The thing is, when you donate $10 or more, you will get an exclusive dogtag which is made from a recycled metal and designed by Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong and his wife Adrienne. The expectation was for the fans of the band to be encouraged to call on Congress to pass legislation to deal with climate change.

~Happy Green Living!~

Vitaorganic Café in the Aveda shop in Marylebone has to be one of the most detoxifying experiences there is. The food is billed as organic, live and ‘enzymatic’ (which must be good, right?). They use no refined foodstuffs, and they use modern and ancient holistic principles to ‘cook’ their food. So, no temperatures above 100°C, no microwaves, no aluminium, or deep frying, so that everything is in its pure and natural state as far as is possible. According to Vitaorganic, they focus on UN – ultimate nutrition, ie raw foods; and ON – optimum nutrition, which means food cooked at a low temperature to prevent as much vitamin loss as possible. Not only is there all of this planet-loving energy-saving, but it’s all gluten and wheat free. The dishes on offer run along the lines of orange and sweet potato dhal, or green vegetable and sprouted buckwheat soup, which are not only delicious but filling and inexpensive to boot. Unsurprisingly, the owner is a practising Buddhist.

Happy Green Living!

American Idol makes extensive use of LED lights on its set. LED lights consume less energy, run cooler and last longer than traditional lights. Plus, over 1/3 of the lighting instruments on American Idol are LED, more than any other series on television today.

For the 2009 American Idol finale party they were placing an emphasis on sustainability. Most of the lighting used during the party was LED lights, which consume significantly less energy than traditional lighting. They are re-using items from the American Idol Top 13 party, including turning the step and repeat banner into pillows. In addition, the party caterers were serving locally grown and organic food.

Happy Green Living!

This is a new destination option for those who consider travelling and having fun as an eco action. The world’s first eco theme park, Environmentaland, has opened its doors in Hollywood. The park is run by Global Inheritance, an activist group with nearly two dozen eco-programs to their name (and a really nice looking website to boot).

According to their site, “Global Inheritence is an organization working to reinvent activism for today’s young generations. Our initiatives focus on the power of creativity to comunicate and push for progressive social change while rejecting conflict.”

Well, let’s just keep our eyes open for how green (or not green) they are, of course with an expectation of it being the most suitable place for us to introduce our kids to green steps.

Happy Green Living!

Switzerland

In case you wonder what the greenest country in the world is, you don’t have to worry now. 1000 Green Steps is here to tell you the top 3 greenest countries.  This list is generated through Environment Performance Index (EPI) calculation.

1. Switzerland
Switzerland is a country synonymous with scenic Alps, posh pocketknives, fine chocolate, world-class watches, and of course, a clean environment. The country’s achievements and measures in environmental protection can be seen in people’s daily lives.

2. Norway
Through the action plan, the Government wishes to ensure that sustainable development is given a permanent place on the political agenda. The Government considers it important to link the sustainable development effort to central political processes and economic policy documents.

3. Sweden
Finnish national sustainable development policy is a wide-reaching participation of various societal actors both in the definition of the contents and implementation of the measures. The approach is already referred to as the “Finnish model”, in which broad-based, multi-stakeholder participation is combined with high-level political leadership.

Happy Green Living!

Trashion

No, 1000 Green Steps didn’t do typos. Trashion is a fashionable way to reuse trashes as some fascinating fashion items. Just like 1000 Green Steps, at the first time you might feel hesitate to even have a look at that. However, try to believe that these kinds of fashion really does exist and they’re actually hip!

Visit Haute Trash to browse through their amazing ideas of trashion items and get awed the moment you enter their home page. Furthermore, believe it or not they actually made up awards for trashion. Windfall ecology festival June 2007: Trash Fashion & Design Awards combines and celebrates the elements of fashion design with the creative use of garbage.

Happy Green Living!

Green Small Business

Maybe you are wondering what reasons are 1000 Green Steps throwing at you now, but 1000 Green Steps will always have the list for you to read along and here they are:

1. Attract more customers

As you see each day people are growing more and more aware to our environment status. They keep on changing their life habit into green ones. So if you can show them what a ‘green’ you could be, you’ll attract even more people in.

2. Saving your unnecessary energy bills

Having too much money spent just to pay for electricity or water is such a waste to your income. Save your environment by first saving your own money!

3. Develop your brand

By going green you have the chance to help develop your business brand. This positive association will remind clients about your business when they think about environmental issues.

Happy Green Living!

Green Idol: Alanis Morissette

Just like other idols who have taken green steps in their life, Alanis Morissette also has started her own green steps since 2003. Back then she was narrating the program presenting growing evidence of climate change called Global Warming: The Signs and the Science. The following year she signed up for another film, The Great Warming, which she narrated with Keanu Reeves.

In 2003, this solar powered house owner was awarded The EMA Missions in Music Award for acts such as speaking out against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and encouraging fans to learn about and become more involved in political issues.

As well as urging fans to educate themselves on the Bush administration’s Energy Plan, Morissette posts information on her website about her own aid donations through CHF International and invites fans to contribute.

Happy Green Living!

Green Birthday Party

Gifts

1000 Green Steps think that it’s nice to apply gift exchange in a birthday party. That is even better if every child brings a ‘green’ friend of them (plants, soil, or even animals!) and in the end they will go home with their own new ‘green’ friend.

Garnish

For the party supplies, try IKEA dinnerwares which are recycled plastics. If your child demands characters decorations such as Spiderman or Princesses, try drawing (or tracing) favourite characters or items on kraft paper to make a tablecloth. Even better, let the kids do it at the party. As for balloons, it might be easiest to go cold turkey. That may sound outrageous, but there are plenty of reasons. Fancy mylar balloons are not biodegradable. Even normal latex balloons, which do eventually break down, can cause problems.

Goodies

While kids are thrilled to rip open these sacks of treasure, the pleasure is usually short-lived. There is a reason that these items were inexpensive – they are poorly made, mass-produced, and definitely not sustainable. Use a small cloth bag or a recycled cardboard instead, or if you are on a budget, you can go back to number 1 where goodies bags are no longer needed to be provided by the host.

Happy Green Living (or Partying)!

Erin Brockovich

After 1000 Green Steps brought you fun through environment songs and idols, now it’s time for us to watch those movies about our environment. No! I’m not asking you to watch a boring documentary film about how polluted our earth is, but this is more like a true story film showing us what to do to fight mean people around us

“Erin Brockovich” is a 2000 drama film which dramatizes the story of Erin Brockovich’s first fight against the American West Coast energy giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company known as PG&E. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and featured actress Julia Roberts in the lead role for which she subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It is based on a true story and the real Erin Brockovich has a cameo appearance as a waitress named Julia.

Do you feel like watching it? 1000 Green Steps, too!

Happy Green Living!