I’ll be the first to admit that air conditioning and eco-friendly are not two terms that go hand in hand.  Air conditioning in cars not only uses chemicals that pollute the environment, it also makes the car consume more gas which is definitely a non-sustainable resource.  Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), once the replacement of choice for ozone-harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, have no known effects on the ozone layer, but have been shown to contribute to global warming. Today, HFCs are a specific target of the Kyoto Protocol.  Many new eco-friendly air conditioning systems are under production currently to help alleviate the effects of the HFC’s on the planet’s climate.

Until these systems are widely available though, we’re stuck with the standard AC systems available in our vehicles.  Some summer days require air conditioning in vehicles, especially if you are travelling with children, pets or people who are infirm and cannot handle over heating.  Sometimes air conditioning is a necessity instead of a luxury as overheating can easily cause health problems in some people and pets.  Use your car’s air conditioning sparingly and only when absolutely needed.  Try rolling down windows or opening up sunroofs prior to resorting to the automobile’s AC system.

Keep your air conditioning system in good shape so that when you do run it, it runs efficiently.  Many of these system maintenances can be done by owners instead of taking them to shops.  Find a part supplier that you can buy quality reconditioned parts from.  For example, if you need to change your Air conditioning compressor, try looking at this website.  It offers quality, warrantied used air conditioning parts that are guaranteed to work.  This keeps used parts out of landfills and increases your own vehicle’s air conditioning efficiency.

Another good thing about this website is that it has six different warehouses across the U.S.A. that stock parts.  This means that the parts will not have to travel as far to reach you.  This decreases the overall time that you have until your part arrives and prevents unnecessary waste of unsustainable resources by excess shipping or air shipping.  Oh, and did I mention the shipping is free?  This way you can save money along with the planet!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

I’ve found that writing is one of my favorite pastimes through the years.  With the advent of blogging, it seemed like only a natural choice for me to start up a blog of my own.  I focused on environmental issues as a main topic for blogging because I try to make as many green choices that are feasible for myself and my family.  This means everything from choosing to buy used when the option is available, choosing sustainable resources when possible and using chemical free cleaning supplies throughout our home.  When and where there are eco-friendly options available, that is what I try to choose.

Web hosting too can be rated on a scale of “green-ness”.  Many web hosters claim to be green-hosts.  However, you really need to look into a company’s policies to see where they lie in the scale of light green to dark green.  Some companies may be going towards using alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power instead of electricity to power their equipment.  Others may simply have some green initiatives in terms of office waste recycling and buying recycled paper.  It is important not to get sucked into a company’s green washing attempts as environmental responsibility becomes chic.

Many companies and products tend to hype their green policies as an attempt to gain more customers.  It’s important to know what kind of a company you are buying into whether you’re buying clothes, food or web hosting services.  There’s lots of resources online that will help you determine just how green a company really is.  Web hosting rating.com can help you decide what the best website hosting company is for you.

There are hundreds of web hosts listed with user ratings, awards in several different categories, a venue for rating different hosts and a ton of articles on every imaginable topic.  They even have an article on the environmental aspects of web hosts called What Color is Your Web Host?  This is definitely worth a quick read for bloggers who are interested in going green.  Two green thumbs up!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

Dining Tables are now being made from a variety of woods in a ton of different styles.  Check out this eco-friendly choice made from bamboo.  It’s clean lines and modern styling would look great in any dining room while at the same time, being a better choice than woods that are not as sustainable as bamboo.  An added bonus is that it is available in two different colors and is 20% harder than an oak table would be.  To complete the look, bamboo chairs would look great with the table.  There are many eco-friendly choices for table ware and linens as well that would look stunning.  While there are bamboo plates and even linens available, it might be nice to change it up a little with a variety of colors and textures on the table.  Even if the table is the only green choice that is chosen when designing your dining room, it is a step in the right direction.  There are many other tables, options other furniture pieces available at Spacify for you to consider.

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Check out these cute and functional wallets made from upcycled cassette tapes by Marcella Foschi.  They’re available for $39 on Design Boom and would make a great Christmas gift for all those eco-friendly girls on your Christmas list this year.  Yes, I know that Christmas is still months away but it really does pay off to shop ahead!

Imagine how many of these tapes have been tossed into landfills around the world with the advent of the CD.  There’s probably enough tapes sitting in the garbage to fill all the purses of even a shop-a-holic purse lover!!  These are definitely worth checking out.  As they are each handmade, each one is different.  You could get anything from an Alvin and the Chipmunks cassette to a Slayer cassette to the Beach Boys!  You’ve got to absolutely love something so entirely random…

Thanks for the link Bibi!!  Check out her travelling adventures blog Flash Nomad.  She travels the world with an eye for style, design, grace and elegance with a camera in one hand and a laptop in the other.

I’m a huge believer in freecycling and keeping items out of the landfills.  However, there comes a point where there isn’t much else you can do with an item.  “The Thang” may have just reached that level — lmao!  It’s got a price you can’t beat — free.  But I think most people would need to be paid to take it!  What kind of conversation would this exactly be a part of?  “What the hell is that?”  “The Thang.  It was free.”  “WTF?”  It does make a statement about who you really are though — someone who is random, crazy, with a love of garbage and all things eco-friendly.

The Thang

Visits: 57

Address: Calgary, AB, T2M 4L5 Date Listed: 24-Jul-09

Free to good home, The Thang is the perfect conversation piece. Alone or by itself, let The Thang make a statement about who you really are. That’s The Thang. Contact 403-226-**** or mailto:SunshineTreeFarms@*********

Looking for a new social networking site?  Bored of Facebook, Twitter and My Space?  Then you’ve got to check out the latest… HideMyPants.  What’s with the name??  Well, it’s a very long story.  There were these three guys who loved to wear organic pants.  One night they got drunk and came up with a game.  You got it, they hid each other’s pants.  Then they’d have to see who could find their pants the fastest.

Okay, sorry.  That was lame but all that I could come up with.  Hell if I know what the name’s about!  Did you think that I knew everything there was to know about this site?  Well, you’re wrong.  I guess I don’t know absolutely everything yet.  I’m working on it though.  Come figure it out with me.  I just signed up as Paula M-B.  Message me, add me as a friend.  I’ll see if I can figure out how to respond.  We’ll talk about our pants or something…lol

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions and made up stories.

Some shoes are greener than others but each natural, sustainable product that is used is a step in the right direction.  These super comfy sandals from Naot shoes are definitely not a “dark green” product.  However, they do use cork and natural latex rubber products.  Both of these materials are definitely a step in the right direction.  Light green is still a shade of green right?  I truly believe that every green choice we make does make a difference on a global scale.  So when we chose a sustainably produced product such as cork or bamboo, that tiny step towards environmental living makes a difference when it’s a step taken by many people.  Green living is a series of steps not a giant leap.  Don’t expect yourself to go from mass consumerism to being an eco-junkie in a day.  It takes time, dedication and focus.  Keep making the right choices!!

If you took this sweet ride photographed by e://Dantes from Flickr, you could get a discount at a brothel in Berlin.  Yup, I said (typed) brothel.  The owner of Maison d’envie, Thomas Goetz, has offered a discount to all who can prove they arrived there by bike or public transit.  Anything for the earth, right?  Take one for the team guys, ride a bike to your “lady of the night” next time.  You’ll save 5 euros!  Oh, plus whatever you save in gas, right?  That’s just want you want to get cheaply really, a “lady” friend.  Okay, I’ve got to say it…whore, whore, whore!  Whatever, I’m all for things that are green! lol

I ran into these awesome organic baby bath and skin care products by visiting Organic Girl’s blog.  She has a link to a company called Coco Baby boutique who is sponsoring a giveaway on her blog.  They’ve got a great line of products.  My favorite is definitely the Little Twig line of organic bath products.  The bum cream is formulated to be pH neutral with natural ingredients like Shea butter and Vitamin E.  It contains no mineral oil which tends to make baby skin greasy and more prone to rash instead of removing the rash.  This would be awesome with some of their cloth diapers that are size adjustable and removable hemp inserts to help reduce the environmental impact of washing all those diapers.  Oh, and it’ll be much easier for moms too, without all the guilt!

The shampoo is formulated to be non-irritating, tearless and great for sensitive skin.  It contains no artifical fragrances or colours to get in the way of the organic ingredients doing what they need to do — clean your little one up!  There’s also a line of bubble baths and body washes in complementary fragrances such as tangerine and lavendar.  They’ll smell good enough to eat!!  It sure is easier raising eco-friendly kids with great organic lines such as this.

I’d definitely recommend checking out Organic Girl’s blog.  She’s got a ton of great contest links on there especially for Canadian Moms.  I just entered one for a gift basket from Gourmet Gift Baskets here.  I’ve really got my eye on the organic wine gift basket…My birthday is coming everyone!!!  Check out this contest and some of the other ones she’s got going on.  I know I’m going to!