We Are So In
Who’s with us?
It just seems like a no-brainer when the alternative is to do nothing, and since we consistently cover ways to live greener and give back to the planet (we have an entire section devoted to Eco Living on our How To page and often have Almost-Doctor Dan on to weigh in on the topic, which was actually one of our most requested features from our recent reader survey) this little online event seems to fit right in. Plus a lot of the eco ides that we will be chatting about on the 15th will also simplify your life and save you money! What’s not to love?
Oh and we owe a huuuge thank you to Mignon for sending the link our way (she’s 71 and a faithful YHL reader- plus she’s more plugged in than we are- gotta love that!). For any other bloggers out there who want to get in on the fun on October 15th (sites like Google and even TMZ.com are already signed up) just click here to register- it takes about five seconds- and then just write a planet-friendly post on the 15th. Easy peasy. And it’s just one post of 45+ that we do each month so of course there are more room makeovers, DIY ideas and holiday projects in the hopper. Is it dorky that we’re geeky excited about this? Counting down the days…
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I’m probably opening myself up for a public flogging, but I’m still going to say it. I’m so tired of the babble about climate change. It’s not that I’m against more responsibility, more efforts towards less disposable lives and more “quality over quantity” but I’ve had enough of being reached-out-to by blogs, the media, commercials and any other medium of communication I happen to be plugged into. I’m much more interested in your product reviews, informative posts and sharing your own efforts.
Hey Rachel,
We totally respect your opinion! And all of the posts that you know and love are still in the hopper so fear not (we have a ton of Halloween stuff planned along with a cheap-o bathroom makeover and much more). We’re just devoting one post to something we feel is important on October 15th and we’ve even called on Almost-Doctor Dan to weigh in on little changes that we can make to live simply (and save the planet while we’re at it). And other readers, please no flogging! We’re all about keeping the drama out of blogging and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, especially when they’re stated so constructively and kindly. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Count me in, I think it is a real problem that we all can take part in addressing.
Janell
what an awesome effort! i can’t wait to be a part of this. thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing!
Your post reminds me of a girl I went to school with who is very eco-friendly in her decorating style. Her name is Samantha Pynn and she has her own TV show on HGTV Canada called Pure Design (not sure if it’s in the US).
http://www.hgtv.ca/puredesign/team.aspx
Take Care.
Wow, what a great opportunity to reach people and be a part of something special. This will have a similar feeling to Earth Day, lights out. :)
I believe it is a larger problem than most people know about. Look up into the sky on any given day to see weird white trails and patterns, they aren’t clouds-they are ‘chemtrails’ sprayed via planes which are particles of aluminum and barium that we all breathe in, which are designed to reflect sunlight back into the earth’s atmosphere to avoid overheating the planet (it’s been going on for about 20 yrs in countries all over the world). It directly affects our health in so many ways that we all need to do our part. Looking forward to joining you all on Oct.15th! Thanks for this post.:)
This has nothing to do with the topic…but have you seen the newest Modern Bride magazine cover? The cover model looks just like you!
http://www.magazineline.com/images/covers/AEFbig.jpg
That’s so funny! We’ll have to check it out on newstands. Until then thanks for the link!
xo,
s
Count us in! What a wonderful thing to be a part of.
October 15th, cant wait!
As a biologist I have to say – I’m totally in!
I think it’s a great idea, and I am in! Thanks for sharing this.
Hey John and Sherry. Those of us with access to the internet or news everyday read and hear the horrors of climate change…why do we need another day, another media??? I love reading your blog and I will be a future reader even though I am really bummed that you are participating in this event. So, I am posing a challenge to you: Bring something new to the table on climate change, not the standard issues. No more on Al Gore and his light bulbs, recycling, green products, hybrids, bikes, walking, pollution control, use less paper products, sustainable resources, population control, reducing our waste (to name a few)…We all get the point, so what is new? I recycle, I installed bamboo flooring in my house, I trade, I garden, I compost, I live 1.5 miles from work, I raise chickens and eat what the chicken gives me (and for the first time last night, one of our roosters was dinner), I have changed the light bulbs, I turn off every electronic product I am not using, I shop at thrift stores and yard sales, I buy organic, I eat hormone free free-range beef (bought from a friend), I am going to be a civil engineer that focuses on water resources and conservation, etc… By thinking about this, I realized that climate change is self serving and arrogant (look at all of the I’s in my previous statments). Seriously, we can’t change the seasons, how the earth rotates on its axis, natural disasters…so why do we think that we can save the earth? My boss who has extensively researched climate change has a quote, “The idea of humans affecting global warming and cooling is like all of us pissing in the ocean and changing the salt content”. I think we have to change our way of thinking about this topic…so back to my challenge. What new ideas about climate change can you offer?
Hey Leslie,
Wow! We had no idea that someone would actually be bummed that we were participating in this event. You’re right that anyone with internet access should be able read up on climate change, but I guess we’re thinking that anyone with internet access could also research how to paint brick or redo a nursery but it still doesn’t stop us from whipping up those tutorials and play-by-play posts to hopefully reach people who are looking for that info on our site.
Of course we’d love to remind you that it’s just one post out of 45+ that we do each month, and because it’s something that we believe is important (to each his own, right?) we’ll do our very best to dig up fresh ways we can all pitch in- including an interview with Almost-Doctor Dan on the subject.
You’re definitely entitled to your opinion, but we truly believe in the power of the people. If even ten of our readers decide to do three small things a day to waste less energy it’s undeniably a change for the better, especially when you add that effect up over one year, ten years, a lifetime. And it seems silly just to throw up our hands and say that we can’t help. Hope this better explains just why we’re so excited to be involved!
xo,
s (& j)
I’m so there! Count me in!
I’m with Rachel and Leslie. I think this whole climate change thing is more of a crock than people realize. It’s one of those issues where there is just as much evidence that it’s NOT happening as there is that it is. It’s just that one voice is louder. Disappointing that Irena Sendler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_Sendler) lost the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore – can their contributions to society even compare? Why aren’t people blogging about ways to impact the world like she did – that’s the real change that we should want to see in the world.
If you guys don’t want to see “one more blahblahblah” about climate change, come back to the blog on the 16th.
And I find it offensive to be told that just because I can’t afford the resources to be up for a Nobel Prize, my voice and the voice of others who are passionate about this cause don’t matter.
You go ahead and think it’s a “crock”. But, didn’t it just snow in Texas two weeks ago? In September?
Sherry and John, I’ll see you on the blogosphere on the 15th!
I think it’s a great concept and I’m glad you are participating. I think sometimes people feel overwhelmed with “do this, do that, don’t do that”, but I find that the more I really understand the *implications* of my actions and what they mean on a micro and macro scale the more empowered I feel and then it’s easier (and often very fulfilling!) to make those changes. Better yet, most changes typically involve simplifying and saving money! Hopefully this will be a great opportunity for thousands of people to learn something new and how it can be applied in their own lives.
Well, there already is famine, flooding, starvation and war(s)….always has been, always will be. Climate has nothing to do with it. But, you are right…man can change things….Bono has done alot by bringing awareness to the plight of Aids victims in Africa, many, many churches send thousands of people and millions of dollars to feed the starving, people of all faiths and motivations sacrifice daily to help those in need. We are a country of unbelievable wealth and compared to the rest of the world we are totally out of the ball park as far as wealth, opportunities, health and standard of living. Perhaps a day of reality check might be of benefit to all of us in America. We know enough about global warming.
It is never offensive to disagree.
btw, love your wonderful site, thanks for being so talented and charming!
I thought you guys didn’t get political on your blog?
Hey Janis,
Good question! I guess we didn’t possibly expect this could get controversial when the alternative is to do nothing, and we consistently cover ways to live greener and give back to the planet on our blog (we even have an entire section devoted to Eco Living on our How To page) and often have Almost-Doctor Dan on to weigh in on the topic (which was actually one of our most requested features from our recent reader survey along with more green projects and ideas).
We completely feel that it’s a subject that we already cover, so imagine our surprise that a few people are downright bummed that we’re involved. Plus as Lauren pointed out, a lot of these Eco ides that we will be chatting about will also simplify your life and save you money! What’s not to love?
As we’ve said above, it’s just one post of 45+ that we do each month, and we are actually confident that once people read a few if our simple ideas and encouraging facts on the 15th that the controversy will be over! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Al Gore picked the right adjective when he called the truth “inconvenient.” Those of us who care about global warming have to pick our comfort level. I carry a refillable water bottle, courtesy of a yhl discount at B&B, but I see crates of disposables stacked to the rafters. Costco wouldn’t sell it if people didn’t buy it. Even if the US banned nonbiodegradable plastics manufactured by the petrochemical industry, the impact would be negligible in the face of pollution belched out by China. The EU banned incandescent light bulbs, but the alternatives are so unsatisfactory that people are hoarding the old bulbs. I understand Leslie, who does more than most to reduce her carbon footprint, feeling bummed, but I like her challenge.
P.S. I didn’t know about the jet contrails, but I always thought they were kinda beautiful. It sure would be “inconvenient” to give up air transportation.
Hey Pamela,
You’re so right about people picking their comfort level and choosing what changes, if any, they will make in their everyday lives. We have absolutely no expectations of anyone and there’s no pressure for anyone to change a single thing on the 15th, we just want to share some simple money-saving and lifestyle enhancing ideas. Just getting them out is the goal, and if even 1% of our readers changed one thing it would thrill us to no end, but we know things like this can easily be rebuffed, so again we just want to share some info and ideas! What people do with them is totally their call!
xo,
s
Genius! Bloggers are becoming more and more influential voices in our culture, so let’s use this power to advance positive causes.
Thanks, Asia, for proving my point. :-)
I’m in! But not because I think we need more people pushing the whole “climate change” issue, but because we need to address the problems the world’s poorest populations will face due to adverse weather effects. Whether or not sea levels rise 1 foot or 20 feet, there will be massive communities in southern Asia that are devastated. As weather events become more extreme, like we’ve been seeing with typhoons and hurricanes recently, the poorest inhabitants of the world will be the hardest hit. Here in the US, sure we might be inconvenienced a bit by more blizzards or droughts, but we have the resources to find solutions. When someone is living on only a few dollars a day and their livelihood, home, and family get swept out to sea in a storm, they have no other option.
The most devastating effect of climate change is not the weather, it is the human aspect that always gets forgotten. We should be focusing on efforts on helping these poor people survive, rather than spending all our time blaming different industries for pollution.
I’m in!! Thanks to John and Sherry for sharing this.
By the way, climate change isn’t a political issue – it is an issue that has been politicized by those who find the science of global climate change too “inconvenient”. Obviously our earth is a very complex system, and we don’t understand every detail of how all the different systems within it interact, but when thousands of scientists agree, why are we still fighting it? And if our alternative is to stand back helplessly and do nothing, why not at least try to make a few easy changes for the better of the planet, and the animals and people that we share it with?
Hhmm. I really did not think my comment would an invoke a lengthy response…sorry Sherry and John if I put a damper on your excitement. That was not my intent at all. You have already provided so many excellent green/eco/money saving ideas and information…I have read all of them and as a result want to improve my home. Climate change is a hot topic, and unfortunately it is political and emotional. I was just trying to offer a different point of view…but it came out really blunt :). We need to be balanced…be conservationists but practice wisdom at the same time. That’s all. I guess I should have written that in the first place :). Have fun on Oct 15 and I am looking forward to your tips.
Hey Leslie,
No worries at all! We definitely know that everyone has different opinions and not everyone will love everything that we say or do 100% of the time (in sharing our lives with the world we have learned that the world will definitely tell us what they think- and we wouldn’t have it any other way!). And of course we’re so glad to hear that you’re looking forward to seeing what we have in store for you on the 15th. Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Are you guys participating this year? I realize this post is several years old. I stumbled upon it as I have been reading your eco friendly section. I am going back to school and this semester taking a sustainable solutions class. Your blog has provided me with some great ideas about changes that I can make too. Don’t worry, I’ve given credit where credit is due if I used your idea in class.
Aw, you’re sweet Beth! We will definitely plant something in honor of it this year, although I’m not sure we’ll blog about it since we have so many things to share with the tour and everything coming up!
xo
s