Now, they need your help!

Are you taking eco-conscious actions to help to protect our environment? Tell us your choices and concerns.

We are conducting research at University of Connecticut to understand people’s attitudes towards eco-friendly living and their experiences in connecting with eco-friendly businesses.

As a reward for your participation, you may enter our drawing for a goodie bag of eco-friendly/green items valued at $100.

In less than 10 minutes, you can share your favorite types of eco-products & top concerns with current & future business owners. Plus, who doesn’t love a good contest? Every response is a unique insight into the minds of sustainable consumers – help out UConn & take their survey today!

There’s a lot of pressure, financial concerns, emotional growth … but the most important factor is how we spend our time. Our careers & our hobbies define us more than anything. They can also have the biggest impact on the environment & unforeseeable future.

Currently 25, I can deeply connect with Libuse Binder’s 1st book, 10 Ways to Change the World in Your 20s. This time is the beginning of the rest of our lives – the best time to find your passion & run with it. Hitting shelves this week (visit your favorite local bookstore!), Libuse does an exceptional job of rounding up the ever-growing options of how us young people can make a true difference.

This book also captures a vital part of the sustainable/ethical/sociological movement that I consistently promote – every little thing counts. Basic things like sending emails & cooking can be turned into impact-having actions!

Libuse includes concrete information on the benefits of volunteering, reducing waste, conscious traveling, how to find your passion & turn it into a career … and oh yeah, lots more. Each action she describes is rated in 3 categories: time, cost, & lifestyle impact. These graphics are a great way of getting a visual idea of the difference you can really make (& who doesn’t like cute little icons?).

We are the future & we need to use our influence for the biggest impact possible. 10 Ways to Change the World in Your 20s is a comprehensive book that should be required reading in every high school worldwide.

Bonus: Visit the 10 Ways… blog & Twitter account for more ways to make a difference!

Climate = the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.

Change = to become different, altered, or modified.

Climate is a very basic concept. Climate is rain, wind, sun, rain … you know, what meteorologists talk about. Change is also very basic, but people have a much harder time understanding or adapting to it.

The climate naturally changes and our planet naturally goes through times of warming and cooling. Our current problem is that our planet’s climate is changing faster than is normally does. The science is there in black & white – we’re experiencing one of the most rapid changes in climate in the 4.5-billion-year history of our planet.

So why do we deny climate change is happening? Why do we deny the fact that humans are the only species capable of creating such change? The answer is within the problem itself: change. Our culture fears change, both rapidly & over long periods of time. Being flexible and adaptable is not something many of us are taught.

While our music, fashion, and technology grows at hurried rates, we depend on certain elements of our life to remain steady. Those things that we’ve come to trust and depend on are now changing – thanks to climate change – and it is rocking our world: food, water, the seasons.

It’s time to stop fighting, stop lying, stop denying. Our climate is changing, we are the cause, and only we can change it for the better. Every small step leads to big differences in our government, culture, society, and overall well-being. Don’t over-analyze, don’t seek perfection, don’t compete – just start. Each journey beings with one step and now is the time to take it.

Accept climate change

Be NICE

Help the planet

———–

This post is proud part of Blog Action Day 2009.

[Image taken by Victoria Klein]

Unexpectedly, COTG was without a host AGAIN! (remember #192?) Having hosted it 5 times already, I was delighted to step up & bring you the latest in sustainable headlines from the past week – you deserve it.

Before we begin, let’s hear a round of applause for last week’s COTG host, More Minimal – y’all rock! Make sure you check back next week and say “HI” to Bliss Tree, host for the week of October 5th, 2009.

Top Tips to Save Gas from How to Save Gas: Burning too much fuel not only hurts your bank balance, but our environment. Here are some great tips to conserve fuel. It will help your financial picture and our environment at the same time. Who could ask for more than that?

End of the Season Garden Wrap-Up from True Adventures in Money Hacking

Grow, Baby, Grow from Green Thinking Blog: A rundown of interesting and useful resources on how “green thumbs” can grow things in their (urban) communities.

Nothing But Pecker Poles: Soft Toilet Paper Flushes Old Forests from Sally Kneidel: Plush toilet paper requires wood from the world’s last old-growth forests. Seems the long fibers of old trees make softer paper.  Consumers need to get a grip – half the world (or more) doesn’t even have toilet paper. At most supermarkets in the States, you can find at least one brand that uses 100% recycled paper.

How to Strengthen Your Family’s Immune Systems from Greening Families: The start of school has folks worried once again about the spread of the H1N1 flu. Here are several tips designed to help you strengthen the immune systems of your family members so they can stay healthy.

Small Chicken Coops from Chicken House Plans: Using chicken house designs is a great way to build your own chicken house for an affordable price while having the benefits of eating heather organize eggs.

Penny Rug Patterns from Craft Stew: Make your penny rugs entirely from recycled materials. Old wool skirts, coats and blankets are perfect for these adorable little projects.

Wilderness and Urban Survival Skills from GO! Girls Outdoors: Developing a connection to the environment with a couple of amazing women from Colorado – enjoy!

Keeping Up with My Frugally Green Commitments from Frugally Green: The first step to achieving your goals is to actually set them. The next step is to periodically evaluate them. I’ve made a number of sustainable commitments over the last 5 months. Come see how I’ve measured up on the most important ones.

Reusable Bags Don’t Reuse Themselves from Not the Jet Set: We’re not here to convince you to make the switch to reusable bags – that case has already been made. No, this is a post about what happens after you’ve bought the bags.

25 Instant Health Benefits of Going Green from Masters In Nursing Online

Moving Away from Oil-Powered Energy from Boots on the Roof

12 Cheap & Simple Ways to Experience Autumn from More Minimal: There’s a close relationship between simple living and the turn of the season. More Minimal lists a dozen ways to more fully experience autumn.

After adopting a fully-sustainable lifestyle over 5 years ago, I’ve spent my money on nothing but eco-friendly options. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed many times & pass my “misses” onto to mum, who happily uses anything she gets for free (while I’m just trying to replace her addiction to Suave).

For the past 4-5 months, I’ve reeled in my spending & haven’t had the chance to try anything new. As expected, my list of skin care brands I want to try continues to grow. At the top of that list? It’s always been suki.

Why suki? Lots of reasons!

+ Ingredient lists I can always pronounce, which include nothing but natural, organic, fair trade & local ingredients.

+ All products are certified cruelty-free.

+ Sublime packaging that is easily reusable & recyclable.

+ An uber-impressive rating from the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (though not all of their products are listed yet).

+ Company founder, president, and sole formulator, Suki Kramer is in her 40s, but looks 23 – if anything, that should be all the proof you need that these products work!

Mentioned in nearly ever major magazine, suki is an even more amazing company than I realized. A few fun facts that I learned recently: all products are made & shipped from their factory in Northampton, Massachusetts (about an hour from me!); 100% owned by Suki herself and staffed 95% by women; active supporter of 16 worthy non-profit organizations, including the Clean Water Fund, Co-op America, Friends of the Earth, Breast Cancer Fund, and Cancer Prevention Coalition.

OK, so I love what suki stands for … but I’m not going to recommend something if I haven’t tried it myself. The opportunity to test a few suki products, selected especially for my skin (see them in the picture above, which I took in my bathroom), presented itself and I jumped at the chance!

For the past month, I’ve been using sukiface transformative cleansing clay and sukispa bio-active purifying face serum twice a day, every day. It was less than a week before I started seeing results: smaller blemishes, less redness, more even skin tone, and less newly-formed blemishes. The results only got better as I kept using the 2 products. Right now, I have one zit … just one; that hasn’t happened in years. I’m still a bit flabbergasted at how well this stuff works – I’m just waiting for my skin to break out in a zit orgy (but keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t).

The only drawback? Cost – $43.95 and $75 respectively. I’ve been looking for an all-natural, DIY recipe to help keep my skin clear, but in over a year of research, I have yet to find one that really works. If you could only splurge on one skin care product, I’d recommend the sukispa line of serums. Yes, they are $75-80 a piece, but since you only use 2-4 drops with each application, they last 1-2 months before you need to buy more. They strong, concentrated, and powerfully effective.

Sometimes, the old saying is undeniably true – you get what you pay for.

[Image taken by Victoria Klein]

Unexpectedly, COTG was without a host for this week. Having hosted it 4 times already, I was delighted to step up & bring you the latest in sustainable headlines from the past week.

Before we begin, let’s hear a round of applause for last week’s COTG host, Humane Connection – y’all rock! Make sure you check back next week and say “HI” to The EcoChic, host for the week of August 17th, 2009.

The Organic Advantages and the Labeling Confusion from Free Organic News: Organic produce is grown with no synthetic chemical pesticides, no synthetic chemical fertilizers and with great attention paid to the health of the soils, animals and ecosystems that are involved in its creation. As a result, organic production offers the following benefits …

Be Green, not Elitist from Frugally Green: The best way to lead a more sustainable life is to influence others to follow suit. But nobody listens to a snob. It takes effort to make a real connection with people and influence them to make a change.

Going Back to School the Eco-friendly Way from Guffly: Guffly is a one product per day online store and community featuring eco friendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office and personal accessories. We know that people aren’t interested in ugly stuff, so you can bet Guffly’s green products are stylish, fun and attractive – eco stylish if you will.

Will Peak Oil Log the Internet Off? from Ooffoo: Ooffoo answers the question “will peak oil log the internet off?” with a firm “no”. But take heed – creativity and change will be needed. Are you ready?

Leopard Adventure: Male and Female Clash Over Prey from Veggie Revolution: Sally and Ken continue their quest to see more African wildlife. On Veggie Revolution this week, read about the leopard battle they came across.  Then read what you can do to protect this beautiful endangered species.

Win a Green Makeover and a Spa Trip to New York City from Wise Bread

Fueling the Future…With Urine and Chicken Remnants from Mauka to Makai: We’ve been looking everywhere for the perfect alternative fuel while the answer might be right in front of us…kind of. Recent research shows that urine holds promise as a source for hydrogen fuel and chicken feather meal may be the perfect source of biodiesel.

Beth’s Big Back to School Binder Debate & Give-Away from Fake Plastic Fish: Recently the debate about new vs. used school supplies has generated a lot of discussion in the blogosphere.  Please weigh in on the issue and also enter to win a set of recycled or reused 3-ring binders.

12 Cool Urban Bicycles Ready to Replace Your Car from Lighter Footstep: Forget Cash for Clunkers. If you really want to make a green statement, save money, and significantly reduce your environmental footprint, start parking the car and riding a bike. Here are 12 rugged models designed specifically for daily urban duty.

“Fresh” the Movie Review from not the jet set: Even if you are not an “environmentalist” type the film teaches you without lecturing you about where your food really comes from.

New Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies from Fake Plastic Fish: The CHEJ just published a fantastic free downloadable guide to PVC-free school supplies.  But what’s wrong with PVC (aka vinyl) in the first place?

This is my first time hosting Carnival of the Green here on my new blog at VictoriaKlein.net. You might remember me “doing the deed” three times on my old blog at Victoria-E.com.

Before we begin, let’s hear a round of applause for last week’s COTG host, Kids Discover Nature – y’all rock! Make sure you check back next week and say “HI” to Greener Pastures, host for the week of July 27th, 2009.

Easy Ways to Make your Home More Eco-Friendly from Free Organic News: We all want to do our part to protect the environment, but without a large paycheck, that can be seem difficult, if not impossible. But doing your part doesn’t have to be hard. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.

Car Trip Carbon Credits from Traveling Mamas: A short list of reputable companies from which one can purchase carbon offsets for a road trip vacation.

How to Make Fried Zucchini (with pictures) from Homesteader Belle

Cash in on the Cash for Clunkers Program from Frugally Green: If your old, gas-guzzling auto is about to take a dirt nap, you may be interested to know that the US Government will soon be offering an incentive up to $4,500 to buy a new, more efficient vehicle. Read this article to find out more about program and what you’ll need to know to take advantage of it.

Green Champs and Chumps from Dame Scribe: Learn about a supporting ensemble to promote green and global wellness.

Cardboard Furniture Links from Craft Stew: I’m constantly amazed by all the things that can be done with a material that most people consider nothing but trash.

Recycled Plarn Backpack Pattern from My Recycled Bags: This wonderful upcycled backpack is a great way to repurpose those old plastic bags into something new.

Female Hyenas, All Hermaphrodites, Bully Males and Lions from Veggie Revolution: Hyenas play an important role in the ecology of Africa’s savannas; they’re the second most powerful carnivore on the continent. Did you know that female hyenas are all hermaphrodites? The females’ high testosterone levels might explain why they dominate the males, and are aggressive enough to steal prey from lions.

Save Money on Food: Grow Your Own! from True Adventures in Money Hacking

Giving Birth … from The Birdcouple: Birthing big healthy vegetables without the use of pesticides.

12 Strategies to Save Money on Organics from The Conscious Shopper

Save Money and Benefit with Homemade Products from Moolanomy Personal Finance: Learn how to grow and make your own stuff is a great way to help the environment, and a great way to save money as well. Here’s a couple’s story of how they are doing it.

Tips For Saving Money – The Frugal Mindset from The Smarter Wallet

20 Ways for Renters to Stay Cool and Save Money this Summer from Lighter Footstep: More people are renting than ever. But most energy saving tips are geared to homeowners. If you rent and want to cool down your summer power bill, start here!

Joey Totes Reusable Bags Give-Away from Fake Plastic Fish: When it comes to reusable shopping bags, the best choice is to use and reuse the bags we already have.  But sometimes we need a little help.  Joey Totes are great for those of us who tend to forget to bring our bags or leave them in the car.  I’m giving away a set of 3 Joey Totes on Fake Plastic Fish this week.  There’s still time to enter the drawing.

There’s so much to love about them:

+ 100% organic cotton

+ Lightweight & easily layered

+ Mid-thigh length

+ Raw hems

+ Available in 3 sleeve lengths (long, 1/2 sleeve, & short-sleeve)

+ Available in 6-12 different colors & patterns which change each season

I can’t say enough good things about them … except the prices, of course ($76, $73, & $62). A simple web search will often turn up discount codes for the brand’s online store – you can almost always save a little on your order.

Your gift presentation should be as meaningful as your gift. Give Luck. Give Love. Give Wisdom. Give a lovely gesture with these reusable fabric gift wrap. Hand-printed on organic cotton with soy-based inks. Measure 28″ x28″. – from ChewingTheCud.com

Though they are intended to be used as gift wrap (known in Japan as furoshiki), Chewing the Cud‘s designs remind me of my all-time favorite collectible: tea towels. I’d buy a few for gifts, a few for use  in the kitchen, and a few to hang as art.

[Photos from Chewing the Cud]