A survey of the green attitudes of consumers in United States, the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, India, Germany and France. The results may surprise you – Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News

Green kitty litter? Why not? As long as it doesn’t smell it works for me – CleanTechnica

Does paper that blooms into flowers made from 100% recycled post consumer waste disgust you because it still comes from trees? Do I have the product for you… – News Blaze

The Wanderlust Festival, going on right now, is striving to be the greenest festival around – TreeHugger

Are green banks a good idea? – Economix

How green is your birth control? I Really Have Nothing That I Can Add To That – The Huffington Post

“Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, will launch a labeling system to disclose the environmental impact of the products it sells” – Earth2Tech

“The government today gave the go-ahead for the construction of four eco-towns, offering 10,000 homes overall, which, it hopes, will showcase environmentally friendly living in the UK” – Worldchanging

Bernie Madoff will be spending the rest of his life in the United State’s first and only LEED-certified prison. So at least he has that going for him – Mother Nature Network

This could be the perfect time to starting investing “green.” With that in mind here are 4 exchange traded funds profiting from green energy – Investment U

Here is a relatively technical article about the development of a new “green” industrial lubricant – Scientific Blogging – Science 2.0

“Let’s be quite clear about this: carbon will be the world’s biggest market and people are set to make a fortune out of it. Some of them might even care about the environment.” – G-Online

There is a company out there (Aakron) making “green” 12 and 17 ounce stadium cups. What a great idea! Cups like these are never going to go away, so they might as well be as green as possible – Ecopreneurist

The bastion of truth and justice that is Fox News has reported that President Obama’s Green Jobs Czar has a history of “anarchism and communism”. I don’t know how stupid Fox News reporters and viewers are, but aren’t communism and anarchism polar opposites of each other? If you really think about it isn’t capitalism much, much closer to anarchy? …I’m just saying… – More About Politics

A nice concise article explaining ways that a “green” automobile will save you money – Online Car Insurance Guide

Every other “green” business article I read seems to be an article about China going green. Now I hear that Pepsi is opening a green plant over there. What are those communists really up to? – TheTradingReport

The Museum of Science in Industry in Chicago has built this fantastic home that you can tour that is advertised as Green and Wired.  The exhibit originally was suppose to last through January 2009, but because of it’s popularity it was updated even more and extended through January 2010.  Take a tour of the Green and Wired House.

I found a great site on ConsumerReports.org that has an interactive Home Improvement Guide , check it out.  Run the mouse over the rooms in the house you are thinking of remodeling and get reviews and  tips on the different materials and fixtures.  Look for energy efficient products. Consumer Reports home improvement guide.

Want to learn how to construct a Worm Farm?  Follow the steps of this activity supplied by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Worm Farm activity.

“The average green collar worker makes $76,000 per year,” in this economy that’s a good reason to make even a staunch anti-environmentalist go green – The Business Insider

Are WindCubes going to be the big thing that help metropolitan areas to go green? – Earth2Tech

Obama is “less green than he promised.” (or maybe not… is it just me, or is every paragraph other than the first one a non sequitur when compared to the headline? Maybe something is lost in the translation from French?) – Le Monde diplomatique

“China intends to lead the low-carbon race and is already beginning to unleash a low-carbon dragon.” Isn’t that quote at least a little ethnically insensitive? If Ireland was pushing for massive environmental reforms would it be OK to say that “Ireland intends to unleash a low-carbon leprechaun”? – The New York Times – Green Inc. Blog

Does your local sports team have green facilities? Since only 11 facilities in the United States are LEED certified, probably not – Green Guide for Everyday Living

Harvard is hosting a green 25 year reunion this year – The New York Times – Green Inc. Blog

Are You Wasting Energy?

Planet Green has an interesting article about 8 commonly left on appliances that are wasting energy and probably costing you money. Even while in standby mode all of these appliances are using enough energy to make a difference on your electric bill. Check out planetgreen.com to see exactly how much power each item is wasting.

Their List:

• TV
• DVD Player
• Modem
• Computer
• Laptop
• Phone Charger
• Ceiling Fan
• Space Heater

Dallas During Earth Hour 2009

I was going to spend a couple of hours today looking for the best Earth Hour 2009 pictures I could find and writing a blog about it, but after looking at Boston.com’s worldwide photo collage I gave up, figuring that our readers would be better served to just go check out their site.

Boston.com has a series of photographs from 17 different location showing the difference that Earth Hour made.

Earth Hour 2009 Pictures – Go check it out, come back and share what you think!

With the start of Spring last week (even though it snowed in Chicago this weekend), I began to think about gardening.  Since the start of the GreenStoreAndMore I have tried to do things that are Eco Friendly, so I am determined to start a compost bin.   I have no idea where to begin, so I searched the web and came up with a great site I would like to share.

It is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s site, and it gives step by step directions to Create Your Own Compost .  Did you know compost is made up of 3 different ingredients: Brown(dead leaves, plants, twigs…) , Green (grass clippings, vegetables wastes, fruit scraps…) and water?  Meat and by-products should not be put into a compost pile – it  will attract mice and other outdoor animals if you do.  Compost should be used on outdoor gardens and grass but not for indoor plants, because of the presence of seeds and weeds.  I learned all of the above from the site I mentioned.  I encourage you to take a look at it.

You can do an outside bin or an inside container.  I am going to try the outside one.  I will let you know how it works out.  Let me know if  you have any compost tips.  Happy Gardening!!!

Can Deep Sea Currents Be The Energy Source of the Future?

Discover Magazine has an article in their March issue touting the use of deep sea currents to generate a renewable, cheap alternative energy. The whole idea is to use the movement of the water to vibrate metal rods, and then use this physical energy to create electricity. It is a really interesting idea.

What do you think of the possibilities? Leave your comments below!

I received an email from Beachwood High School , Ohio.  The school holds an eco friendly showcase called The Green Dream.  Beachwood High hosted one last year and have another one coming up in April.  With last year’s proceeds they were able to sponsor the “first green classroom.”  Below is an excerpt from the email explaining what this is:

Our Ultimate Green Classroom is not only America’s first green classroom but also the national model for a green classroom. Everything from the floors, chairs, counters, appliances, blinds, lights, and cabinets are either recyclable or can be recycled. We have also installed a SmartBoard in place of a chalk board which is all digital and saves paper and writing materials. The kitchen includes Energy Star efficient appliances which are LEED certified.  The paint used on the walls have no toxic chemicals, no VOC’s , no carbon emissions, and is safer for the chemically sensitive. The Air purifier powerfully filters allergens and other harmful particles and gases to create the healthiest possible indoor air.

I am impressed by Beachwood High School’s initiative and had to share it with you. If you are interest in learning more here is their site: thegreendream.org