Click here to make a donation and find information on organizations providing emergency relief efforts.

I am sure all of you are aware of the horrific 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti that occurred on 1/12/10 at approx 5pm. There were also approx. 40 aftershocks that averaged 5.0 magnitude. Specifically the 2 shortly after were 5.9 and 5.5.

Hundreds of thousands are feared dead and many more are homeless, critically injured and dying by the minute. There are still people trapped in countless buildings that collapsed and bodies laying on roadsides covered and uncovered. The situation there is unimaginable. You only need watch news coverage of the unfolding events to feel a personal obligation to help in some way, ANY way. If you would like to contribute to the rescue and relief efforts down there, it's easy to do from your mobile phone.

You can text haiti to 90999 to send a $10 contribution (charged to your phone bill) to the Red Cross.

You can also text haiti to 20222 to send a $10 contribution (charged to your phone bill) to the Clinton Foundation's Haiti Relief fund.

The funds need to get there ASAP! Time is so very critical right now in order to get aid and save lives.

Doctors, medical and rescue professionals or just anyone willing to pitch in are also more than welcome down there.

PLEASE contribute what you can as this country is going through the most horrific natural disaster it's ever experienced. This is truly a terrible event. PLEASE HELP

Click here to make a donation and find information on organizations providing emergency relief efforts.

It's about time! I may be behind the curve on this but after watching Focus Earth about this subject I became aware of what the industry term is for lying piece-of-crap companies who SAY (i.e. advertise) they're Green but ARE DEFINITELY NOT!

Of course, the oil companies lead the pack. Some companies are doing the best they can within the constraints of their industries while others are flat out lying. This is so insidious and low that it initially made me wanna go thru the roof. But, as with many other issues these days, I go beyond the anger stratosphere and into the numbness-sphere.Get involved in the action and let's hit home the message:  

"Clean up your act, NOT your image!"

At the same time let's also reward companies who DO practice what they preach. Feel free to post your thoughts on this topic and let us know about your personal experiences or any great websites you run across.

I feel very strongly about the matter and I REALLY want to hear from other like-minded people!

If you want to know more about who the biggest offenders are and what they're up to, try some of the links below:

Here is the wikipedia definition and other pertinent info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwash

Excellent watchdog website:
http://www.greenwashingindex.com

Whistle blower website:
http://www.greenwashing.net

Greenpeace's action website:
http://stopgreenwash.org

Huffington Post top 10 Greenwashing companies:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/03/top-10-greenwashing-compa_n_182724.html

Hey Green friends: Register now to participate in our contests and access the DIY section. Take a look at our Green gardening ideas contest to find out the prize. Look at the DIY section to find out how to make rain barrels. Also don't forget to sign up for our newsletter. Our inaugural issue will be coming soon.  To register, click on "REGISTER" above - it's free and only takes a few seconds.  We look forward to hearing YOUR Green ideas...

Written by Wenona Napolitano

The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) has created Green Paws, a green living initiative, to help people keep their pets and families safe from toxic flea and tick products.

The surprising thing is that it’s not just the regular chemical culprits that may be dangerous to the health of your pets but some of the “all natural” herbal treatments can be just as poisonous.

Green Paws is committed to helping inform people that many flea and tick products can harm pets, people and the environment. They give great advice about what to do to avoid getting infested with fleas and ticks-washing your pet regularly, combing and brushing your pet, using a flea comb to pull out fleas and their eggs, vacuum your home often (and don’t forget to clean out the vacuum), and keep pet areas clean.

Visit GreenPaws.org to learn more about keeping your pets and families safe from toxic products. You can sign petitions, download a pocket guide to products, and see a list of safer flea and tick treatments.

I try to avoid chemical products as much as possible so I use herbal products instead. I was shocked to find out that even herbal products are not always safe for pets or people.

Products containing the essential oils cinnamon, clove, geranium, tea tree, lavender, bay and eucalyptus should be used sparingly because they can cause severe allergic reactions in pets and people (always do a small spot test and wait several hours for signs of reaction before overall application).

Products containing cedarwood, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary and thyme are safer.

Avoid the use of any product containing pennyroyal oil it has been reported to cause seizures, comas, and even death in animals.

This is the most alarming to me because I bought a flea spray from Only Natural Pet Store thinking it would be safe to use. After reading this information from Green Paws and then checking the label on my flea spray I find that Pennyroyal oil is one of the first ingredients. I could have killed my beloved cats by using something “safe” and “all natural”.

I really wish companies would do more thorough research on their products before sending them out to be sold to unsuspecting people thinking they are doing the right thing by purchasing an herbal product instead of a chemical one.

The flea spray I purchased is Doc Ackerman’s Botanical Citronella Pet Spray. “A Natural Alternative to Pesticides”. Oil of Pennyroyal is the third ingredient listed.

Visit GreenPaws.org to find out if your flea and tick treatments are not as safe as you thought they were.

It seems like just yesterday that President Barack Obama took the oath of office on a bitterly cold January morning, but here we are exactly 100 days later. So what does the cleantech community have to show for the president it worked so ardently to get elected? Well, quite a lot, actually. Here’s our list of the top 10 things the Obama administration has done for cleantech in its historic first 100 days. Hit the comments to let us know what you’d like to see in the next 100.

The Greenest Budget Ever – Obama’s $3.55 trillion budget proposal is a one-two punch for cleantech — it boosts funding for renewables while slashing tax breaks for fossil fuels. Obama’s wish list, which Climate Progress called “the first sustainable budget in U.S. history,” includes $15 billion per year for cleantech over a decade as well as an estimated $650 billion in revenue from his promised but yet-to-be-seen cap-and-trade program on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green(er) Stimulus – Signed in February, the stimulus package is chock-full of cleantech goodies with $43 billion for grants for clean power, extensions on tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal and energy efficiency programs, smart grid funding, weatherization programs and a new tax credit for cleantech hardware manufacturing.

Regulating Carbon – The EPA’s historic finding last month that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to public health and welfare, which paves the way for the agency to regulate them under the Clean Air Act, is the inconvenient truth that the Bush administration ignored for two years. If Congress doesn’t get its act together and legislate carbon regulation, new emissions rules will likely come from the administration.

Pricing Carbon – Giving industry a solid, long-term price on carbon is the most important thing government can do to ensure the private sector starts making big bets in cleantech. As Obama said in a recent speech on the economy: “If businesses and entrepreneurs know today that we are closing this carbon pollution loophole, they will start investing in clean energy now.” He gets it.

Green Collar Job Creation – In January, Obama raised his goal of creating green collar jobs to 3 million as part of his plan to double renewable energy production. The newly created Middle Class Task Force made green jobs the focus of its first meeting. The administration has brought on the green collar economy’s most fervent and eloquent advocate, Van Jones, as a special adviser at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Fighting Dirty Fossil Fuels – Obama’s proposed budget snips out $31.5 billion in “oil and gas company preferences.” Meanwhile, the reinvigorated EPA is using its newly realized regulatory power to put a hold on new coal-fired power plants. Now if Obama would just lend his voice to decrying the myth of “clean coal.”

Improving Fuel Efficiency – Obama ordered the EPA to grant California’s long-awaited emission waiver affirming the Golden State’s, and 13 fellow states’, power to enforce stricter automobile-emission standards. On the federal level, Obama had the Department of Transportation raise CAFE standards for the first time in nearly three decades, requiring new cars and trucks to have a fleet average fuel efficiency of 27.3 MPG by 2011 — an increase of 2 MPG over the 2010 standard.

Funding Hard Science – The surest way to get long-term, technological innovation is to fund basic science research in the lab. Obama’s stimulus plan includes $6.5 billion specifically for research and development in advanced energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low carbon technology, the largest investment in science and technology since the Space Race. With the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Steven Chu running the DOE we hope to see more money flowing into R&D soon so that in a few years entrepreneurs can start licensing it.

Jump Starting the Smart Grid – Programs created under the stimulus package jump-start what Obama calls a “nationwide transmission superhighway” with more than $4 billion specifically for smart grid tech. The newly appointed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Jon Wellinghoff is a firm believer in the smart grid but is already dealing with utilities griping about the cap on stimulus spending as well as the pesky issue of eminent domain.

Engaging China – Truly global action on climate change will require negotiations with China, and already the Obama administration has been to Beijing. On the eve of Secretary of State Clinton’s first trip overseas she said, “[C]ollaboration on clean energy and greater efficiency offers a real opportunity to deepen the overall U.S.-Chinese relationship. So we will work hard with the Chinese to create partnerships that promote cleaner energy sources, greater energy efficiency, technology transfers that can benefit both countries, and other strategies that simultaneously protect the environment and promote economic growth.”

Courtesy of earth2tech.com

Here are some really good (and green) household tips: 

A house can be cleaned almost entirely with white vinegar, lemon juice and shaving cream. For carpet stains, put a dab of white shaving cream -- not the gel variety -- onto the spot and blot. Use cool water to clean up. For pet stains, which are a little different and sometimes harder to lift, use a bit of dishwashing soap and water. If that doesn't do the trick, pour white vinegar on the spot and let it dry. White vinegar is also good for washing windows and mirrors without leaving streaks. A mixture of lemon juice and water works well too.

Not only does toothpaste make teeth white, it can pull double duty as a cleaning agent in several places around the home. Toothpaste on a soft cloth can help shine up faucets. It can be used to clean glass-top stoves instead of the expensive cleaners recommended by some manufacturers. The toothpaste with baking soda works especially well as it acts as the gentlest of abrasives (think SoftScrub but much milder).