How to Meet Your Eco Customers’ Needs
February 27, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
If you own an eco-conscious business, getting your target audience’s attention is only part of the pathway to success. Keeping it takes time and dedication and know-how, says Shannon Dunn of Conscious Life Media Limited (CLM)—a company that helps green and eco-conscious businesses to maximize their potential and customer reach.
A Life Guided by Eco-Principles
January 27, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
With our global emphasis on green and sustainable living, many people are actively doing their part to engage in “green acts”. Whether it’s recycling, toting reusable grocery bags, there are a number of ways to engage yourself in balanced living
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Estate Agent to the Stars Talks Green
January 13, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Real Estate mogul to the stars and green home guru, Ann Eysenring knows a thing or two about greening houses—and selling them.
With celebrity clients such as fashion photographer Herb Ritts, Louie Anderson, Russell Simmons and Sally Hershberger , she has built a solid reputation as a savvy agent in the know.
Test Eco Waters at Go Green
January 10, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Living green can be overwhelming. Where to start? From eco cars and planet-friendly cleaning products to organic wines and veganism, it’s little wonder many opt to do nothing for fear of not being able to do it all.
Yet it’s the little steps that add up to mean something big.
Finding Green Car Detailers
January 10, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
I recently got my car detailed at a local place and then gasped at the chemical fumes when I got inside. Are there green detailers out there, or products that I could use myself to keep my vehicle clean and my family out of harm’s way? – David Berkowitz, Newton, MA
Traditionally, auto detailing has employed a range of not-so-green-friendly products such as ammonia, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nonphenolethoxolates (NPEs), abrasive detergents, and chemical-based leather, vinyl, fabric and carpet treatments. Inside the car, they can off-gas harsh airborne pollutants; when washed down storm drains they can wreak havoc on public water supplies.
Unfortunately, while environmental awareness is beginning to crop up among auto detailing services (online discussion boards are full of posts from professional detailers sharing their tips for greener, more effective products and formulations), finding a green detailing service isn’t very easy just yet, so doing it yourself might be the only way to ensure that the environment and your health are spared chemical insult. There are green detailing products and kits out there, easily found through an Internet search.
Two leading suppliers are Laura Klein’s Green Cleaning, and Mean Green. These companies, among others, specialize in degreasers, dashboard dressings, tire cleaners, spot removers and other products made with natural, biodegradable water- and plant-based substances (including coconut, palm, citrus, corn and soy), combined and concentrated to be as effective as or better than their chemical-laden counterparts.
Another way to be green and clean at the same time is to choose wash and wax products that don’t contain harsh chemical surfactants—and as such don’t require water-wasting, polluting rinses. No-Wet Waterless Concepts and Optimum Polymer Technologies are two leading manufacturers for such goods.
Do-it-yourselfers should be careful not to dump wastewater into nearby storm drains not intended to carry toxic run-off. Most reputable car wash businesses go to great lengths to make sure the water, soaps, oils and other dirt from your car doesn’t end up polluting groundwater, rivers and streams, and so should you. If you clean your car in your own driveway or garage, try to collect any run-off and dispose of it into a drain or toilet that will send it through the sewage treatment system, not into the curbside storm run-off drain that may well lead directly to a local water body or shoreline.
While finding a green detailer may not be easy, you can start by asking those operators in your region if they currently use environmentally-friendly products and/or processes. If not, ask them if they would be amenable to greening up their operations for the sake of attracting customers like you.
Some detailers that have already taken the green plunge include: Ecodetail Services of Sacramento, CA; Car Wash Concepts of Aliso Viejo, CA; Gia’s Detailing of Long Island, NY; Scott’s Mobile Auto Detailing of Tarrant County, TX; and Elite Detailing Service Inc. of Plainfield, IL. These providers share an interest in environmental protection, use minimal amounts of water and other resources, and dispose of run-off according to the stringent standards set forth under the federal Clean Water and Clean Air acts.
CONTACTS: Laura Klein’s, www.laurakleinsgreencleaning.com; Mean Green, www.meangreen.com; No-Wet Waterless, www.nowet.com; Optimum Polymer Technologies, www.optimumcarcare.com.
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com.
How to Set up the Perfect Home Office
December 16, 2009 by The Dove · 3 Comments
Though the benefits of working from your home include not having to deal with rigid schedules, polluting commutes and irritating co-workers, it can still have drawbacks. Those working from home have a set of challenges to deal with, including unwanted visitors, family intrusions and carving out a little niche that lets you separate your home life from your work life.
An Orchard Garden in the City
December 9, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, be sure to check out (or into) the Orchard Garden Hotel, one of California’s greenest.
7 WAYS TO … MAKE GREEN SMOOTHIES
November 23, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
By Rhonda Lee
As a passionate raw foodist, I often teach workhops on this lifestyle that I love so much. One of these workshops is titled “Demystifying the Green Smoothie.” I love this one for many reasons. It’s fun and easy for people to realize how simple it is to incorporate healthy foods into their lifestyle with simple tools and techniques and very fast results!
From One Idea, Big Things Sprout
November 13, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
A new generation of eco-commerce is arising out of the dust of Amazon.com’s explosive growth – online shoppers, particularly parents, are more concerned than ever about product certification, safety and customer feedback. Enter Sproubaby.com, the brainchild of eco-preneur Jody Sherman. To cater to this more discerning market, his online baby products shop features only items vetted through expert, family and personal reviews.
Oprah & Dustin Team up for Green
November 4, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Dream of meeting Oprah? How about joining actor-extraordinaire Dustin Hoffman on set of his latest film? Thanks to Chartiybuzz’s sixth annual Chevy Chase Green Auction online, your wildest wishes could become oh-so-real. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Dustin Hoffman, Stephen Colbert, Dave Mathews Band, and Regis Philbin have teamed up to bring once-in-a-lifetime items and opportunities to the auction block. Proceeds benefit The GREEN Community Schools, who strive to create model GREEN schools and promote sustainability. Read more
