D&D and Green

So D&D opened up a green store in Florida. It's funny how the company thinks that this is a great move when folks posting to the comments section see right through it.

How can the store really call itself green when they pump out foam cups faster than drug dealers and crack on street corners? Oh yea, don't forget about all the plastic cups that aren't recycled.

Overall, I think the idea is great and more businesses and companies should operate in an environmentally conscious way, but don't a store a green store if it's not green all the way through.

This is a classic case of green washing. Read more!

How to get the community to recycle

For a while now, I've been meaning to go to city hall and get myself a couple of recycling bins. Yea, I know, I'm a bad human for not recycling. I remind myself of that after every BBQ we have because the garbage bins are filled with beer bottles.

Well today I got a letter in the mail from the city of Revere talking about the new RecycleBank Program. Get this, they are going to reward me for recycling.

I really don't buy it to be honest with you, but here's how it works.

The city is dropping off a big bin. I fill it up. When they pick it up, they weight it and give me a certain amount of points. These points I can use at various businesses, restaurants, etc.

Not a bad idea, especially because it's free.

However, who's paying for it? How long will it take before someone abuses this point system and starts getting free stuff and then selling it? How do I know when they weight stuff - if they will - if it's accurate.

I love the idea, but something just doesn't sit well with me about this. Read more!

Stop whining about gas prices

Like everyone else, I'm pissed that gas prices are through the roof. As consumers, there's really nothing we can do. How many stories like the one I just linked to are we going to have to read this summer? It's only going to get worse. My advice to everyone?

Get over it. There's nothing you can do. Prices will never drop back to $2 or even $3 a gallon. We're buying at $4 now. You think continuous price increases are going to keep us from the pump? We're a society driving (yes, pun was planned) on traveling, moving. We need to get to places. More often than not that requires getting into a car and driving. The only way to stop the bleeding and really having it impact your budget is if you were driving a gas guzzler.

Myself? I'm driving a Honda CRV and loving it. Gas mileage is great. I do mostly city driving and take public transportation to work. I fill up every other week, just about. Yea, it's costing me more at the pump each time (what was $22 to fill my tank is now $40), but it hasn't preventing me from going on vacation or driving to work at times. We simply just have to make do. You work things out so you're not eating PB&J everyday just because you want to drive a Hummer. If it means you buy economy, then do it. Gas prices aren't going down. They will keep increasing. Has the price of milk dropped over the years (please don't argue with me that it's because of gas prices either).

The solution to all this really relies on the car manufacturers. They need to make more fuel efficient vehicles in the over-sized category that we as American's are accustomed to. Car manufacturers just need to make more fuel efficient (or independent for that matter) vehicles that are affordable, reliable and ECO friendly. Read more!

Dunkin' Donuts green stores

Ironic that D&D wants to build green stores, but contributes to the ungreening of this planet by selling product in styrofoam cups.

I used to get iced coffees and ask for a cup to keep the java cold. However, I've started to forgo the utilization of said cups to do my small part to go green.

I should probably start recycling my beer bottles too.

Read more!

Beth Daly's Globe piece about "Not as green as they claim to be"

I was waiting for this story to hit the papers. Just a year ago, I started this gig at MS&L. That's when the PR machine started to really rev up in terms of everyone and anyone promoting their green initiatives. It's nice to see some real journalism being produced at the paper that was once on top of the media world (well, maybe in their own mind, but at least a top five US daily).

Basically, my friend Beth (yes, I know her), pulls the card of some companies/orgs that are pumping their chests about "going green."

One of the more aggressive ad pushes about "green" has been around the Chevy Tahoe. It takes two graphs before Beth pulls Chevy's card.

But the Tahoe gets only about 20 miles per gallon - not much better than the nonhybrid Honda Pilot SUV, which also seats eight. The celebrated Toyota Prius gets around 46 miles per gallon.

Ouch.

Double ouch.

The slaps on the forehead keep coming:

Few companies out and out lie, but they often use vague terms with no defined meaning, such as "earth friendly," or tout an environmental benefit while leaving out the environmental harm their product can cause.

She's absolutely right. It's a PR ploy. The media is covering anything and everything green so why not hop on the bandwagon?

Like I said, good work Beth. Keep these money hungry "eco-friendly" companies on their toes. Good work. Read more!

I'm convinced we really do live in The Matrix

For years, the talk around fuel has been we need to find alternatives to save the planet. I agree with that. Let's do it. I'm 100% on board. But now the powers that be are raving that the cost of developing alternative fuels is driving up food prices. See the article in today's Times.

Because of this trend, I'm totally convinced that we really do live in the matrix.

Remember the scene in The Matrix when Morpheus tells Neo that, "dude, you're totally not living in the real world. You're chillin in some dark, cold, cave like warehouse in a world that's controlled by machines. To add salt to the wound, the machines are sucking your lifeless body full of it's energy to fuel themselves."

Neo's like, "Whoa."

As the movie goes along you're introduce to the agents. One in particular, Mr. Smith, talks to Morpheus about how humans are like a virus. We just take over an area and suck it dry of all it's natural resources. When we're done, we move to another spot.

Look at the history of mankind. That's exactly what we've done and what we're continuing to do. Hello?! We're trying to get to Mars? Why? So we can suck that planet dry too.

So yea, I think we're living in the matrix. This can't be real? Why spend on this time and energy trying to come up with alternative fuels to only drive up the costs of food. It's like stealing from paul to pay peter - or however that saying goes.

File this under FUBAR.

Read more!

Solar energy at Fenway

I must have missed this. There might be more "green" at Fenway than the green monster. Read more!

Handmade Detroit...the ladies of spinning green

Got old newspapers lying around? How about cloths that you wore in high school that *might* be a little tight on ya? Don't be a fool and toss the stuff. And if you're in Detroit, you most definetly don't want to throw the stuff out.

For those of you who are green heads out there, check out Handmade Detroit

Lish Dorset, a long distance co-worker of mine, and her peeps are the McGuivers of spinning thread. Need a new bag? How about new shoes? No problem. These ladies are magicians. Harry Hoodini ain't got nuttin' on these ladies. The best part of it all is that they are doing their part to save the environment WHILE looking good.

Nice job ladies.

Do those shoes come in 13 wide?
Read more!