It’s official, we lowered our Premium membership prices to $9.99/month. It is important to us to have as many green business on our site because that only creates an amazing resource for our users who need those green businesses. Since economic times are hard, we lowered our price to make it easier for you to join.

You can sign up at the bottom of this page: http://gengreenlife.com/new-signup-compare.php

To the future,

The team at GenGreen

It’s the time when little ghost and goblins (and some big ones too) will venture out in to the night collecting treats and playing tricks. Like all completely commercialized holidays, Halloween represents a flurry of extraneous purchasing and sugar consumption. Here are some ideas for a more sustainable night of fright.

Take Advantage of the Dark

If you’re into accelerating the heartbeats of neighborhood trick-or-treaters, nothing is freakier than a whole house swallowed up in shadows. So save some energy by giving your inside and outside lights a rest, and and increase the adrenaline rush at the same time. If you’re afraid of people passing your house by without lights on, consider adorning your porch with an orange or purple strand of LED lights or a jack-o-lantern illuminated with a soy or beeswax candle.

Speaking of Pumpkins

If you haven’t purchased one already, use GenGreenLife.com to search for a local farm where you can pick your own, or a farm stand that’s selling organic varieties. And when you’re done slashing it with a frightful face, be sure to make the most of its guts: make a healthy snack by scooping out and separating the seeds from the juicy membranes and roasting them at 300 degrees with some salt, garlic, or other seasonings for about 30 min. Don’t forget to compost the rest of the flesh you remove as well.

Low-impact Loot

Instead of loading the candy bowl (and neighborhood children) with tons of sugar, corn syrup and artificial flavorings, think of fair-trade and organic treats instead. Kettle Valley organic fruit snacks (not actual fruit), organic chocolates, animal crackers, Yummy Earth organic lollipops, mini-boxes of raisins, and homemade honey and sesame seed candies, make great alternatives. Also consider non-edibles like stickers, crayons or bubbles.

Thrifty Treats

If you waited until the last minute to think about a costume, remember your local thrift store. Thrift stores are a treasure trove of unique, vintage and bizarre clothing that can be transformed into creative (and cheap) costume ideas. In fact, thrift store chains like Arc and Savers, conveniently collect and organize pieces especially suited to costume creation in special Halloween sections, along with discounted accessories like face paint, masks and wigs. Search for these and other thrift stores near you on GenGreenLife.com.

- The Team at GenGreen

Note: This interview was conducted and written by Sagan Schultz, a GenGreen Ambassador from St. Paul, Minnesota. Ambassadors are highly motivated, eco-conscious individuals across the country that promote awareness of the mission of GenGreen and GenGreen Life.com and help educate themselves and others about ways to live a more locally-focused, sustainable lifestyle.

Interested in becoming an Ambassador? Click here to learn more.

Interviewee: Wanda Davies
Title: Director of Development, Midwest Region
Company: Navitas Energy (Northern Alternative Energy)

Q: What is the mission of your business?
A: We are a wind energy development company. We deal with everything that is necessary to develop a wind field, but we don’t do the building. We lease land, get permits, make connection agreements, and get everything in place for the builders to do their side of the job.

Q: What is the most important thing for people to know about alternative energy?
A: It is very economically competitive right now, as well as in the long run. Since there is no cost for fuel, it will be more affordable than current energy sources, assuming fuel prices continue to rise. Eventually wind power will be more economical.

Q: What is an easy way for people to conserve energy or utilize alternative energy that they might not know about?
A: They can sign up for the wind source program offered by Xcel Energy, which gives you a fuel cost adjustment. You pay them a certain amount to get some of your power from renewable sources, and they give you the adjustment on your bill. Right now, prices are very similar.

Q: What current projects are you working on?
A: We have about 20 projects throughout the midwest, some of which are being actively developed right now. I estimate that in about 5 years, southwestern Minnesota will be covered by wind fields.

Q: Is there anything you personally would like people to know regarding alternative energy or more sustainable living?
A: I would say people should start taking small steps. You can start with compact fluorescents, the wind source program, riding your bike, having your kids take the school bus instead of picking them up and dropping them off. There are basically just a lot of small things that can be done that will equal up to making an impact.

Learn more about Navitas Energy here.

There are so many causes across the world that could use our help and support. Global warming, the fight against AIDS, feeding and clothing the world’s poverty stricken populations, and preventing animal cruelty are just a few. The sheer amount of issues needing constant support is truly exhausting, and if you’re like siblings Dan Hoffman and Carrie Pollare, you’re tired of them all.

That’s why Hoffman and Pollare created the “I’m Tired” bracelet concept, inspired by the success of Lance Armstrong’s effort to raise money for cancer with a simple silicone bracelet. The brother and sister team decided that a similar, inexpensive product would appeal to many people, and could potentially raise huge amounts of money for worthy charities.

Hoffman and Pollare knew that in order to be a success, their product needed to be fashionable and eco-friendly, so they joined forces with a US company that patented a process to recycle used tires into sheet rubber and a very talented silver designer named Joseph Bortoli, and the I’m Tired bracelets were born.

Each bracelet consists of a recycled rubber band, with a silver bead made of recycled metal bearing the words “I’m Tired of” and the name of a cause, like cancer or world hunger. The words are both a play on the materials used to make the bracelets and an expression of frustration and resolve. For every $10 bracelet sold,  $5 (that’s half) is donated to important causes. You pick the cause and your bracelet and the donation will automatically be made on your behalf.

The company is already working with charities like the Hope Heart Institute, the Concern Foundation, the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Stop Global Warming and more.

You can even suggest and vote for a new charity or cause to be added to the list. Visit http://www.imtiredonline.com to learn about the bracelets, the effort and its founders.

- The Team at GenGreen

Hey GenGreen fans and users,

We launched our Google Maps feature last week. Go to a Premium Members profile on our site and check out their map. If you’re a basic listing, this is one of many great features you could have too if you upgrade. $199/year. If you’re a green business, at least sign up for free if you haven’t yet!

To the future!

The GenGreen Team

http://gengreenlife.com

Note: This interview was conducted and written by Bethany Zick, a GenGreen Ambassador from Morrison, Colorado. Ambassadors are highly motivated, eco-conscious individuals across the country that promote awareness of the mission of GenGreen and GenGreen Life.com and help educate themselves and others about ways to live a more locally-focused, sustainable lifestyle.

Interested in becoming an Ambassador? Click here to learn more.

Joe McCabe is the Vice President of Business Development for Ascent Solar Technologies, a growing business that develops solar energy technologies in Littleton, CO. Recently, I had the chance to speak with this standout individual; he is a person that has and will continually shape our greening world with his progressive plans for renewable energy.

At Ascent Solar, the primary technology is Photovoltaics (PV), often called solar cells, which refer to a category of electronic device that captures sunlight and converts it into electrical energy. Ascent Solar is attempting to make solar power an affordable energy alternative for industry, commercial and residential building markets, as well as space and near-space applications. In short, Ascent Solar’s mission is to bring down the cost of solar electricity to make it more accessible to a variety of markets. With its versatility, power, and size (about as thin as a strand of hair), PV can potentially go on your car, on your backpack, on a building, and can even be used to power satellites in space.

Not only does Ascent Solar have a credible product, but they have an edge over others in their business: Their solar cells are lightweight, flexible, highly efficient, and customizable to the client’s needs. Furthermore, all aspects of production are done in their facility—concept, research, development, and manufacturing.

Now, let’s get the scoop on Joe McCabe. Joe has been with Ascent for nearly two years, and before that, he worked in California for the California Energy Commission. There, during the most recent energy crisis he managed the solar energy research for the state of California. He has also contributed valuable ideas to Community Power Corporation, as well as the non-profit organization Solar Cookers International, where he served on the Board of Directors. This organization’s goal is to reduce deforestation, pollution, and energy costs for impoverished regions by replacing wood-burning stoves with solar cookers. It’s a safer, cheaper, cleaner way to cook and to pasteurize water. (Check out www.solarcooking.org to learn more—it’s pretty cool.)

During my interview, I found that I was speaking to no ordinary Joe. While he admitted his carbon footprint was larger than it could be, Joe McCabe is working aggressively to make positive changes in both his field and in his individual lifestyle. I was happily surprised to hear that it was his goofy-looking, three-wheeled electric car out in the parking lot. Moreover, I found it encouraging to see an executive in a successful company that continually holds onto youthful optimism and persistence in the search for alternative solutions. He has the vision, the resources, and most importantly, the motivation to chase opportunities to help create a more sustainable world.

By Bethany Zick, GenGreen Ambassador

The debates are over and now the final countdown begins toward one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. While the candidates have quarreled and pointed fingers over a multitude of issues, we thought it was important to bring you the facts about what could arguably be called the most important issue of them all, the environment. After all, with no planet to inhabit, issues like government spending and simultaneous wars seem, well, pointless.

In an effort to simplify your voting process, I’ve compiled a list of the pertinent facts to know about each candidate’s environmental platforms. Monday’s blog featured the Democratic proposals, and today we take a look at the Republican side of things. Which policies will be sacrificed in the face of economic pressure, and which will actually come to fruition? Only time will tell.

The McCain/Palin ticket…

•    Proposed a cap-and-trade system in May 2008 that would gradually reduce carbon emissions to 2005 levels by the year 2012, and 1990 levels by 2020. The plan would give a large portion of the carbon credits away for free rather than the auction system proposed by the Democratic ticket, and would give polluters the option of only buying credits rather actually reducing their emissions.

•    Supports the creation of 45 new nuclear power plants in the U.S. by the year 2030, and supports large amounts of spending for “clean coal” technologies. McCain also acknowledges the necessity of renewable fuels like solar and wind, but doesn’t feel government funds should be allocated for their research and development.

•    Advocates a summer “gas tax holiday” to help relieve the pressure of skyrocketing gas prices. The holiday would suspend the 18-cent federal gasoline tax and 24-cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day and cost the government some $10 billion.

•    Supports ethanol production (though McCain used to criticize it) but still opposes government subsidies for it.

•    Has opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

References:

McCain Cap-and-Trade Plan

McCain Speech on Energy Policies

MSNBC Article on Summer Gas-Tax Holiday

Position on Ethanol

- The Team at GenGreen

Note: Descriptions of candidates and their positions are not and should not be perceived as endorsements. GenGreen does not endorse political candidates.

The time has finally come for this blog to acknowledge the election. The debates are over and now the final countdown begins toward one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. While the candidates have quarreled and pointed fingers over a multitude of issues, we thought it was important to bring you the facts about what could arguably be called the most important issue of them all, the environment. After all, with no planet to inhabit, issues like government spending and simultaneous wars seem, well, pointless.

In an effort to simplify your voting process, I’ve provided a list of the pertinent facts to know about each candidate’s environmental platforms. Which ones will be sacrificed in the face of economic pressure, and which will actually come to fruition? Only time will tell.

The Obama/Biden ticket…

•    Endorses a comprehensive cap-and-trade system for large industry polluters that would aim to cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Under this system, 100 percent of the credits for emissions would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, thus raising enormous amounts of money that would be reinvested in clean energy technologies, the creation of “green collar” jobs and reducing energy priced for low-income families.

•    Is responsible for introducing the Health Care for Hybrids Act, in which the federal government would help cover health-care costs for retired U.S. autoworkers in exchange for domestic auto companies investing at least 50 percent of the savings into production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.

•    Proposes an immediate emergency energy rebate that would require oil companies to take a reasonable share of their record?breaking windfall profits and use it to provide direct relief worth $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a married couple.

•    Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030 and supports the complete elimination of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.

•    Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030.

•    Calls for 36 billion gallons of bio-fuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2022 and 60 billion gallons of bio-fuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2030.

Something to keep your eye on:

•    Obama’s support of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act, (and “Clean Coal” Technologies in general) which would offer tax incentives for companies developing the technology to convert coal into diesel fuel for cars or jet fuel for airplanes — an appealing prospect to the coal industry that thrives in the Senator’s home state, but maybe not to those of us concerned about global warming.

Tune in Wednesday for A Look at the Republicans…

References:
Obama/Biden Energy Plan Fact Sheet

Health Care for Hybrids Act

Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act

- The Team at GenGreen

Note: Descriptions of candidates and their positions are not and should not be perceived as endorsements. GenGreen does not endorse political candidates.

Author’s Note: Poverty is a real and complex issue affecting millions of people, both in this country and around the world. When you stop and think about it, it seems calloused to talk casually about shopping for organic foods or bio-dynamically grown wines when there are millions of people who are financially decimated and unsure of where their next meals will come from. Blogging may not directly affect the problem, but I think it’s important to remind people that these hard economic times mean more that just a little discomfort for some families: it means no heat, no electricity, less food and no health care. Read on for a couple of easy ways to make a difference.

1.    Volunteer.

Food banks, thrift stores, economic assistance organizations, shelters and others will NEVER have enough helping hands. Sparing an afternoon or evening to lend a hand at a nonprofit that is giving much needed help to struggling individuals in community is a great way to get involved and show you care.

2.    Donate.

Your used clothes, your extra food, furniture and appliances. What better way to participate in the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle process than by sharing your excess with someone who needs it.

3.    Support

Do some research on organizations that are making a difference for those living below the poverty line, both in your immediate area and around the world. Spread the word about their mission to your network of friends and family. Pay attention to legislature and initiatives that involve this issue and take action by signing petitions, writing letters and making phone calls.

Visit blogactionday.org to see more blogging efforts regarding a variety of issues on this day of awareness.

Don’t know where to start? Remember that socially responsible organizations, open volunteer positions and reuse/donation centers can be found in cities nationwide on GenGreenLife.com

- The Team at GenGreen

Today GenGreen revealed its State of the Green Union Report for Autumn 2008!

This is an exclusive feature on GenGreenLife.com that is only released four times a year. The Report is loaded with information on developing trends in the eco-sphere while also providing stories of the local, independent businesses and service providers that are demonstrating these trends across the country.

The State of the Green Union Report is a “must read” for both individuals and professionals in the green industry as it provides “ahead of the curve” information on the direction of new green products and services across the country.

Check out the Report at GenGreenLife.com today at http://gengreenlife.com/sotgu.php!