Independence Day Reading Round-Up

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

source: Photobunny on Flickr

Some of you may have noticed that the volume of posts on gUP have been a little light lately and it’s because we’ve been working on a couple projects that we are almost ready to unveil.  That being said we have been working hard over here and are planning on celebrating Independence Day with a little independence from the internet.  So as soon as I’m done with this post I’m turning the computer off and heading to a BBQ.  Now I don’t want to leave you without some sustainable satisfaction so here’s a reading round-up of the best 4th of July posts on the net…

Continue Reading...

Green Your Routine: The Deodorant Guide

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Armpit Smeller. CC photo by Flickr user jekert

We’re used to smelly hippie jokes around these parts, but living a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t have to mean letting hygiene suffer. It does, however, mean making some informed decisions.

A Journal of Applied Toxicology study recently linked the aluminum in traditional antiperspirants to breast lumps, and that’s not all that stinks in conventional deodorants. Just check out the Skin Deep listing for Secret Unscented to get the gist. Most conventional deodorants and antiperspirants aren’t much better.

Here are some of my favorite deodorant options, straight from my medicine cabinet, that are easier on the planet and on your body:

Continue Reading...

GreenSmart Neogreene: Neoprene Re-invented

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

Neoprene is everywhere these days from wetsuits to laptop sleeves. The stretchy, squishy rubber based material is useful and versatile, unfortunately it’s not very earth-friendly. Neoprene (or polychloroprene) is a petroleum based rubber that is treated and bound together with a nasty mix of chemicals & VOCs including Formaldehyde, lead, chlorine and toluene.

Continue Reading...

Daniel Beltra’s New Photos Show Amazon’s Glory and Destruction

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

Daniel Beltra, a Spanish photographer, is traveling the world to capture the world’s three major rainforest regions. We have some of his amazing shots from the first leg of the trip… the Amazon! From cattle men in the deforested Mato Grasso region of Brazil to smiling native Indian children pointing down the barrel of his lens Daniel captures a compelling array of images from this important part of our planet.

Continue Reading...

Crafting Cradle to Cradle: Upcycled Vocabulary

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

I know, I’m about seven years late to the party here, but I’m just now reading Cradle to Cradle. As I made my way through the book, a terrible realization slowly dawned on me, and this one line from The Princess Bride has been running through my head since then:

I am the Vizzini in this scenario, and I am not alone.

Continue Reading...

Earthkeepers 2.0: Timberland Creates Recyclable Shoes

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Beth Buczynski .

In a refreshing turn of events, Timberland, world famous maker of rugged footwear, from sandals to steel toed boots, has announced its Earthkeepers 2.0 line of shoes: a line that’s striving to close the green loop by creating shoes with high levels of recycled content as well as an easily dismantled design thats meant to be broken down and recycled into new shoes when the time comes. This type of frank design is refreshing, as now more than ever, companies are scrambling to create marketing campaigns that tout their new, “green” products designed to save the world without requiring consumers to do anything but, well, keep consuming their products.

Continue Reading...

Donate Just $1 and Make Big Difference

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

One of the most important lessons I have leared since I started blogging about the environment is that community is at the core of progress and sustainability.  Action starts with the individual, and a bunch of small actions by one person can make a big impact.  Now when you combine the actions of many passionate individuals working together the resluts can be monumental.

That is why greenUPGRADER has joined with our friends at The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Grass Stain Guru, Lighter Footstep, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish, Allies Answers, and Natural Papa to help some great organizations that are doing really important things that have been hurt by the recent economic downturn.  When times get tough it’s even more important to work together to keep moving forward so we are asking you to join us in on a very simple fundraising mission:  Donate $1.00, just a buck to help the organizations continue to make this world a better place.  

Continue Reading...

5 Things You Should Know About the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Danielle Brigida .

Danielle takes the new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid out for a spin…

Danielle in the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

In working for a conservation nonprofit, it’s not very often I get the opportunity to review a highly anticipated hybrid vehicle. I spend more time in my car looking out the window trying to identify a passing bird then I would noticing the smoothness of an engine or the efficiency of the brakes. That being said, when offered a chance to test the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, I jumped at it. I have already made a deal with myself that when my 2000 Ford Focus dies, a hybrid (or no car at all) will take its place.

Continue Reading...

Etsy Finds to Help You Waste Less in the Kitchen

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Set of vintage napkins with matching place mats and napkin rings from Love That Vintage

So we’ve made the switch to recycled toilet paper in the name of saving virgin forests, but it turns out that the bathroom isn’t the only room in the house with the potential for producing lots of waste. Between paper towels and napkins and those sandwich baggies, your poor trash bin can fill up pretty fast! Not only do disposables waste resources, they end up costing you more money since you’ve got to constantly replace them.

Luckily, there are savvy Etsians out there to help replace those one-use products and do it in style!

Continue Reading...

Green Daddy Bloggers for Father’s Day

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

Today we’d like to say Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there.  We’d also like to highlight some Green Daddy Bloggers.  There is a whole army of Mommy bloggers giving us tips about how to be good, green guardians, but Father’s writing on the same topic are a little harder to find.  Here’s are three paternally green sites worth reading and the dads the run them…

Continue Reading...