Chill out on the beach all day soaking up the rays and playing in the waves, all while keeping your cell phone, PDA, digital cam or other portable device charged even when you’re far from an electrical outlet. Made in the US, the Juice Bags Solar Tote allows you to do just that.  Just plug your device right into the bag’s universal car charger socket with your own charger. Turn sunlight into electricity!  Made of fifty-two solar cells, this seven watt solar panel is  flexible and the latest in flexible solar technology.  Military-approved, their fabrics and stitching are triple checked for quality before leaving their Texas or North Carolina warehouse.  And keep on eye on this company as they’re working on a solution to charge larger devices with the sun (like laptops for example).   And if you’re wondering how to clean it with the solar panel, no problem!  With their Reware SolarSistem, you’re able to remove the solar panel to use separately or take it out so you can clean the bag.  So pack your towel and sunscreen and head to the beach! 

Until now, there hasn’t been a channel dedicated to all things green & eco-friendly.  In collaberation with TreeHugger.com, Discovery launched Planet Green one month ago on June 4th.  On the air 24/7, you’ll find a wide variety of shows to help inspire you to live more consciously.  Offering a broad range of perspectives and ideas, all backgrounds and ages will be able to find something appealing.  

No matter what shade of green you are, learn how to reduce your carbon footprint on Wa$ted, follow the residents of Greensburg as they rebuild their town that was completely destroyed by a deadly tornado and how they are implementing eco-friendly design into their plans.  If you’re a bit (or a lot) star-struck, check out Hollywood Green as host Maria Menounos reports on how the stars are going green.  On location at Whole Foods Market, watch Emeril Lagasse whip up some healthy meals with local and organic foods on Emeril Green.  Hosted by Tom Bergeon (Dancing with the Stars host), each week Supper Club features a celebrity chef who cooks up a green meal for four green celebrity guests while they discuss latest happenings and controversies in the green movement.  If you’re into home design and renovation, tune into Renovation Nation, Greenovate or World’s Greenest Homes for some great inspiration and ideas. 

 To find out what channel it’s on in your area, click here. 

The Common Threads Garment Recycling program is a fantastic success and has received worldwide recognition, inspiring other companies to do the same and make use out of discarded goods. I encourage you to donate your old, worn-out garments. It’s easy, just wash items first and pop them in the mail to:

Patagonia Service Center
ATTN: Common Threads Recycling Program
8550 White Fir Street
Reno, NV 89523-8939

If you live near a Patagonia Retail Store then drop them off directly–ideally, while you’re running other errands, to reduce environmental impact.

The Common Threads Program accepts:
- Patagonia fleece (including Synchilla® and Regulator® insulation)
- Polartec® fleece from other manufacturers
- Capilene baselayers
- Patagonia cotton T-shirts

Please note buttons, zippers and snaps do not need to be removed in advance. They come off in the recycling process.

In 2005, Patagonia launched the world’s first garment recycling initiative. Common Threads Garment Recycling Program is a system through which customers may return worn out clothing in exchange for discounts on Patagonia products.

The worn out garments are run through an innovative recycling process in which they are repurposed into polyester, which can be used for second-generation performance wear.

The program creates a full-loop of environmental responsibility. Rather than simply selling products produced from recycled materials, Patagonia creates an infinite cycle of reuse by reabsorbing materials back into its supply chain. This cuts back on virgin oil wasted, natural resources squandered and the discarding of clothing in the landfill or incinerator.

The Women’s Capilene 1 Scoop is a popular product made from 100% post-consumer recycled Capilene through Patagonia’s Common Threads Recycling Program. According to research sponsored by Patagonia, “the environmental impact of recycling worn-out Capilene base layers into new polyester fiber is significantly lower than making that same fiber from virgin materials. Taking into account that worn-out garments are diverted from trash incinerators, making new polyester fiber from recycled garments results in an energy savings of 76% and a CO2 emissions [greenhouse gasses] reduction of 71%, versus creating that fiber from new raw material.”

When the best in natural and organic materials isn’t good enough, Patagonia gets creative. The company regularly sends design engineers to work with and help suppliers invent environmentally sound fabrics. In many cases these fabrics are made from recycled materials.

Take for example Patagonia’s signature: fleece, Capilene base layers and Regulator insulation garments. All are made from various combinations of post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles, unusable second quality fabrics and worn out garments.

Patagonia Men’s El Cap Pants are made from recycled plastic.

There are many substantial benefits to making items out of recycled materials. For one, the process curbs discards, therefore reducing toxic emissions from incinerators while preventing the continued overflow of landfills. As landfills seep, this prevents the overall contamination of air, water and soil. Most notably, recycling post consumer plastic decreases dependence on oil.

I used to assume that cotton was as natural as could be. It comes from a plant—what could be more natural? As it happens, however, very little is pure or natural about the conventional cotton sold by mainstream retailers.

Conventional Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the world’s pesticides, making it the second most pesticide-laden crop after coffee. (source: Allen Woodburn Associates Ltd./Managing Resources Ltd., “Cotton: The Crop and its Agrochemicals Market,” 1995.) From a humanitarian perspective, there are several reasons one should avoid purchasing conventional cotton. To start, cotton is a water-thirsty crop. It also tends to grow in third world countries where labor and human rights are often overlooked for the bottom line. Many third world countries don’t even have enough water for their citizens. When cotton-growing retailers usurp vital water supplies, water becomes an influential political tool.

For these reasons, Patagonia converted its entire sportswear line to 100% organically grown cotton. Popular items include the company’s line of Lightweight Everyday Socks — and the Men’s Lightweight Stand up Shorts.

Lightweight Everyday Socks

Patagonia Men’s Lightweight Stand Up Shorts

For two New Years resolutions in one, pledge to save energy. You’ll save money too! It’s simple. Just replace standard appliances with Energy Star products.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy that highlights appliances that save 10-15% more energy than standard models with a blue star label (see left).

As the equation goes, less energy equals both lower utility bills and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the governmental organization, a home fully equipped with Energy Star products will operate on an estimated 30% less energy than a house equipped with standard products, saving $600 a year.

In 2008, choosing the most energy efficient product couldn’t be easier with Energy Star’s little blue label. With 18,000 plus products in 35 different categories (from washing machine to printers, refrigerators to desk lamps) you won’t have to worry about finding an appliance that meets your standards and style. You’ll just have to worry about how you’re going to spend the money you’ve saved.

P.S. don’t forget to do those simple things like turning off your lights and unplugging your cell phone charger when you’re not charging your phone. Though little, these tiny changes add up to make a difference–saving energy and saving you money.

This New Year, pledge to change your light bulbs. It’s really a no-brainer. Just swap your standard, but extremely outdated, incandescent bulbs for the latest and greatest bulbs on the market: compact fluorescents (CFLs).

Yes, that’s all you have to do. By exchanging your regular lightbulbs for those funny-looking swirly bulbs you’ll save energy and money.

Here come the stats . . . according to Energy Star, CFLs consume up to 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. CFLs also last up to 10 times longer. Those numbers add up for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if just one million households replaced four traditional light bulbs with four CFL light bulbs, Americans would eliminate 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases. And get this . . . if every American household changed just one light bulb to a CFL we’d would save enough power to light more than 2.5 million homes. That’s doing far more than taking 3.5 million cars off the road . . . permanently.

Enough with the stats. Point is, there’s no good reason not to switch to CFLs. And several years ago it was difficult to even find a CFL. Today, you can find them everywhere. So take advantage in 2008 and change your lightbulbs.

It is important to note that CFLs contain an insignificant amount of mercury. If a bulb breaks, however, you want to clean it as specified by the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information on CFLs and tips to clean up a broken CFL bulb, without dispersing the mercury, click here.

With New Years just around the corner, it’s time to clean our slates and rewrite our resolutions:

• Spend more time with family.
• Quit that terrible habit.
• Go to the gym.

But with a planet in peril, let’s not forget to make a few pledges to the earth. As we embrace the New Year and vow to change our ways, why not cut down on energy use and water wastage while we’re at it? There are plenty of green New Years resolutions to be made. Finding it overwhelming? Not sure where to start? Over the next seven days I’ll give you seven simple suggestions for green-focused New Years resolutions. Today, lets begin with the simplest resolution of all . . .

1. Say No To Plastic Bags
Each year, Americans throw away enough plastic bags to wrap the planet 4,000 times. Considering it takes an average of 500 years for a plastic bag to decompose, we’re literally covering our planet with islands of plastic bags. This year, take the pledge. Carry a tote to the store or keep a reserve of already used plastic bags in your car, purse, briefcase or pocket. This way you’ll always have them on hand so you won’t forget them when you need them most . . .

Stay tuned for resolutions two through seven.

More people travel for Thanksgiving weekend than any other US Holiday. So much travel is terrible for the environment. Here are some tips:

1. Offset Your Flight.
If you’re planning to fly this Thanksgiving, your flight will have the greatest environmental impact–by far. 

Believe it or not, flying is twice as bad for the environment as driving a gas guzzling hummer to your destination, and three times as bad as taking the train!

“How so?”

Airplanes travel in the sensitive upper atmosphere and release a cocktail of greenhouse gasses–nitrogen oxides, soot, and CO2 (carbon dioxide)–all major contributors to global warming.

If your planning to fly this Thanksgiving consider “offsetting” your trip. Offsetting works by investing funds in sequestration or energy efficiency projects that absorb or prevent the release of a tonnage of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) equivalent to the amount of CO2 you released in your travels. For example, some offsetting programs plant trees to counterbalance the emissions of your flight. The trees produce oxygen and absorb CO2 to “offset” the amount of CO2 your flight has produced. Of course not flying at all is a much better idea, but I’m not going to insist you stop visiting Aunt Marla and Uncle Earl?

2. Drive Better
If you must drive this Thanksgiving, make sure your tires are properly inflated and your car is in good working order–you’re family will be safer, you’ll save money spent on gas, and you’ll reduce emissions.

The United States Department of Energy (USDE) reports that keeping the right oil in your car and changing it every 4 months (or 5,000 miles) plus a once-a-year air filter change can improve your fuel efficiency by 8% or more! Over the course of just one year, the USDE estimates that your average savings will be more than $150. Add in regular tune-ups to keep your car running the way it was engineered to run, and you’ll pocket at least an additional $50 a year in savings.

Before taking one of those family road trips, stop by the shop for a tune up and oil change. And don’t forget to inflate those tires. Many Americans forget to regularly check their tire pressure, and this definitely impacts your fuel efficiency – up to 3%. If you pressurize your tires and lighten up you load, you will save $50 a year.

3. Stay Home
Stave off stress and carbon emissions. 

Stay home for a cozy Thanksgiving with your immediate family.