Do you try to practice living an eco lifestyle even though you may live in a bustling city? It’s great if you do, but if you’re like downtown Baltimore dwellers John Cefalone, Tom DeBacco, and Chris Rivera, you may realize that your city is lacking in convenient, eco friendly facilities.

So how did they solve this problem?

Do you try to practice living an eco lifestyle even though you may live in a bustling city? It’s great if you do, but if you’re like downtown Baltimore dwellers John Cefalone, Tom DeBacco, and Chris Rivera, you may realize that your city is lacking in convenient, eco friendly facilities.

So how did they solve this problem?

The three guys combined their interest in protecting the planet with their goal to open a convenient car wash and created Canton Car Wash: Baltimore’s first green car washing facility.

A Seed is Planted

How did these three guys, just under 30 years of age, open a green car wash in one of America’s most recognized cities? They did what most people do when they start their own business: they applied for loans.

With the loan money they built the $2.1 million facility that features:

• A water filtration system that recycles 80-90% of the water used for the car wash
• Biodegradable cleaning products
• Disposable bamboo utensils
• Motion sensing hydro powered Toto faucets
• Kohler waterless urinals
• Tankless hot water heater
• Solar power shading

The green car wash was also constructed from recycled waste products and is surrounded by plants that are native to the Chesapeake Bay. It even has an espresso bar where people can relax while they wait for their car to be washed.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? We think so, and we hope that the green car wash is a success so that others will pop up around the entire country!

Source: Baltimore Magazine

If you’re a member of a nonprofit organization that is working towards making your neighborhood, city or college campus a greener place, just like the Climate Institute or Keep America Beautiful, or if you know of a local nonprofit organization that deserves to be recognized for its outstanding environmental efforts, then you should nominate them for GreatNonprofits’ Green Choice Awards.

If you’re a member of a nonprofit organization that is working towards making your neighborhood, city or college campus a greener place, just like the Climate Institute or Keep America Beautiful, or if you know of a local nonprofit organization that deserves to be recognized for its outstanding environmental efforts, then you should nominate them for GreatNonprofits’ Green Choice Awards.

So, what is the Green Choice Awards? Our friend Shari Ilsen, who works for the GreatNonprofits’ organization, sent Green Student U this great post to explain the green awards contest:

“Green Causes Are Great, But What Are They Actually Doing?
Special Earth Day Contest Seeks the Answer

How do you know you’re making a difference?  This is the question behind the GreatNonprofits Green Choice Awards, launched April 1 to identify the best environmental nonprofits out there.

Whether you sporadically recycle or wear recycled clothing, you know how important it is to take care of our planet and its dwindling resources.  But it’s hard to know that your time, your money, and your support are going to green causes that are really accomplishing something.  GreatNonprofits aims to fix this problem by turning the question back around and asking…you!

By gathering reviews from folks who have been personally involved with environmental organizations (especially you, the very-active college student!), essentially the entire world will be able to gauge the impact being made.  The Green Choice Awards – which run until April 15th – identify the best small, medium, and large environmental nonprofits based on the most positive ratings and reviews.

These organizations will be featured in national media, and those of you who write reviews of the winning organizations will have the chance to win great prizes like earthy-friendly wines from Fetzer wineries, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream coupons, a free stay at the chic Joie de Vivre hotel chain, and Whole Food gift certificates.

For more info and to enter the contest, take a few minutes between hitting the books and go to the Green Choice Website. Post your review – good, bad, whichever! – of organizations that you’ve volunteered with, donated to, attended an event, or any other experience you think the world should know about!”

Green Student U would like to thank Shari, along with Emilie Cole and her outreach efforts, for this information.

If you want to share your favorite nonprofit organization’s efforts with the rest of the world you should definitely nominate them for this nonprofit award. You might just help them have a bigger impact on the environment than you think.

Wouldn’t it be great if all outdoor parking lots had a nice canopy that could shade your car from the sun’s rays and other harsh outdoor elements, as well as generate electricity for surrounding facilities?

Well, that’s exactly what the employees have at the Agilent Technologies campus in Santa Rosa, California…

Wouldn’t it be great if all outdoor parking lots had a nice canopy that could shade your car from the sun’s rays and other harsh outdoor elements, as well as generate electricity for surrounding facilities?

Well, that’s exactly what the employees have at the Agilent Technologies campus in Santa Rosa, California.

Agilent Technologies, which provides electronic and bio-analytical measurement services, has partnered with SunPower Corporation, designers and manufacturers of solar panel solutions, to create a SunPower Tracker. This SunPower Tracker is going to greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the company, as well as save the company money in the years to come.

What is a SunPower Tracker?

The SunPower Tracker is a 1-megawatt solar tracking system that uses high efficiency solar cells and solar panels to generate solar power.

This ‘solar canopy’ is not only is not only going to generate 25% more electricity than traditional solar rooftop panels, but it’s also going to offset over 33 million pounds of Agilent’s carbon dioxide emissions over the next 30 years!

Can you imagine how much of a positive impact this one solar parking lot is going to have on California, and the rest of the world? It’s the same kind of impact as GM’s Solar Panel Rooftop in Spain, Ma Yanjun’s Solar-Powered Beer Bottle Roof in China and Fenway Park’s Solar Heating System in Boston.

If this SunPower Tracker proves to be successful, we can only hope that parking lots around the country can adopt this energy efficient idea, and that solar energy will become a popular way to generate electricity for all companies.

Source: ENN.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ This means that one needs to become part of the solution that will ultimately change the world for good.

But instead of making these changes alone, wouldn’t it be much easier to do with the help of other people who are just as passionate about protecting the environment as you are?

Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ This means that one needs to become part of the solution that will ultimately change the world for good.

But instead of making these changes alone, wouldn’t it be much easier to do with the help of other people who are just as passionate about protecting the environment as you are?

Of course it would be, and that is why the website Earth Promise was created.

What is Earth Promise?

Earth Promise is an online community that connects people together who are eco-conscious and share the same vision of positive change. The website allows people to make an ‘Earth Promise,’ which is a promise to have a positive impact on the environment.

This promise can be shared with others, who can choose to support your promise. In return, you can support promises made by other people. This virtual sharing creates a community of people who are connected with similar goals and hopes for the future.

This site not only introduces users to other people around the world who share common interests, but it also encourages users to inspire each other through compassion and dedication.

Along with reading the Earth Promises, you can also join a Group or discuss topics in the Forum.

Joining this community is a great way to share your goals and to meet other people who are also interested in protecting the environment. With the support of others, it will definitely be easier for you to keep your promise.

Shoes are generally full of chemicals, non-recycled or recyclable material, made from animals, and from companies where the folks who make the shoes may not be treated ethically and paid a living wage.

A small group of people wanting to offer a more sustainable type of shoe got together and created a variety of eco-friendly sandals for men, women, and children…

Shoes are generally full of chemicals, non-recycled or recyclable material, made from animals, and from companies where the folks who make the shoes may not be treated ethically and paid a living wage.

A small group of people wanting to offer a more sustainable type of shoe got together and created a variety of eco-friendly sandals for men, women, and children. They called their North Carolina based business ‘Nomadic State of Mind‘. Their shoes are made from rope and are quite durable and easy to care for!

The shoes come in a range of fun and comfortable styles, bearing names such as ‘The J.C.’, ‘The J.C. with Soul’, or ‘Mountain Momma’. They can be worn in any environmental condition. These sandals are found at: http://nomadicstateofmind.com/store.

The folks at Nomadic State of Mind found a small town in Nicaragua and taught them how to craft the sandals in order to produce jobs so they would be self-sustaining community.

Leftover trimmings from these shoes are used to make unique rugs, bags, water bottle carriers, and more. In fact, 85% of leftover pieces of rope from the sandals can be recycled into other products.

Nomadic State of Mind also offers earth-friendly hammocks, 100% organic cotton t-shirts, frisbees, and other special items.

The items arrive to your door packaged simply in a mail bag and tied with string. Large volume orders are placed in a reused box.

Nomadic State of Mind uses solar paneling, deep cycle batteries, and a few low energy light bulbs for their booths and live stores.

I sport a couple pairs of these shoes, myself. It’s about as close I can get to feeling the Earth under my feet without actually walking barefoot.

Most car insurance companies and travel assistance programs don’t even think twice about their impact on the environment. In reality, they are huge contributors to global warming and greatly increase their carbon footprint every time they sell an insurance plan or an airline ticket.

I recently came across a company that advocates environmental awareness and cleanup by offering alternative car insurance, roadside assistance and travel plans that are affordable, responsible and eco-friendly…

Most car insurance companies and travel assistance programs don’t even think twice about their impact on the environment. In reality, they are huge contributors to global warming and greatly increase their carbon footprint every time they sell an insurance plan or an airline ticket.

I recently came across a company that advocates environmental awareness and cleanup by offering alternative car insurance, roadside assistance and travel plans that are affordable, responsible and eco-friendly.

The Better World Club is a unique company that deals with protecting all aspects of travel, from driving your car to riding a bike, and they do it all with the hope of raising awareness of environmental issues.

About the Club

I couldn’t believe that one company could offer so many distinct services with green goals behind them. If you join their auto club you can get discounts on rental vehicles and hotel stays, and you can even become part of a roadside assistance plan that provides carbon offsets just for driving your car!

Their travel program assists you in finding green destinations around the world, eco-friendly hotels and even biodiesel and hybrid rental car stations wherever you may be staying. And you also get free carbon offsets every time you book through the company.

You can also choose from a wide variety of car insurance plans that are offered through 14 different companies. The coolest thing about this is that when you enroll in an insurance plan, Better World will offset your car’s first ton of greenhouse gas emissions for free.

The only bad thing is that these plans are only available in select states. Find out which states Better World quotes in by clicking here.

Better for Bikes

This entire company is doing wonders for transportation, and I must say the best part of the program is that they offer bicycle roadside assistance! For all you hardcore environmentalists out there who ride a bike every day to class and to work, this is the ultimate program to join.

If you join you get nationwide roadside assistance for your bike, discounts on bike gear and travel accessories and even a subscription to Bicycling magazine. Now you can feel safe riding your bike wherever you go!

The Better World Club is an amazing company that has your safety and the environment’s safety in mind with its services.

I hope that more companies will move towards eco-friendly services because it will give their customers a reason to actually want to spend their money.

Rackspace Managed Hosting is a leading high-tech web hosting provider for many Fortune 500 companies, and it has eight data centers located in Texas, Virginia and the UK. Recently the Rackspacers in San Antonio, Texas realized that their fellow employees in the UK were doing a much better job at being eco-friendly.

To offset carbon emissions the UK office decided that for every new server the company created it would plant a tree. This got the Americans on their feet to get something done…

Rackspace Managed Hosting is a leading high-tech web hosting provider for many Fortune 500 companies, and it has eight data centers located in Texas, Virginia and the UK. Recently the Rackspacers in San Antonio, Texas realized that their fellow employees in the UK were doing a much better job at being eco-friendly. To offset carbon emissions the UK office decided that for every new server the company created it would plant a tree. This got the Americans on their feet to get something done, and now they’re planning on moving into an energy-saving facility that will allow them to offer greener services to their clients.

The Green Move

Next spring the Rackspacers in Texas are going to be moving into a castle! Okay, it’s not literally a castle, but that’s what the 1,400 employee organization calls it. They’re moving into the 221-acre Windsor Park Mall that’s located in San Antonio, and even though it’s an old mall that has been closed for quite a while, it’s going to be the new eco-friendly data center for Rackspace.

The 88,000 square-foot former Mervyns department store is going be a totally green building due to the recycling of 50 tons of aluminum, copper and steel from it. And to top that green effort off, Rackspace is going to fill six trucks full of old doors, light fixtures and windows and donate it to Habitat for Humanity. What better way to recycle for a good cause!

What Makes Rackspace Green?

Rackspace adds up to 500 new data servers every month, and this takes a lot of energy and electricity. The company realized that this drastically increased their carbon footprint, so their solution was to create sustainable office environments that reduced energy consumption and provided green services.

With the help of Native Energy, a Native American energy-efficiency company, and The Green Grid, a group of information technology companies and professionals dedicated to energy conservation, Rackspace is going green, and they’re doing it by using:

• Compact fluorescent interior and exterior lighting
• Soy-based paint for the walls
• Energy-efficient processors
• Recycling bins throughout the building
• Mulch instead of pesticides for their lawns
• Energy produced by burning natural materials
• Biodegradable products in the break rooms
• An environmentally-friendly dry cleaner service
• Eco-friendly cleaning materials

In addition to these green initiatives, Rackspace will soon be offering carbon-neutral web hosting to their clients, and they are going to offset carbon emissions for every new customer they acquire.

A Brilliant Green Idea

One of the reasons why I wanted to write this blog was because of a holiday card that I received in the mail. The concept behind the card is absolutely brilliant! This card from Rackspace says “Seeds-n-Greetings” on the front (catchy title), and inside it says that Rackspace is going green and you can, too! You just have to plant the card.

Now you might be thinking, “How do I plant a paper card?” Well, the planting instructions tell you how very clearly on the back of the card. It says: “This paper is embedded with a handful of annual and perennial wildflower seeds. Plant it undert 1/4″ of loose, well-drained soil. Water twice daily and keep moist until seedlings are established. Germination time is 1-4 weeks.”

Does anything get more eco-cool than a card you can plant? I doubt it. I just want to give kudos to Rackspace for coming up with such an original idea to support their green initiatives.

Get it Global

I think that all businesses, whether they’re large or small, online or out in the public, should adopt these eco-friendly practices. These large corporations burn tons of fossil fuels every month, and if they can set a green example like Rackspace did, then maybe more global corporations will be less of a contributor to global warming. Running a business is more than just making a profit; it’s also about making an impact.