GoodGuide Brings Conscious Consumerism to Your Fingertips

GoodGuide is one of the handiest, easy-to-use apps for people that want to make smarter, greener, more ethical purchasing decisions. The iphone app has a barcode scanner so you can learn about the social and environmental impacts of a brand right while you are shopping. GoodGuide provides a great resource so consumers don't fall victim to greenwashing. The only problem is that it makes running errands take a bit more time...but all for a good cause!

Eco Monday Shopping Rules

source image courtesy of iphonehacks

1. Buy only what you need. Impulse buying often ends up being wasteful.
2. Find out where the item will be shipped from. You might be able to buy an option from a closer location.
3. Look for quality. Items should last a long time. Think about the end-of-life of each product you buy. 
4. Consider experiential gifts (which can usually be purchased online). 
5. Ask your loved ones for wish lists - this will reduce the likelihood of returns after the holidays. 
6. Look for green/environmentally themed gifts to spread the message of climate change awareness.  

Spotlight: CBS Local Ecowatch

As many of you know, I recently started writing for CBS Local as a green living contributor. The CBS green living section is known as EcoWatch, and it is a great resource for Boston-specific sustainability content. I am quite impressed with the other authors on the site and look forward to reading future articles and getting even more inspired to make Boston green! 

Spotlight: Living on Earth

source image courtesy of Living on Earth

I recently started working in the suburbs, so now I spend a lot of time on the commuter rail - and my MBTA survival tip is to find a radio show you really like. My favorite is Living on Earth by Public Radio International. This hour-long weekly show covers environmental issues great and small. I absolutely love the way the show turns complicated science into easily digestible stories. Through the show I get a weekly dose of climate change information, some biology, chemistry, and  inspiring pieces as well - like a recent story about Buddhist Monks working to save snow leopard populations in Central Asia. The best part is that all of their shows are free to download on their website!

p.s. Living on Earth is recorded right here in Boston!

Column for CBS Local

I have some exciting news: I'm now a contributor to the CBS Local Boston blog. I'll be focusing on green living in Boston (duh!). The posts will include how-to tips, news, and best of Boston lists. Click here to see my posts so far and to follow the column.

Thanks for your support!

Huffpost Goes Green

I've always been impressed with the Huffington Post's coverage of "green" issues. They are a must-follow on twitter and a great resource for breaking eco news. They recently featured a great piece (including a video) about water scarcity on their main site. This week, Huff Post announced it would continue this type of content under the expertise of Jem Joaquin of Ecofabulous! I am so excited about this collaboration, and look forward to seeing how the Huff Post Ecofabulous page develops. 

Spotlight: Practically Green

Practically Green is a fun Boston-based web-tool that helps guide people towards more sustainable living. The first time an individual logs onto the website, they are prompted to take a survey about their lifestyle habits, not unlike a carbon footprint survey. After conducting the survey, which takes about 10-15 minutes, the website provides a rating and a personalized “action plan” with steps to become more sustainable. After the initial log-on, Practically Green creates a profile for each member so that they can track their progress and earn “badges” if they make multiple green lifestyle changes in a particular category. 

The company was started after its founder, Susan Hunt Stevens, did a complete green home and lifestyle makeover to help ease her infant son’s environmental and dietary allergies. Stevens was inspired by the LEED criteria for green buildings and design, and thought to herself, why isn't there a list of green lifestyle criteria for people and their families? She then worked with environmental and energy experts to create the assessment tool (the survey described above) to measure how lifestyle choices impact the earth and human welfare. The goal of the individual action plan is to help minimize environmental impact and reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals. 

As people check off tasks on their action plan and gain badges, their sense of accomplishment motivates more action. Practically Green is a great way to get some insight if you want to be more sustainable but aren't quite sure what to do or how. Go take the quiz!

Boston Green Blog Content Survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Green Tip Tuesday: Apartment Therapy's Guide to Socially Responsible Shopping

Apartment Therapy  is one of my all-time favorite blogs. Its full of both aspirational and practical decor ideas. And as you may have guessed, I get really excited when my favorite design, decor, and shopping blogs feature sustainability tips! In June, Apartment Therapy came out with its 6 Steps to Socially Responsible Shopping. It is a great read - I highly suggest checking it out.

Fun Friday: Interactive Endangered Species Search Tool

image

What do you know about endangered species? After discovering this tool, I realized I didn't know much. But the 100 Most Endangered Species Interactive Search tool makes it fun and simple to learn about these precious creatures. Check it out! 

BGB Gets a Content Makeover

image courtesy of lynneknowlton.com

So, up until recently there has been no real rhyme or reason to the content of my posts - but now, to make Boston Green Blog more manageable for all you readers, I am going to post certain types of content on specific days of the week. Hopefully this will make BGB more navigable. I am very excited about this new format, and would love to hear your thoughts!

Mondays - New Perspectives. Each Monday I will feature a post from a guest author.

Tuesdays - Green Tip Tuesdays. Fresh green living ideas coming at ya every Tues.

Wednesdays - Review Wednesdays. Product reviews, business reviews, event reviews and more.

Thursdays - Pencil It In. Notable events happening in greater Boston.

Fridays - Fun Fact Fridays. A mixed bag of informative green topics.

5 Green Living Apps for iPhone

1.

image courtesy of CBSnews.com

LevelUp - This may not be officially as "green" as the other apps on my list, but LevelUp is at the top because I use it the most. Save paper by paying electronically (no receipt needed - it gets e-mailed to you instantly). LOVE this app, and bonus, the company is based in Boston!


2.

image courtesy of Pin App

One Small Act - Make green living goals, follow through, and get points!


3.

image courtesy of Inhabitat

Good Guide - this app is my new obsession. Scan the bar code of a product (or search by name) and Good Guide will give you an environmental rating and a health rating of the given product. Amazing!


4.

image courtesy of FishNavy.com

Seafood Watch - remember those cards that people used to carry around in their wallets that explained which seafood was safe to order? How old fashioned! Get the app -  it is both easier to read and harder to lose.

5.

image courtesy of itunes

Do It Gorgeously - Yes, Gorgeously Green has its own app with tips, videos, shopping lists and more. This one is great for when you're bored and ready to get some new green living ideas.

For more green living apps, check out Groovy Green Livin's top 6 green apps.

Guest Post: Intro to New Generation Energy

First things first - thanks for having us on Boston Green Blog! Here at New Generation Energy, we love the Boston Green Blog and are very excited to be even a small part of it.

For those of you who don’t know us, New Generation Energy (NGE) is a Boston nonprofit aiming to help local nonprofits become more sustainable. Basically, by helping nonprofits go green, we get to help our environment and our community at the same time. A nonprofit can focus on their own mission and put the money they save through every green initiative back into their own projects.

NGE works to educate nonprofits about the importance of energy efficiency, fundraise for sustainability projects and build communities with interest environmental causes. NGE is currently working on the foundation of two initiatives; Young & Green and Local & Green.

If you are a young professional between 21 and 45 with an interest in sustainability, Young & Green would be a perfect group for you. This Young Professional group aims to bring together like-minded environmentally conscious individuals in the Boston area. Young & Green is a group for focused individuals who have an interest in their community, sustainability and helping non-profits thrive. A great social outlet for Boston professionals, Young & Green hosts monthly events for all members and interested parties. These may include private events, related speaking programs, networking opportunities and many others. Our events partner with local Boston businesses to provide members with a fun and unique experience as well as provide the benefit of discounted tickets on all NGE events outside of the group.

Young & Green’s most recent event was a mixer at Mass Ave Tavern in Back Bay. About fifty young professionals were in attendance from around the greater Boston area. The night was spent enjoying food and new company while discussing mutual interests in sustainability around Boston. Right now, we are in talks about our summer event, so make sure to keep an eye out here: http://newgenerationenergy.org/youngandgreen

NGE’s largest program is Local & Green, an initiative that provides hands-on support for energy efficiency projects in the local community. For one year, NGE helps selected regional nonprofits become more sustainable, designing and implementing projects to help nonprofits save money and increase their impact. From project design to 100% funding, Local & Green is NGE’s 360° approach to powering sustainable communities. NGE and Local & Green have worked with the Asian Task Force Against Domestic
Violence, Cambridge Community Center, Community Servings and the Elizabeth Peabody House.

And that wraps it up! Thanks again Boston Green Blog and if you have any further questions regarding NGE, Young & Green or Local & Green feel free to contact Dylan Joffe at joffe@newgenerationenergy.org for details. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and check out our own blog!

Interactive Green Living with Motley Green

image courtesy of  hmodeofaide.files.wordpress.com

I am a huge fan of the online tool Practically Green. PG is a great way to track your progress to a healthier and more environmentally friendly lifestyle, so I am not surprised to find similar tools popping up all over the web. One such tool I recently discovered is Motley Green. Like Practically Green, Motley Green prompts users to take a brief lifestyle quiz to gauge your level of greenness. Unfortunately, the Motley Green quiz is not geared for apartment renters - there are a lot of questions regarding lawn care and building insulation that is not usually something that urban apartment dwellers deal with.

However, I love the interactive aspect of Motley Green. It is like the content sharing that occurs on Ozoshare. I'm excited to start using Motley Green more often and get to know how it works a little bit better. I'll report back in a few months with my thoughts!

FTC Green Guides for Marketing & Advertising Sustainable Products

The Federal Trade Commission recently published new "Green Guides" for how companies can market sustainable products. These guides will help put an end to "greenwashing" (when companies use terms to make consumers believe something is a "green" product when it may not be). For me, as a consumer, the most important thing to know is what certain terms actually mean when they are used in marketing. The FTC has released a great fact sheet - a perfect term refresher.

A New Mayor for Boston Means Another Chance to Vote Green

Mayor Menino has done many wonderful things for the city of Boston over the past twenty years - including countless green initiatives (including Greenovate Boston). Just a few years ago in 2009, I got to meet him at the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters party endorsing him as their choice candidate for mayor. I was just six years old when he was first elected Mayor of Boston, but still, I am sad to see him go.

image courtesy of cityofboston.gov

However, the upcoming mayoral campaign gives Bostonians a whole new chance to prove what is really important to them. I plan to watch the campaign closely, as the next mayor is sure to bring changes. I will be looking to the Mass League of Environmental Voters  website to keep an eye on the candidates' stances on green issues.

So stay tuned for more!

BGB Featured in La Belle Vie Magazine!

La Belle Vie just released its big spring green living issue. And check out pages 59 - 65 for a piece by yours truly on the importance of leading a sustainable lifestyle!

Thanks to the ladies of La Belle Vie for including me!

Recap: NEWIEE Social Media Success in the Energy & Environmental Sectors

image courtesy of blogs.technet.com

The panel discussion hosted by NEWIEE at Digitas last night was great - each of the four speakers gave good practical advice on successfully spreading the message of sustainability through social media. Social media is becoming increasingly important as word-of-mouth is becoming digitized, but the many ever-changing nature of internet communication can be overwhelming, so it was great to hear the panelists share some tricks of the trade.

The audience was made up of people from many different sectors  - non profit, government, media, small business, etc., and they had some interesting questions for the panelists. I actually wish the question & answer segment of the event was longer because the panelists gave interesting answers and sparked some good discussions. Here are a few of the key points of the event:

Building an Audience:
-Use all different types of media to build an audience (radio, anyone?)
-Use images/graphics to draw attention to your message
-Think about who is invested in your project, and cater to their interests when possible
-Find out who the "influencers" in your field are and follow their example
-Use eye-catching/shocking statistics
-Become an expert in your subject
-Don't just push out information, engage your audience in genuine communication (see below)

Maintaining & Engaging an Audience:
-Give people a reason to come back to your facebook page (deals/discounts)
-Engage your audience by encouraging feedback (quizzes/polls)
-Keep track of what types of posts get the most hits/retweets/likes
-Keep track of what types of tweets bring the most traffic (questions, facts, jokes)
-Listen to what people want, make it a two-way conversation
-Ask others to share their stories and feedback

TONIGHT: Social Media Success in Energy & Environmental Sectors

image courtesy of www.ahlersdesigns.com

NEWIEE is hosting a panel tonight on how to use social media tools to promote discussion and awareness of environmental issues. The event is free and its not too late to register!


Panelists:
Sarah Finnie Robinson, Founding Partner, Practically Green
Cindy Jolicoeur, Vice President, Marketing Drive
Cindy Hoots, Account Director, CSR, Cone Communications
Brian Sant, Director, Online Communications, Ceres

Moderated by Audrea Deyesso, Project Manager, Digitas

Event Info:
Digitas
33 Arch Street
Boston, MA 02105

Thursday, March 14, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)

REGISTER HERE.

Farm Share Fair Meetup

Spring is almost here, which means its time to think about partaking in a CSA for the summer and fall! We are lucky there are so many small farms across New England to choose from. It can be hard to pick a CSA that best suits your needs, which is why The Boston Sustainable Food Meetup Group is hosting Farm Share Fair this Thursday:

What: Farm Share Fair
When: 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Cambridge College, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Why: To meet 40 New England CSA vendors/farmers

The event is free and open to the public. It is a great way to learn more about farm share programs if you've never done one before, or are looking for a change this spring.