Another Carbon Calculator

There are many carbon calculators out there, from basic to complex. The Carbon Account has come up with their own version of the carbon calculator that lets you change your consumption and monitor your patterns over time.

They also have an application on Facebook for those of you technically savvy folks. Or those you who think Facebook is better than Myspace. Yeah, i said. What are you gonna do about it?

Find them online at:The Carbon Account.

For their facebook application, check out: Carbon Account on Facebook.

*Manic Organic is in no way endorsing the carbon calculator. Just passing this tip along, do with it what you will.

Paperless Faxing

Paperless faxing.

This company (certainly not the only one) offers the ability to send and receive "faxes" without the paper print out and ink/carbon waste of a typical fax machine. Particularly for large corporations that send thousands of faxes, this small change can have a big impact.

http://www.easylink.com/our-services/on-demand-messaging/index.html

Care for your Clothing

Since we are a clothing company, here are a few tips to keep those clothing items looking tip top while not harming the environment.

- Avoid dry cleaners, and avoid purchasing items that need to be dry cleaned.

- Wash your clothing on cold. It takes extra energy to heat that water up.

- Hang your clothes to dry. Hanging your clothes out to dry will save their color. Okay we realize this a tougher item and probably only for the more die-hard of you out there, but dryers are very energy intensive. If you need a dryer, there are dryers that only use $7 worth of electricity annually to dry your clothes b/c they are super efficient.

How to spot Greenwashing

You've heard of whitewashing, right? The idea that you try to cover over some bad news and make it bland and less obvious. Used mainly in business when a company is trying to cover up a bad image.

Well the same goes for green and environmental companies and products. With the uber-popularity (that shoutout was for your Ms. Vonhof!) of green products today. Companies everywhere from Walmart to Banks are jumping on the bandwagon to improve their corporate "green" image. But how can you tell if someone is actually protecting the planet, and more importantly, your health, or if they are just...well..."greenwashing"???

A fun little website was created to allow you to watch ad campaigns and spot the greenwashing yourself. You can find them online at Green Washing Index.

An Alternative to AAA

You probably have a AAA (American Automobile Association membership, right? Who wouldn't when its pretty cheap and you get 24 hour car for anything that happens to your car. Especially for those of you here in southern California, where public transportation doesn't exist in our vocabulary, chances are you're going to run into car trouble at some point.

But did you know that AAA lobbies against fuel emission and gas mileage standards? Bummer. But did you also know that there is an alternative to AAA? Yay!

The Better World Auto Club offers all or more of hte same benefits of AAA and also gives money to protect the environment. The prices are pretty cheap and they'll even insure your bike if you just get around with pedal-power and need help in the event of a flat or accident. Check them out online at: Better World Club.