TODAY'S TURN: Dream of a "green" Christmas

THE ISSUE:
Real Christmas trees are making a comeback. Last year, nearly 29 million households decorated a real tree for the holidays, according to the Nat'l Christmas Tree Association -- yes Virginia, there really is an NCTA. Personally, I've always hated fake trees out of principle; plus anything fake means paint, chemicals and plastic. So I'd say this is good news.

But they have to grow them somewhere, right? 29 million trees takes up a lot of space. And just like any other farm crop (and they do come from farms, not cut down from our forests, by the way), there are potential problems with erosion, water pollution and excessive pesticide use. Not to sleet on anyone's holiday parade, but not all growers have the environment's best interest in mind.

THE GOOD TURN:
When shopping for your Christmas tree this year, watch for a certification tag from the Coalition of Environmentally Friendly Growers. Two of the biggest tree growers in our biggest tree-growing state (Oregon) created a coalition to certify farms that operate to environmentally-friendly standards. Criteria look at impact on wetlands, pest control practices, water and soil conservation, and worker safety among other things. (Stories of what it's like to work with some industry-standard pesticides raised my eyebrows, but I don't know enough about the issue to have a good take, so that's best saved for another post.)

Yule Tree Farms and Holiday Tree Farms created the coaltion to share sustainable practices with the industry and to teach consumers about how trees are grown.

The intentions are good, but you'll probably have trouble finding a certified tree, at least for now. Only about 200,000 trees will be tagged this year, and the program isn't nationwide yet. But several tree farms have signed up to be inspected, and these guys seem to have a lot of industry clout. So I'd say it's a good start and something to watch for.

No click necessary to do this Good Turn. Just keep your eyes open.

Holiday shop around the world

Here's a chance to buy high quality, fairly traded handcrafts and gourmet food items from disadvantaged artisans and farmers all over the world.

It's the Work of Human Hands program. And a look through their catalog will present hundreds of beautiful, unique handcrafted gift ideas. All at very reasonable prices that are also fair to the people who create the items.

Click here to get their latest free catalog.

Click here to start shopping now.

TODAY'S TURN: Bright ideas come cheap

THE ISSUE:
The word "environment" pops up in conversation and the rest can often become white noise. Seems like we're hit over the head with so many calamitous and guilt-ridden stories, they begin to lose meaning faster than a Teletubby Christmas special. I mean, when you're continually told that you're responsible for wiping out 37 species today, your ability to hear and understand can wear a little smooth. So let's just agree that we could do better.

To keep it simple and actionable, I'll just throw out one stat: a single incandescent light bulb, used 3 hours a day can burn 30kg of coal in a year. That's like driving 138 miles.

THE GOOD TURN:
You've probably seen LED lights in penlights, watches and that little "on" indicator on your stereo. In fact, you probably take them for granted -- and you should, because it seems like they never go out.

The average LED lasts from 60,000-100,000 hours. Compare that to an average incandescent which peters out after just 1,000 hours. LEDs have no fragile filaments or tubes to break, so they're more durable. Replace one of those regular bulbs with an LED and you'll be changing your teeth before you change the bulb.

But the real beauty of LEDs is that they use a fraction of the electricity. A 9 watt LED has been said to have the brightness equivalent of a 70 watt incandescent. So let's do some math and see what this means to energy usage and your wallet (don't worry, I'll do the math, you just watch):

Over 60,000 hours (the expected life of an LED), a regular 70 watt bulb will burn up 4,200 kilowatt hours of electricity. Meanwhile, the 9 watt LED will use just 540KWh. That's an energy savings of 3,660KWh. Just about the same as driving a car 7,670 miles! You can trust my calculations or click here to see how it's done. And at 10 cents per KWh (the national average), that'd save you about $366 over the life of the bulb.

Just for changing one bulb.

Of course, LEDs are far from perfect. They're a bit pricey, anywhere from $20-$70 each. Though that cost should offset with a lifetime of buying few - if any - bulbs. The lower energy bills are the financial gravy on the potatoes. LEDs also aren't great for flooding large areas with diffuse light. They're more directional and don't throw out as much light per watt. Still, for close in spots like reading lamps, places where the light is on a lot like the front porch, or small areas like accent lighting, LEDs should be a good option.

I wouldn't even start to tell you which types would work for you or which brand is best. My advice is to just buy 1-2 and see if they fit your lighting needs. In big rooms, there might be some brightness tradeoffs for now, but there are a lot of smart people working on the issue, so my guess is it'll be getting better real soon.

Cick here to do this Good Turrn.

Time to nail down the what's and why's

My brother and I were trading e-mails about this site the other day. As he ALWAYS seems to do, he raised some potentially prickly issues. I stumbled and bumbled through some anwers, and realized that since the blog is a brand new baby, it's a good time to mold its personality and set some ground rules.

Here's what you can expect from me and this site:

• I promise to bring a healthy amount of skepticism to the table, questioning solutions as well as touting them.
• I have no illusions that I am “the enlightened one”. I'm just one trustworthy source with a solid, informed opinion. I’m no expert, I'm an information sharer. If people disagree, I would LOVE comments and discussions.
• I'm not the owner of the Right Answers, but simply ideas and alternatives. For any issue, there's more than one answer. The Good Turns found here are the ones I've found. If you've found others, please share them and help us build our resource.
• Guilt is not a tool that this site intentionally uses. Guilt is debilitating and simply causes resentment or short-term conscious-massaging. Doing a good turn is not about easing your guilt, it's about being more aware of the world and the consequences of your choices. It's seeing things in a whole new way.
• I'm not here to lay blame or pass judgment. When people are fighting, nothing gets done. I'm much more interested a straightforward discussion of what’s happening (The Issue) and an empowering action to get people engaged (The Good Turn).

Most of all, I want you to feel like part of the solution. I want you to feel ownership over the issue and responsibility for the solution. These Good Turns are Step One.

Study proves the possibilities

College students in the US have $198 billion in spending power. That's a lot of clout. A recent study looked at where the heck all this money is going and why. One stat says a lot:

37% prefer brands that give back to the community, are environmentally safe, or that are connected to a cause.

The question is, who and where are these brands? That's what this site helps you find out.

In case you want to see the details, the study of 18-30 year-olds was done by Alloy Media + Marketing with help from Harris Interactive.

TODAY'S TURN: Dressing up the generosity

THE ISSUE:
Many American companies give money to charities through foundations. And that's great. But how many give EVERYTHING to charity? Obviously, they can't all do that - who would invest if there was no hope for a return? But it's good that some do.

THE GOOD TURN:
Paul Newman gives 100% of after tax profits of Newman's Own products to educational and charitable purposes, with a special emphasis on the communities where his products are sold. The lineup includes popcorn, salad dressing, juices, steak sauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa and marinades. I can't list all the stores that carry these goodies (and they ARE good), but if you click the link below, you can find out pretty easily:

Click here to do this Good Turn.

TODAY'S TURN: Wash dishes without dirtying the water

THE ISSUE:
How do most dishwasher detergents clean your plates to a sparkling shine? By using complex phosphates. By itself, not horrible.

But when it accumulates in rivers, lakes, and canals, too much of these nutrients can cause too much algae growth and decay (if you're a biologist or crossword nut, you might recognize the formal name 'eutrophication'). In the end, that means less oxygen, much lower water quality and tougher living arrangements for fish.

According to Wikipedia, a survey showed that 54% of lakes in Asia are eutrophic; in Europe, 53%; in North America, 48%; in South America, 41%; and in Africa, 28%. That's why phosphates have been removed from laundry detergents in many countries.

THE GOOD TURN:
Citrus Magic is a biodegradable, phosphate-free dishwasher detergent that apparently cleans the heck out of your dinnerware. It comes in gel form and obliges you with a fresh, citrus scent. When you check out the site, you can read reviews of the product from users.

Click here to do this Good Turn

TODAY'S TURN: Be a good sport

FROM THE GLOBALEXCHANGE:
Fair Trade Soccer Ball
"Hey soccer fans, Fair Trade Sports sweatshop-free soccer balls have finally arrived! Each soccer ball was hand-stitched in Pakistan by adult stitchers that are ensured fair wages and a healthy, safe working environment. They are skillfully stitched using superior Japanese cordley shine leather. Fair Trade Sports donates all of its after-tax profits to various children's charities such as the Boys & Girls Club and Room to Read. Fair Trade Sports is also heavily involved with the NOT FOR SALE campaign, which has been working tirelessly to end slavery and sweatshop labor. Playing fair never felt so good."

I saw these featured in Motto magazine and had to go find them. If you're like me, when you think "fair trade" visions of coffee or clothing spring to mind. It continues to surprise me how many products in our everyday lives can be rethought.

Click here to take this Good Turn.

To do a good turn, find one first

This is the first of hopefully many posts. It's sort of an experiment. Here's my theory: I believe that most people want to do the right thing, to make good choices, but they don't have time or resources to find out what those choices are. Sure I might buy a certain coffee brand every day, but how do I know if my brand is socially aware, economically fair and environmentally friendly? For that matter, how the heck would I find out? Honestly, it's all enough to make my head hurt. My guess is there are a lot of hurting heads and vaguely guilty consciences out there. People want to feel good about the choices they make. But as they get bombarded with information, it grows tougher to be sure.

So here we are. Not going to solve all the world's problems, but I'd like to help people find out where and how their decisions can matter to the world around them. I'm not here to preach or slather on more layers of guilt. I just want to make it easier for people to find options to their smallest, everyday decisions that can make the world a better place.

(btw, I'm new to blogging in case you couldn't tell already. So my posts may read a little rough and dry for a bit while I get the hang of it.)