eco-trends spawn eco-phrases

The Korea Times posted an article today on some of the top Eco-Trends of the Year, sourced from leading international trend firm, trendwatching.com.

Among them, Eco-Edu (teaching green) and Eco-vertising. An excerpt:

Advertising has also joined the green trend, with many companies focusing on how to attract as many consumers as possible but not splurging on, or wasting energy.

Curb, "a natural media company," offers unique ways to advertise its clients by only using sustainable media, that includes sand, grass and even snow. Many companies have jumped into this green ad campaign, including sports brands Nike and Adidas, and even local car manufacturer Kia.

Kia joined Curb and carried out a green advertisement campaign, drawing pictures and the logo of their vehicle ``Soul'' on walls and sidewalks.

By drawing pictures and carving the logos of companies in an eco-friendly way, consumers are informed, the clients get to advertise their brands and the world gets greener all at once.

good for the earth, good for the wallet

If you haven't heard of Jeff Yeager, you probably live braver than I, sans television. Dubbed the ultimate cheapskate, Jeff's proof that living cheap is good for the pocketbook, the earth, and your life (spend less, work less).

Jeff's website is a goldmine of tips, tricks, and plain common sense. If you haven't given up the dryer yet, give up lint for Lent might be just the kick you need. Love lentils? He's an big advocate, and has even caused quite a little stir.

Jeff's now got his own blog over at The Daily Green. An excerpt from Give Up Credit Cards for One Week, and See How Much You'll Save:

Studies have shown that we are, on average, two to three times more likely to purchase an item when we're using a credit card rather than paying with cash. We're also willing to pay, on average, thirty percent more for the same item when paying by credit card. That's how much the credit card skews our critical judgment when we go shopping.

The consequences of buying something on credit, of going in debt, seem remote, almost like we're spending Monopoly money. It causes us to buy things we can't afford and often don't even want. Credit cards trigger what I call "Debtor's Dementia," a delusional state in which debt begins to seem natural, and where a few thousand dollars in credit card debt starts to make things like taking out a second mortgage on your house or borrowing money to buy a new car you can't afford seem like reasonable things to do.

8:30pm local time march 28, 2009, wherever you live on planet earth

Lima:

Toronto:

London:

Want more? Visit the Earth Hour group on Flickr - already more than 3000 photos posted!

green your spring cleaning

If you're planning to get down and dirty and clean house, your vinegar and water spray bottle may need some friends. Here are some of our recommendations...

Enjo's Kitchen Glove removes grease with cold water. Yes, cold water!

Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds is an all-purpose cleaner made from fir and spruce needle oils. Effective, yet totally biodegradable.

Nature Clean's Calcium, Rust and Lime Remover is phosphate free and septic-safe. Get it at grassroots.

Into homemade? lesstoxicguide.ca is by far the best resource we have seen, with fun and friendly recipes for every cleaning need you can think of.

think you could do it?

A month without plastic. A year without waste. Banning food that travels more than 100 miles. Read about some brave people who've done it and get inspired...

A reporter for the Chicago Tribune - plus her husband, 3-year-old girl and a 7-month-old boy - try to live without plastic for a week. From paper diapers to shampoo pucks, she learns that it's best to take this one step at a time.

If you can't imagine having no coffee, tea, chocolate, olive oil, or even sugar in your diet for 100 days, watch the The 100-Mile Challenge, premiering April 5 on Food Network Canada.

Inspired by the best-selling book The 100-Mile Diet by James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, the series follows six British Columbian families who make the difficult, but rewarding, commitment to consume only food and drink produced within a 100-mile radius for 100-days.

And if you need more inspiration, The Story of Stuff is a good place to start.

expos & trade shows & exhibits, oh my!

For those of us living in the northerly regions, March is a time to put away the mittens and say hello to spring - regardless of how cold it actually still is.

It's also a time to mark our calendars for the myriad green shows and expos in bloom this year. Here's a non-exhaustive list contributed by some of our readers:

• Toronto, ON: Green Living Show, April 24-26 (thanks cathy)
  
• Ottawa, ON: Go Green Expo, March 21-22
  
• Atlanta, GA: Greenprints, March 25-26 (thanks b.r.)
  
• Edmonton, AB: Go Green Eco-Expo, April 4 (thanks mark)
  
• Toronto, ON: Canadian Environmental Tradeshow, April 20-21
  
• Peterborugh, ON: Green Expo, April 25
  
• St. Paul, MN: Living Green Expo, May 2-3 (thanks rich)
  
• New York City, NY: Go Green Expo, April 17-19 (thanks jan)
  
• Atlanta, GA: Go Green Expo, June 26-28 (thanks again jan)
  
• Boise, ID: Idaho Green Expo, July 18-19 (thanks john)
  
• Oaks, PA: PANTS09, July 28 - 30 (thanks kerri)
  
  

And for all you would-be exhibitors out there, Green Exhibitors is a must-visit.