Fair Trade Store

Business description: Yoga Nine is a professional mind-body studio which aims to promote community health by providing a variety of classes taught by the most highly trained and experienced teachers. It is dedicated to providing community outreach through educational programs, volunteer efforts in its fair trade store & cafe, Buddha Body. In the store you can find products made by local artists and artisans, and others created through cooperatives around the world. The cafe is serving organic and fair trade tasty coffee and tea.

Located at: Smithville, NJ

Operating Since: 2005

Website: http://www.yoganine.com/

Blog: http://yoganine.icontact.com/blogs/yoga_nine_llc/

The questionnaire (repiled by Laurie Greene from Yoga Nine):

1. What makes your business a green business?

Yoga Nine is dedicated to a broad view of "green". Our space, constructed in an ordinary strip mall is as eco-sensitive as our buildout code allows. I did not have the money to build my own space, so I negotiated with my landlord to purchase all the materials for retrofitting the space and paid them to install it. The space is insulated with a combination of recycled cotton jean batting and nonformadehyde rolls of more conventional materials to meet strip mall firecode. Used "ecolumber" for our studio flooring and tile and recycled no voc carpet in the rest of our facility.

All our glues are no voc and our walls fixtures are colored with milkpaints. Don't believe the critics - milkpaints are BEAUTIFUL. Everyone comments on how colorful and beautiful the store it. Our fixtures were collected from discarded shelving and painted and tiled. Thanks to all the people who helped me find these products...

I started from square one. No one at the time in southern NJ carried these supplies. Once researched, many were gladly ordered by my small local paint and flooring store. THANK YOU GREG AT TOWNE PAINT... They thought I was crazy at first, but now carry these options for other local folks. We clean with natural products, and installed all low output lighting thanks to the generosity of SOLAR MIKE who appreciates the value of barter!

We put a bikerack next to our facility and reward those who ride in with a 10% discount, but mostly they just appreciate that we care. We recycle and ask our suppliers to use no packaging, or ecopackaging. Our store tries to be paper-free. Our yoga studio runs on an electronic format. Our bags (when people want them - we ask!) are either recycled paper or "eco-bags made from cornstarch. We also give out cotton reusable shopping bags (thank you FLAVOUR OF CHANGE for your FREE bags) and sell coffee/tea mugs and presses in our cafe. If you come in with your own mug, your coffee is always the 12 oz price, and there are free refills. If people need paper, we have all compostable recycled products.

We are currently working with the awesome advocate PATRICK HOSSAY (author of UnSUSTAINABLE-buy it!), at Richard Stockton College to close our loop (along with the new fair trade coffee stations at the college) by creating a quick compost station. (We do not have this available in our township).

Environmental Justice however cannot come without social justice. Our goals at the studio are prefaced on this idea. This is why we sell only fair traded and organic products and devote so much time to educating local folks not only about the injustice around the world, but in our local community. Many thanks to all our wholesalers and home grown supported cooperatives (thanks to the students at SAVE for helping the 3 cooperatives in Belize) and Kim Hancock at Flavour of change, along with countless others who allow me to purchase is smaller quantities than might be common practice.

We sell fair trade organic coffee and tea (Zhena's), and our bags of beans are custom labeled and mixed to support 9 local charities in our community, Thanks to Dean's Beans & Charlsie for doing this for us at no extra charge! The profits from each bag ($2,00) goes to each charity. Our Community Coffee Campaign (which you can read about at our website) provides a venue for education about local causes, matches volunteers with opportunities,and raises money to support them.

We are a totally handicap accessible facility and provide programs for EVERYONE in our community. We have created a protocol and three years running provided the space for a cancer trial (yoga and breast cancer) at the studio and with the volunteer work of my teachers. SHARON GARLAND is currently working to incorporate yoga in the local therapeutic horeseriding program, and we hope to take this to the national organization.

Finally, we sponsor low cost or free events for the community which educate and entertain us. Film screenings (Thanks to Debra Frank for massive fresh popcorn donations), and DAVID REDMOND for screening Mardi Gras Made in China and debuting Kamp Katrina (yet unfinished) in our TINY SPACE, far away from anywhere. David, if you read this, we are still debating "plastic forks"!

Our studio doubles as a gallery space and we showcase the works of local artists, poets and causes monthly at our SECOND SATURDAY free events. What a great way to meet people and build community. Our second show showcased the talents of the Boys & Girls Club Photography Club, and we eventually sent their poetry group to a state "poetry slam" competition. In November we will be supporting Girls Gotta Run by featuring and selling art with shoe themes! Look them up, they are an awesome cause!

2. What is your green characteristic you're most proud of?

WE focus on building community. We are able to accomplish all we have because of this! This nomination is testimony to this!

3. What is your biggest achievement so far?

Getting people to know about local causes, and cultivating MINDFULNESS and the idea of the INTERCONNECTIONS we have with everyone everywhere.

4. In what way do you think that you help people to take a green action and make a difference?

I think we show them that you don't have to be perfect to be righteous. Every little bit helps. What ever small action you can do everyday. We also help others to find resources and have ongoing education campaigns. We are currently helping the new Unitarian Church build out a green space, and the local state college has just successfully switched their coffee over to fair trade and has started a eco-campaign (Thank to the fair trade student alliance, SAVE, and especially JASON).

5. Who is your green hero?

Wangari Maathai. Plant a tree, save the world. Simple actions are powerful.

6. What's your green dream for your business?

To have everyone in the area KNOW what fair trade is and to continue to make our small area of South Jersey an unlikely leader in environmental responsibility! Thanks to Rick Dovey and the folks at ACUA for their hybrid car fleet, and WINDMILL project in Atlantic City. You all rock. We want to put South Jersey ON THE MAP as the green capitol of the US. Now there's a dream.

The next nominee: Pizza Fusion

And if you missed the other parts of the Unofficial Guide we published so far on Eco-Libris blog, please check them out:

Introduction
Part 1 - Natural Pet Home Store

Part 2 - Mountains of the Moon

Yours,
Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Mountains of the Moon: 2007 People's Choice Award - part 2

Hello everyone and welcome to part 2 of my Unofficial Guide to Co-op America's 2007 People's Choice Award for the Green Business of the Year.

Today our focus is on eco-fashion and I have the pleasure to present nominee no. 2:

Mountains of the Moon

Business description: an independent, designer-run business offering sustainable apparel and products, giving the fashion-conscious consumer an eco-friendly choice. Mountains of the Moon’s collections feature unique, fashion-forward hemp, organic cotton, tencel and bamboo items designed for style, comfort and healthy living. Simple enough to be worn everywhere, but never boring, their earth-friendly collections are distinctive and diverse, with designs that are funky, stylish, vibrant, and fun.

Located at: Camby, IN

Operating Since: 1998

Website: http://www.mountainsofthemoon.com/

The questionnaire (thank you to Melissa Baswell, Mountains of the Moon owner and head designer):

1. What makes your business a green business?

Our Hemp Enlightenment clothing line is designed with the conscious consumer in mind - those of us who care about the environment and fair labor practices who also want to look good in what we wear! From start to finish, the collections in our Hemp Enlightenment line are designed, patterned, manufactured, dyed and tagged (using eco-friendly materials) in the USA in small, 100% sweatshop-free facilities that are family owned and operated.

We choose to use eco-friendly materials like hemp, tencel and organic cotton that are known for durability and long-life. By selecting fabrics that are not only grown and processed using eco-friendly methods but that also last longer than conventional fabrics, we are able to produce clothing with longer lifecycles than the average garment. We opt to create pieces that are fashion-forward but also timeless for the same reason: Designs that are stylish but that can also be worn for multiple seasons and that surpass fads and trends are less likely to end up in landfills.

We also choose to ship our orders using reused packing materials or USPS boxes that are cradle-to-cradle certified for ecologically-intelligent design, use only recycled and/or tree-free paper for our invoices, and make regular donations to both environmental and social organizations.

2. What is your green characteristic you're most proud of?

The green characteristic that we're the most proud of is the fact that our Hemp Enlightenment line is designed, patterned, manufactured and dyed sweatshop-free "locally" (in the USA). Being a green clothing company doesn't just mean using eco-friendly fabrics. By staying "local," we are able to save fossil fuels, create less waste, and stay in close communication with our manufacturer and dye house (which is wonderful for quality control, as well as making certain that sustainable practices and fair working conditions are being utilized).

3. What is your biggest achievement so far?

In our minds, our biggest achievement is that fact that we have been green-minded since our beginnings in the late 90s. We started this business fresh out of college with very little funding, and built the company by focusing on saving money and the environment: we re-used fabrics from clothing purchased from second-hand stores (we sewed all of our own collections for years), re-used shipping supplies, re-used paper for invoices, and created a website rather than a paper catalog.

We've grown a lot over the years, and although we have our clothing lines manufactured now and over 100 retail stores carry our collections, we continue to operate a company based on the same values we've had since the beginning. We are thrilled that eco-consciousness has finally reached the mainstream, but we are proud that operating a green-minded business was at the top of our priority list even before it was a widespread way of thinking.

4. In what way do you think that you help people to take a green action and make a difference?

We help people to take green action and make a difference by giving consumers the chance to buy stylish, fashion-conscious clothing and green clothing, all in one. Customers who perhaps normally don't shop for sustainable clothing because they worry that they'll have to sacrifice style are able to come to us, and shop for fashion-forward apparel that isn't hurting the earth.

5. Who is your green hero?

We have many, but one of our favorites is Julia Butterfly Hill. Melissa (Mountains of the Moon owner and head designer) had the pleasure of meeting her in 2000, and discussed with her Melissa's vision of creating a clothing line that was both eco and fashion conscious. Julia was incredibly encouraging, and we all felt very inspired by her dedication, as well as the person sacrifices she made (and continues to make) for the well-being of the environment.

6. What's your green dream for your business?

Our green dream is to be able to reach out to even more customers and more stores throughout the world! We've learned through the years that the more we give, the more we get, and vice versa. It's all connected. The more people who realize the benefits of living an eco-conscious lifestyle, the better off the entire world can be. If we can contribute to that mind-set through our passion - fashion - then a huge part of our dream becomes a reality.

The next nominee: Yoga Nine/Buddha Body Fair Trade Store

And if you missed the parts of the Unofficial Guide we published so far on Eco-Libris blog, please check them out:

Introduction

Part 1 - Natural Pet Home Store

Yours,

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Only Natural Pet Store: 2007 People's Choice Award - part 1

Welcome to your unofficial guide to the 2007 People's Choice Award for the Green Business of the Year.

Here's a quick reminder if you haven't seen the introduction to this series yesterday. Co-Op America announced last week the 10 nominees for the People's Choice Award. Your votes are going to decide which business will win the award and everyone can vote on Co-Op's website until October 15. All of the nominees are really great and choosing your favorite one is not an easy task at all. That's where Eco-Libris blog comes to your help! I sent all the nominees a short questionnaire and I hope their replies will make it easier for you to compare them and decide which one is your numero uno.

The first nominee (the order is based on the order of returning the questionnaires) is:

Only Natural Pet Shop

Business description: a leading retailer of natural pet supplies for dogs and cats. They offer thousands of products from all the leading manufacturers of natural pet care products, including vitamins, supplements, medicine, food, treats, chews, bones, flea control products, grooming supplies, litter, cleaning supplies, and much more. All of their healthy, natural pet care products are consistent with a holistic approach to pet health.

Located at: Boulder, CO

Operating Since: 2004

Website: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/

Blog: http://onlynaturalpetblog.com/

The questionnaire (replied by Julie Dye, marketing director of Only Natural Pet Store):

1. What makes your business a green business?

Being an earth-conscious company is part of our mission. We offer products that are natural, organic, sustainable, free range, fair trade and cruelty free and purchase only biodegradable corn packaging peanuts and reuse all possible manufacturer packaging. And now we're zero waste, which means we recycle, reuse and compost to reduce waste as close to zero as possible. 100% of our electricity is from wind power.

2. What is your green characteristic you're most proud of?

Our zero waste program is very impressive. To process thousands of orders a week, operate an office environment with multiple teams and have over 30 employees, all of which only produces a small amount of garbage at the end of the week is fantastic. The employees work hard to make sure everything is composted and recycled properly.

3. What is your biggest achievement so far?

Getting employees to completely support and achieve our green goals and building support amongst our customers.

4. In what way do you think that you help people to take a green action and make a difference?

We make people aware of the choices they’re making—both in their lives and the lives of their pets. It helps them to understand the lifecycle of the products they order, the benefits of buying natural and organic products and the ease and importance of making such alternative, earth-friendly decisions.

5. Who is your green hero?

From a company perspective, I think the collective group of people who makes decisions every day with an environmental perspective in mind. These thousands of decisions add up to something forceful and effective. We don’t need one big hero, we need millions of small heroes -who chose to consume less, consume in a manner that is more gentle on the earth, not only to nature, but to the people who live on it. Once people understand it in one part of their lives, it spreads to other parts of their lives and to the lives of those around them.

Personally (as marketing director), I believe I would say Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has gone about in his quiet manner and really made a huge difference in New York State. I saw RFK Jr speak several years ago and it was incredibly inspiring.

6. What's your green dream for your business?

To grow, to bring natural and organic choices to the mainstream, to educate consumers to not only seek out healthy care and products (for their pets and their families) with an earth-friendly focus, but to spread the desire and demand eco-accountability from all manufacturers and retailers. That and world peace :-)

Next Nominee: Mountains of the Moon

Yours,

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

2007 People's Choice Award for the Green Business of the Year - introduction

You've probably heard the exciting news about Co-Op's 2007 People's Choice Award for the Green Business of the Year - last week Co-Op America announced the names of the of ten nominees for this prestigious award.

As this is the people's award, your votes are going to decide which business will win the award. The vote is open for everyone and can be made on Co-Op America's website until October 15. The announcement of the winner will be made on November 10 at the Green Festival in San Francisco.

All of the nominees are really great and choosing your favorite one is not an easy task at all. Anyway, how much do you know about these businesses, their green practices and the way they try to make a difference? That's where Eco-Libris blog comes to your help! I will start tomorrow my People's Award Nominees series, where I will try to provide you with relevant information on each one of the nominees.

In order to do that, I sent all the nominees a short questionnaire that they were asked to reply. I hope their replies will make it easier for you to compare between the nominees and decide which one is your no. 1.

Here are the nominees:

1. Flexcar
2. Greenfeet.com: The Planet's Homestore
3. Green Living Now
4. Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and Oils
5. Mountains of the Moon
6. Only Natural Pet Store
7. Pizza Fusion
8. ReusableBags.com
9. UsedCardboardBoxes.com
10. Yoga Nine/Buddha Body Fair Trade Store

As you can see, Eco-Libris is not included in the list (well, we're only 3 months old), but maybe next year..

So stay with me for the exciting nominees series starting TOMORROW!

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Green as a Thistle: small changes, big impact

Today I would like to recommend on a great blog - Green as a Thistle.

This is a blog of Vanessa, a journalist at the National Post, based in Toronto. She decided to challenge her self and make a small eco-friendly change every day for one year (yep, 365 small changes). Her idea is to try and keep change her lifestyle, but not in a one big radical change, but in small simple steps that all together will make a big impact.

Vanessa explains it on the blog: "I decided to take on a bit of a challenge: Spend each day, for an entire calendar year, doing one thing that betters the environment. The idea is that everything I do, I keep doing (so if I switch brands, it's a permanent switch; if I turn down my thermostat, I keep it down), so that by day 365, I'll be living as green a lifestyle as it gets. I hope, in the end, this proves that being an environmentalist doesn't necessarily have to require massive change, compromise or Greenpeace levels of dedication — it can be simple, and inspiring."

So far Vanessa completed 207 days and she brings up great ideas. Let's check what she did just last week:

Monday, Sept. 17 - committing to use towels at least 5 times before throwing them to the laundry.

Tuesday, Sept. 18 - eating only sustainable fish using information taken from SeaChoice.

Wednesday, Sept. 19 - cutting off the end of the toothpaste tube for its maximum usage.

Thursday, Sept. 20 - putting 'Do Not Disturb' sign in a hotel room to avoid unnecessary everyday replacement of semi-used toiletteries in new ones.

Friday, Sept. 21 - forgo any plastic or aerosol cans and use incense or beeswax candles, instead.

Saturday, Sept. 22 - whenever she's at a workshop, a lecture or meeting, she's going to make a point of requesting they illustrate our points using a chalkboard and not a flip chart with papers.

Sunday, Sept. 23 - watering your plants in the evening, when the sun’s not out to evaporate the water before it gets down to the roots.I find it all very impressive.

Way to go Vanessa! Eco-Libris is totally supportive of your approach. We also believe small changes can be fairly simple and make together a big impact on one's life.

So, check out Green as a Thistle and get some inspiration and new ideas from Vanessa.

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

No car today (and perhaps tomorrow?)

Today is Carfree Day, where you leave your car untouched..

It's a worldwide celebration highlighting the many problems caused by our dependence on cars, including air pollution, global warming, stress, and other issues.

According to World Carfree Network's website "Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighborhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society."

The idea of the movement is of course to challenge the concept that we cannot live without cars and encourage people to check out eco-friendly alternatives (public transpiration, walking, cycling, etc.). They also call governments to assist people who want to replace their car with greener alternatives by making these options more available and convenient.

For many people, especially those who don't live in big cities, life without a car is not an option, as there are no real other options even to get to the supermarket or a local coffee shop.

In any case, for everyone today is a good opportunity to leave the car untouched and think of the ways we can make our transpiration choices more sustainable.

To get more information about this day and what's going on today all over the world (How about having a parking meter party ?), please check out the World Carfree Network's website.

Enjoy this car free day,
Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Recycling rocks in Philly!

At first I learned about it after reading a post of Sarah Schmalbach at Philly STYLE Magazine. Then I went to GreenFest Philly and saw some of the people involved in it. And now all is left to do is to get to Philly on Saturday, Sept. 29 and climb to the roof of Whole Foods on market and 10th streets. There you'll find a unique event combining activism and party - Rock & RecycleNOW.

So what is it all about? over the past 18 months RecycleNOW Philadelphia has been collecting over 12,000 signatures, lobbying for public hearings, and making sure the next mayor of Philadelphia will implement a dependable weekly curbside recycling program for everyone in the city.

Their request is simple: expand the recycling pilot projects conducted in Chestnut Hill and West Oak Lane by RecycleBank to all of the city. RecycleBank is a private company that initiated a brilliant recycling program based on an offer people cannot refuse - receive incentives to recycle more. The program rewards resident participation by each with up to $400 a year in discount shopping coupons. You recycle more, you get more coupons.

The idea was to combine attractive incentives with simplicity and comfort - residents were given a single 35 gallon container for all recyclables: glass metal and plastic food containers and all kinds of paper including Cardboard. This way it became much easier for them to recycle (check RecycleBank's demo to see how it works).

RecyleBank created a Win-Win-Win program where everybody wins: residents (more comfort, more coupons), the city (smaller amounts of garbage save the city money) and the companies providing coupons (green promotion for them). No wonder the program is a huge success and increased the percentage of recycling according to RecycleNOW Philadelphia in as much as 125 percent. But somehow, the organization says Philadelphia's city officials remain skeptical of these results and, as it has with previous successful pilots, called for more study.

And now they need your help and support. As they write on their website "Enough is enough. The Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia here calls on you and all Philadelphians to raise our collective voices and let our elected officials know in no uncertain terms: implement and expand Recycle Bank™ recycling program immediately, every week from homes and businesses in every neighborhood across the City."

I support this call as RecycleBank's model succeeded where many other models and ideas have failed and this is the reason they have spread to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. So, it seems only logical to expand it to the rest of Philly for the benefit of both the residents and the city.

The event will feature live performances by Philly’s best local bands: The Capitol Years, The Swimmers, The Adam Monaco Band, Adam and Dave’s Bloodline, Sarsaparilla, Tough Guys Take Over.

The event will take place between 3 to 7 pm. Tickets are $15 and available at http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/fundraiser.html

So rock and recycle, show your support and come to the party!

See you there,
Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

And the Emmy goes to..

Last Sunday was the night of the Emmy awards. I didn't see it, but later on I heard that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, hosts of two of my favorite TV shows (the Daily Show and the Colbert Report), presented together the winner of , joked about green stuff, from Al Gore to carbon offsetting. So, I looked for it and found it on YouTube (is there anything that doesn't get there?).

So for all of Stewart and Colbert fans who didn't see it, here it is.

Enjoy,

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

As The Wheel of Time Turns... R.I.P.: Robert Jordan

Never been good at obituaries so I'm going to let this piece from Shelf Awareness bear the brunt of it:

"Robert Jordan, the author of the Wheel of Time fantasy series, died on Sunday of the rare blood disease amyloidosis. He was 58.

Tor publisher Tom Doherty called Jordan "one of the great storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries; Jim's Wheel of Time is a towering epic of power and scope, he was a man of courage and heart and vision but for me, first of all, he was my friend of 30 years."

Jordan, whose given name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., taught himself to read at age four and began reading Mark Twain and Jules Verne a year later. He was a graduate of the Citadel, where he studied physics, and was a Vietnam veteran. He started writing in 1977. He wrote the Michael Fallon historical romance trilogy under the nom de plume Reagan O'Neal and seven of the Conan novels. His Wheel of Time series, which includes 11 volumes and a prequel, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Jordan was reportedly working on an 12th volume at the time of his death. His blog is at dragonmount.com "

I've read all 11 volumes in the series, and plan to get my hands on the prequel. I discovered Jordan while living on an island with only one ok book store, and an outrageous customs policy on importing books privately. Luckily they stocked the series, and I discovered it while browsing the shelves. Throughout the better part of 2 years I always had a Wheel of Time book somewhere in my vicinity, and I am grateful of that.

Best,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

How Do you Say "Sustainable Reading" in Chinese?

Martin Daniels of The Booksellers Association brings us this story about an interesting business model coming all the way from Shanghai, which allows book readers to get their books for free by allowing sponsors to plant advertisings in the pages. Sounds familiar? No wonder, this is more or less the business model that keeps most of the content on the internet free, and many free magazines floating. Only this time we're talking printed books. Yep, it's time for China to teach us something about innovative business ideas, and BookGG may be just the first of many.

So how does this work? Martin Daniels explains:

"The consumer selects the book and then selects the sponsors with their placement on your book until the price of the book drops to zero. The book is then printed and posted.

For every free book, you need to have a book ticket, which you get once you have registered. You then earn further book tickets by referring new users or orders or buying into an account, which will issue new tickets every month.

Every advertising sponsor can only be selected by an individual once so promoting you to spread your sponsors and in effect find out about others. The sponsor receives all personal information.

Finally the books are printed on demand by Bookgg and contain your sponsors adverts."


So although I personally don't relish the idea of flipping through my new book while being annoyed by ads, I do believe that I would go for it to get a very expensive book I really want for half the price. And frankly I don't mind my purchases being sponsored, especially when I can choose the sponsor, and if sponsors are categorized for me with some conscious labels such as "fair-trade" and "organic".

But what most appeals to me from a Sustainable Reading point of view is the fact, that a successful venture like this in the west can also help popularize print-on-demand technology, which is apparently already quite popular in oh so unsustainable, or so they say, China.

So let's wait and see, shall we?

Best,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Book site of the week: Your home library

From this week on, we'll recommend you on bookish websites or blogs that we like. My first one is actually a site that is dedicated to home libraries - Your home library.

This is the a great site that gives you the opportunity to check out home libraries from all over the world. I believe you can learn a lot about people, their culture and the place they live in from their libraries. Anyway, it's always fun and interesting to take a glance at someone's house from within :-)

This site is of Kim from the Netherlands, who explains on the site that "It started off as me, wondering about your home libraries. I have always been interested in libraries, big and small. Since most of my readers have a passion for books, I am wondering what your library looks like. It does not have to be a proper library, like you see in fancy houses. It could be just a space in a room that is dedicated to your book collection. Or just the most important shelves. No matter how big or small: I would love to see it!"

So, if you want to show the whole world your lovely library, just send Kim email. She is also responsible for the interesting blog KIMBOOKTU,which is defined as "gadgets to book lovers' site.

Both sites will be the first ones to enter our list of the bookish blogs and sites we like on the right side of the blog.

Enjoy your library and have a bookish weekend,

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

p.s. on the picture here, we can see Maggie's library from the site.

A little bit skeptic about the skeptical environmentalist

This was the week of Dr. Bjorn Lomborg. An article on the New York Times (‘Feel Good’ vs. ‘Do Good’ on Climate) and an appearnce on the Colbert Report. All of this because of a new book he wrote "Cool it - The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide To Global Warming".

The book, according to his website, is "a groundbreaking book that transforms the debate about global warming by offering a fresh perspective based on human needs as well as environmental concerns." Dr. Lomborg does not deny global warming. He just don't think it's the most urgent issue and also think we put too much money in the wrong solutions (Kyoto protocols for example). Besides his criticism on the current approach to global warming and its expected results, he thinks we should first focus on more immediate threats such as malaria, AIDS, polluted drinking water and malnutrition.

I understand and agree with some of its criticism on the Kyoto protocols, but I definitely don't agree with the idea that the focus on global warming prevents us from dealing with other urgent issues. These issues (malaria, polluted drinking water, etc.) were critical before anyone started talking about global warming. The lack of success in resolving these issues are caused by the same main problem that brought on us global warming - the illnesses of the modern world. Maybe fixing these illnesses can help us solve all of these threats all together.. how we do it? well, that's a discussion for another post in ther near future :-)

Anyway, it's always interesting to read new ideas, so check out his book, and of course his appearance at the Colbert Report, one of my favorite shows!




Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

L'shana Tova & Ramadan Mubarak

This year's both the Jewish new year (Rosh Hashana,) and the Muslim month of fasting (Ramadan,) begin only days apart, today and tomorrow.

So here's a big warm greeting of L'shana Tova
and Ramadan Mubarak to all our friends and families out there.

We'd also like to use this opportunity to thank everyone from all around the globe who have been planting trees, changing light bulbs and taking many other little or big steps moving towards sustainable living. We're proud to be part of it all!

Eco-Libris is balancing out Net Impact's "Business as UNusual"

Dreaming about green MBA, or just regular MBA but with the best CSR (corporate social responsibility) or sustainable management classes? need more info where you can find the program that fits your social and environmental interests? What you need is Business as UNusual: The 2007 Net Impact Guide to Graduate Business Programs. Not only it's a great guide, it's also balanced out by Eco-Libris.

I'm very excited to present our current collaboration with Net Impact, an international nonprofit organization with 10,000 graduate business students and professional members dedicated to creating a better world through business.

'Business as UNusual' is an annual guide written by students at 56 business schools, which highlights programs in CSR, sustainable management, and other socially responsible practices. It is the first to focus on MBA and other graduate students' perspectives on social and environmental themes in curricula, career service, and the perspective of other students at business schools worldwide.

The guide was created in response to inquiries from students applying to business school with social and environmental interests. In addition to preparation of students to become responsible business leaders, the guide also compares data on different MBA programs and educates graduate school applicants to help them find the program that is right for them.

So, how we get into the picture? well, the guide can be downloaded online at no charge, but there is also a limited number of printed copies that will be sold on Amazon.com. Net Impact collaborated with Eco-Libris to balance out these printed copies. This means that Eco-Libris works to plant one tree for each one of these copies. The logo of Eco-Libris is been printed on the cover of the guide saying "One tree planted for this book".

I am a proud Net member of Net Impact and I think this informative guide is a great service for prospective and current MBA students who want to make a difference through business. If you have any thoughts of doing MBA, please check it out, and don't forget to take a look at our beautiful logo on the cover :-)

More information on the guide can be found on Net Impact's news release at: http://www.csrwire.com/News/9609.html

Raz

Eco- Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

San Francisco's trees on your laptop

San Francisco is known for being very green. It's also known in its IT orientation. Now it combines both parts to support the tree planting efforts in the city.

TreeHugger.com reports on the innovative San Francisco Urban Forest Mapping Project, which is a partnership between the Friends of the Urban Forest, the department of public works in the County of San Francisco, and Autodesk.

According to the project's website "by working together and leveraging new technology – MapGuide Open Source – the project team has created an Urban Forest Map, which digitally pinpoints the location of each tree, maintains tree data in a consistent database, and offers web access to the tree data – key for maintenance and planting efforts. The community can get involved by posting photos and stories about their own trees that they plant and map online."

This virtual project sounds really cool and hopefully it will support the planting efforts in San Francisco, where the city's goal is to plant 25,000 trees by 2010.

To learn more about this project, check out this video from QUED:



Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Say it out loud: Swap-O-Rama-Rama

"In 2005 I created an event that I designed to be an alternative to consumerism called Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Since its introduction into the world it has grown to include more than 40 cities in the US and around the world and it continues to grow."

This is part of the bio of Wendy Tremayne who brought to the world the wonderful concept of Swap-O-Rama-Rama. I was very excited to read about it today during one of my searches in TreeHugger.

So what is it? according to its site, Swap-O-Rama-Ram is " a clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which a community explores creative reuse through the recycling of used clothing. "

I think its a great concept as it takes one of the basic rules of the green economy - maximize the usage of every existing material as much as you can, either by reusing it or recycling it - and combines it with creativity and fun. What could go wrong with such a mix?

Want to learn more? check Wendy's website and also watch TreeHugger's video here.

If you like the idea, check for the locations of upcoming Swap events, and if you can't find anything nearby, just start one by yourself.

Enjoy swapping,
Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

The future of e-books

Have you have read an electronic book? I haven't.. I'm not the type of person who will read a book from his cell phone or those other small gadgets that you can download books to. I guess that I'm, like most people, waiting for an e-book reader that will be user-friendly and affordable. So far there were none, but according to an article yesterday on the New York Times (Are Books Passe? Web giants envision the next chapter), significant advances are on the way and maybe faster than we think.

The main progress is made by Amazon.com that according to the article will unveil in October their new e-book reader. The new device won't be that affordable - it will be priced at $400 to $500. Yet, it is going to be wirelessly connected (but only to Amazon's e-book store of course), which is a big improvement in comparison with older e-book devices that had to be connected to the computer in order to download books or articles.

The article is trying to figure out if we're on the verge of a significant breakthrough in electronic books, which seemed very promising a while ago, but eventually had a very disappointing history. Overall, according to the article, there's a reason to be optimistic this time, but we still have a long way ahead of us until the e-book will become common.

Eco-Libris supports the concept of e-books as a sustainable alternative to books made of paper. Yet, we know it can take many years until e-books will be available for everyone. In the meantime we call all book lovers not to sit aside and wait, but to take an action and plant a tree for every book they read.

Raz

Net Impact member profile: Raz Godelnik of Eco-Libris

A bit late, but as usual better late than never, here's a link to a profile article Net Impact published on their newsletter, Net Impact August Leading Business.

The article is profiling Raz Godelnik, a Net Impact member and the co-founder and CEO of Eco-Libris, the new green biz that lets book readers balance out the paper used for the books they read by planting trees.

So if you're interested to learn more about Raz or Eco-Libris, click HERE.

Enjoy,

Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

The Climb to the Top

There's something thrilling about climbing trees. As a kid I couldn't get enough of swinging from the middle branches of a mulberry trees that was growing in the yard. Actually it was growing right over the asphalt communal parking lot, which proved to be an important and dangerous distinction once the mulberry decided to retaliate and slip away from underneath my feet just as I was lowering myself down from a rather tall branch. I'll save you the long story but the end of it was that the house committee decided to cut most of the branches to save other kids from similar fate, but really it was because the bats, who really liked the ripe fruit, were wreaking havoc at night all over everyone's windshields... Poor mulberry. These days, many years later, I can still see rebellious shoots growing here and there from a rather dead looking stump, every time I visit my parents' place. And that's as exciting as it gets.

Robert Macfarlane of The Guardian has much more to offer when it comes to tree climbing. In this beautifully written review piece, he lists several classics written about tree climbing and then goes on to describe a few recent additions to tree climbing literature genre. Yes, he claims it exists, with Italo Calvino as its main trunk. He also tells about his own adventures and distinctions exploring various trees from the special perspective of someone who climbs them regularly. Recommended!

So next time I'm out about exploring the woods I think I'm going to find an easy spot and let the inner boy reawaken... or is it the inner monkey? I can never tell them apart anyway :-)

Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Green marketing: past, present and future

There aren't many people who knows and understands green business as Joel Makower do. For me, he's an endless source of green wisdom, and I'm always waiting for Monday to receive his weekly post in his blog, 'Two Steps Forward'.

This week, Makower writes about green marketing (Green Marketing 2.0: This Time It's Serious). As someone who is involved and follows the field for some time, he has a perspective that only few have, and it's fascinating to read his descriptions about the beginning of green marketing (or green marketing 1.0) more than a decade ago.

Though many are skeptic about the direction of green marketing and green consumerism, Makower is optimistic and writes that "Now, after years of false starts, a growing number of mainstream success stories suggest that green marketing finally is more than an environmentalist's pipe dream. "

For those who are interested to learn more on green marketing, Makower gives recommendations on upcoming four significant green marketing conferences, which are themselves a sign for the change in this field - last year there were none.

Raz

btw - the picture attached is the logo of one of these conferences - Green Marketing Forum on November 28-30 in London.

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Nice day for green wedding

Green weddings are getting more popular, and it all starts with the invitations. Formal-invatations.com reports in a news release that "many couples are choosing to 'Go Green' when they design and fashion their wedding invitations for the coming year, and are avoiding the traditional and predictable. Eco-chic options abound in a wide range of environment-friendly recycled stock, and handmade tree-free papers."

Yep, there are alternatives to invitations made of virgin paper, and you don't have to tradeoff quality or design when choosing the green option. The company offers many options of invitations and envelopes made of recycled paper and are processed chlorine-free or made of tree-free materials.

If you're worried about staying stylish, Formal-invatations.com brings you a short guide for 2008 trends in invitations, where you can learn for example that "For a spring wedding in 2008, an invitation's color scheme can echo the colors of the blooming gardens with sky blue, leaf green and magnolia pink. Summer brings hotter weather and high-voltage tints will be everywhere -especially apple green, aqua blue, bright yellow and sunset orange."

If you're still not satisfied with the green alternatives, you can always send your invitations by email :-)

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Don't miss GreenFest Philly next Sunday

If you're around Philly next Sunday (September 9, 11am-6pm), don't miss the GreenFest.

Still hesitating? check out the GreenFest website, which invites us all to "come explore the many ways that Philadelphia is Going Green—or could! Our rocking street festival features music, food, art and more than 100 exhibitors. They demo new, exciting solutions for living in an environmentally sensitive and just way." You can also check out their MySpace page.

I will be there and I hope to see all on South Street, between 7th & 11th.

see ya,

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Outdoor reading in the big apple

Summer is almost gone (I know, it's terrible even to think about it..), but the NYT brings us a great piece about one of the summer's greatest pleasures - outdoor reading.

Well, what can be better than enjoying a good book and a great weather at the same time? New York has many great places to read outside, from well-known Central Park to many others less known, such as Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side.

I learned from the article about NYC's Bryant Park Reading Room, a spot located behind the New York Public Library, which has been reopened in 2003, after it was closed for almost 60 years. It was opened originally in 1935: the New York Public Library opened the “Open Air Library” to give these out-of-work businessmen and intellectuals a place to go where they did not need money, a valid address, a library card, or any identification to enjoy the reading materials.).

The Bryant Park Corporation has repeated history by recreating the Bryant Park Reading Room. It is modeled after the original with the additions of custom-designed carts for an extensive and eclectic selection of books, periodicals and newspapers. Certainly worth a visit!

The article is not only worth reading because of all the interesting stories about people that like to read in public and their favorite spots, but also because lines like these ones:

"Reading is a solitary pursuit, even a lone passage to a separate world. Yet to read in public, amid strangers, gives it another dimension. Sometimes the city speaks to the page, or the page seems to open up to people passing by. An outdoor reader shares the pulse of a timeless urban conversation between the world and the written word."
Link to the article - On the Outdoor Book Tour, the Word Is Spreading.

So grab a book and get outside. and enjoy reading outdoors while you still can :-)

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!