GreenFest 2010 - Walnut Creek

August 14, 2010
10:00 am	to	3:00 pm
10:00 am	to	3:00 pm

Benefiting the “Helping Hands” nonprofit – providing scholarships and donations to local charities.

Join us as we put a FACE to the GREEN businesses in our communities and learn more about being sustainable, saving money and saving energy.

EVENT: GreenFEST 2010
DATE: August 14, 2010 from 10am-4pm
LOCATION: 1870 Olympic Boulevard, Walnut Creek, near Marie Callender’s Genova Deli and CVS Pharmacy at Contra Costa Association of Realtors® SILVER LEED RATED Building.

What did Uplifting Green Learn Since Earth Day Last Year?

My journey this past year into becoming a more responsible, sustainable and environmentally good steward of the earth and the resources has proven to me that I can change. Through my diligent writing, research and undying curiosity of needing to know the truth, I’ve made friends and have started developing a like-minded audience.

Let me preface my accomplishments this year by stating that when I made the proactive and conscience decision to live a “greener” life I was definitely “talking the talk” but did not know how to begin to “walk the walk.” Now I have the drive and ambition to peel another layer off the onion this next year and I hope to achieve more and pass my knowledge and experience along to whomever wants to listen.

So how did I start becoming an actively conscience steward of my environment?

First, I needed a broad view of what comprises of my worldy sustainable issues. For me, I realized I consume too much of everything. I use too many resources, I aimlessly throw away anything and everything not fully realizing the impact of my actions.

What did I do with this information?

Second, I asked lots of questions. I follow treehugger.com, planetgreen, mygreenpurse, I watch “Living with Ed” I read books two especially good ones were, No Impact Man by Colin Bevin and Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach

What did I learn?

Well, everyone has there own opinions, some more drastic then others but the end result is there are many people who want to change their ways and many people are changing their lifestyles, careers and attitudes based on wanting to live a more sustainable, responsible and eco friendly lifestyle.

What did I specifically do to change this past year?

1) I made friends and I started this blog, I’ve joined many green forums and green groups. I want to know as much as I can and I want to tell everyone about what businesses and services are doing it right.

2) I made a few personal changes. I try to carry a commuter cup into Starbucks and my friends always commetn on it but I do make a statement and an impression.

3) I started really recycling. I compost my food scraps and some of my lawn trimmings. My daughter is earning money from our recycling efforts too. My trash can is usually only half full by the end of the week.

4) I joined freecycle.org and instead of buying new things I try to reuse and repurpose. It’s really kinda fun.

5) I became a Contra Costa County Bay Area Green Certified Business. That was pretty exciting and it really got me motivated to make changes around the house. We know have all CFL lighting and I’m much more aware of my energy consumption. This is an area I want to work on for the next twelve months.

What do I want to accomplish for the next twelve months?

I want to write about all the businesses in my area that are doing it right. I want to share their ideas and visions so we can start making better purchasing decisions and spend our dollars more wisely. I realize there are many greener options than I’m aware of and if I was unaware of them how could you know about them? How are we going to start supporting the right people producing the best products and services that are sustainable, responsible and eco friendly?

Sustainable Contra Costa County - No Impact Project - Join Us for a One Week Cleanse

April 18, 2010

to

April 24, 2010

The No Impact Experiment is a one-week carbon cleanse starting on April 18. It is a chance for you to see what a difference no-impact living can have on your quality of life. It’s not about giving up creature comforts but an opportunity for you to test whether the modern “conveniences” you take for granted are actually making you happier or just eating away at your time and money. For more information visit www.noimpactproject.org and/or Sustainable Contra Costa’s Facebook page

Read to Book, Watch the Movie, Listen to it on Audio of Kindle. Make your own decision.

No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process

Two Cool Concepts I read in Go Green, Live Rich

In my opinion, I think I found my #1 green resource book for this year. David Bach & Hillary Rosner.
“>Go Green, Live Rich is about 50 simple ways to save the earth. Although I am already familiar with many of the subjects they discussed such as driving an energy efficient car, changing my light bulbs and recycling I did find several new concepts that I hadn’t thought of and am looking forward to exploring this year.

Concept #1 - Green Investing

Investing green as a way to build your portfolio. Developing more of a conscience regarding where you invest your money is something I never really thought about. As I invested in my 401K, I innocently let everyone else decide where it was going to be invested. Now that I am older and wiser (haha) I want to change the world and one way to do that is to invest more responsibly, I want to reward and endorse companies that are producing sustainable products and services that are socially and environmentally responsible. How else are we going to make a change? These days change certainly isn’t coming quickly enough through our voting power.

A couple of places to begin your research is Morningstar.com. David Bach also has his own investment alerts at www.greengreen.com

Concept #2 - Take a Volunteer Vacation

In this current economy everyone is talking about taking “staycations.” In my opinion this is not a real vacation. A volunteer vacation is where you save money and have a terrific adventure by providing valuable manpower on a project that is helping the plant and all its inhabitants. Depending upon the type of project you choose, you can be a place with spectacular scenery with time to spare to enjoy it. In most cases by volunteering your food and lodging are included.

A couple of places to check out are the Sierra Club www.sierraclub.org and Habitat for Humanity ” www.habitat.org

As I stated before Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
“>Go Green, Live Rich discusses 50 simple ways to save the earth. I highly recommend this book if for no other reason than to tap into all the internet resources that are available.

Going Green, Burning Fat and Drinking Organic, Fair Trade Coffee from Boresha®

Okay my loyal fans, I really want you to give this a fair sip. If I told you I found a coffee that is 100% certified organic, as well as fair trade certified, and helps you burn fat would you be interested in hearing about it? I’m banking on the fact that you are reading this blog because you want to make better buying decisions this year and you want to burn off excess fat.

We’ve all been continually reading and watching the news and know that coffee beans are the #2 internationally traded commodity but not all coffee is treated equal nor are the people who work hard to cultivate, produce and deliver it to our doorsteps.

Boresha International roasts coffee in Concord, CA. Did you know that the United States does not grow any coffee except in Puerto Rico and Hawaii? The coffee beans purchased by Boresha arrive from the Ethiopian, Ugandon and Tanzania regions. These beans are grown on farms that are environmentally sustainable and boast of the following certifications.

(OCIA) - Organic Crop Improvement Association which is the oldest, largest and most trusted leaders in the organic certification industry 100% shade grown organic.

USDA Organic - The United States benchmark for standard agricultural practices. Operations must be certified by a state or private entity that has been accredited by the USDA.

Fair Trade Certified - The coffee was grown responsibly, the farmers received a fair price and no child labor was used.

So now you feel good about the coffee you are drinking, you are supporting the local Concord, CA economy and did I mention you can also burn fat at a rapid rate drinking Boresha’s B-Skinny coffee?®

Boresha Coffee and Skinny Science joined forces and together have developed a patented fat-burning thermogenic coffee. BSkinny Coffee® received the first and only low glycemic coffee patent ever awarded. This low glycemic patent is for hunger control, balanced energy, and combats stress-related eating. Did you know that drinking coffee causes fat storage in humans? So technically you are getting the buzz you crave but you are stimulating fat storage at the same time. One of the key components of BSkinny coffee® is that is contains “Buffered Caffeine” instead of regular caffeine.

I am personally looking forward to trying Boresha Bskinny coffee® for myself if for nothing else than to know I’m purchasing and consuming a responsibly grown coffee that is being roasted in Contra Costa County. If I burn some fat in the process I’m certainly not going to complain.

If you click here, you can order a free sample, just pay for the shipping.

Buy Sustainable Carpet Made from Recycled Bottles and Corn Sugar?

Yep, you heard it right here. I am amazed by what kinds of buying choices we can make these days when it comes to

something as simple as carpet. My husband recently overheard someone at work talking about carpet made from corn and my curiosity got the better of me. I recently discovered that there is such an amazing, durable and stain resistant carpet on the market produced together by Mohawk and Dupont call Triexta Smartstrand Sorona PTT fiber. Upon further investigation I discovered a few interesting tidbits of information pertaining to sustainability and the quality of this particular carpet.

From a sustainable standpoint:
• Every 7 yards of SmartStrand carpet produced saves one gallon of gasoline unlike a 100% petroleum based polyester carpet.

• Mohawk uses over 3 billion recycled plastic bottles to manufacture carpet (Mohawk EverStrand carpet)

• The “Triexta” fiber has been placed into their own subclass by the Federal Trade Commission so this fiber is NOT associated or categorized as a “polyester or nylon” carpet.

• The manufacturing process generates on average around 63% less greenhouse gases and 30% less energy that a nylon manufactured product

What is so special about the quality of Trixeta Smartstrand Sorona Carpet?
• Kid friendly
• Allergy Free
• Bleach resistant
• Soft texture
• Virtually no static
• Durable and wears well.

Overall, most of the reviews I’ve read on the internet have been positive. Consumers purchasing Triexta Smartstrand Sorona carpet are making a strong green statement that says we all can make better decisions about what companies we support and that we do have the choice to purchase quality products that make a difference. I encourage you to look in your neighborhood and find a flooring company that carries this carpet and make your own decision.

Uplifting Green is a Certified Contra Costa County Green Business

After a few months of making a few minor changes around the house and developing a few new habits, I am proud to announce that Uplifting Green has joined the group of over 300 small to medium sized businesses in Contra Costa County whom are certified as a “Green Business.” Taking the time to understand what this certification represents and how much of an impact each and every one of us has on our local environment has been a humbling experience. It is my personal goal to heighten the awareness of what each of us can do to live a sustainable, eco friendly lifestyle by continually reducing our carbon footprint. The purpose of Uplifting Green is to bring cities, businesses and consumers together through continually providing information about events, green businesses, and the latest news and tips on the “Green Movement.” It is not enough these days to talk about going green it’s time to take action. Together we have the ability to change law, our buying habits, and we can even make good lifestyle changes that will protect our environment for future generations. I encourage those of you that read this blog to leave comments and ask questions. If you are a green certified business and need a fresh marketing angle, this is the place to be. Green businesses have a voice here. My goal is to write reviews, post green advertising, green classifieds and upload green videos. Let’s make a commitment to “uplift” businesses that are taking the initiative to make our world a better place to live.

If you are interested in obtaining the Contra Costa County Green Certification click here.

If you are interested in “Green Marketing”  contact me directly: Diana Dobbie, Uplifting Green 925.513.7241

Which Shade of Green?

July 18, 2009
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm

Select the right products and projects for an energy-efficient and sustainable remodel.

Where	McCutcheon Construction 1280 Sixth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 510-558-3906
Who	Organizer: McCutcheon Construction Cost: $15 for advanced registration or $20 at the door. Contact: Angelita Menchaca 510-558-3906
Description	Even the most basic remodel can include green features that make your home healthier, more comfortable, and energy efficient. In this workshop you’ll learn about heating and venting solutions that increase livability and decrease utility bills. You will also receive information about Home Performance Audits, which provide valuable data on how to optimize home-energy performance. The best green materials and products will be reviewed in detail; you’ll find out where to find them and how to make smart selections. To register or find out more about this seminar, visit www.mcbuild.com, email Avaw@mcbuild.com or call Ava at 510.558.3906.