Happy New Year from 11th Hour Action!  We are very looking forward to a bright and productive 2009!  The new year is always a great time to take stock of goals and priorities and set and renew positive intentions.  We are hopeful that with the incoming Obama administration with it's emphasis on renewable energy, green jobs and conservation, and with more and more people becoming hip to the green revolution everyday, that 2009 will be a great year for environmental awareness and action!

Here are 11 EASY things we can do to make conservation and sustainability a part of our everyday lives:

1. Set your thermostat to 68. You can always put on another layer if you get cold!

2. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. It improves your fuel efficiecy, thereby cutting back on CO2 emissions.

3. Plan a weekly trip to your Farmer's Market to buy local and organic foods.  Eating local cuts down on the your carbon footprint and organic food does not contribute to pollution from pesticide use.

4.  Cut back on water use. Take shorter showers, wash car using a bucket instead of a hose (or better yet, use waterless carwash products!), only wash clothes & dishes with a full load, and turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth!

5.  Unplug your appliances and chargers when they are not in use. Use a smart power strip to make this easier! Turn off the lights when you are not in the room (I know it sounds silly but a lot of people still don't do this!)

6.  Bring your own bag to the store! The hardest thing about this one is remembering the bag. Keep them in your car or the compactable nylon ones in your purse!

7.  Recycle all you can!  Go online to find out what you can and cannot recycle in your area. You might be surprised that your city is capable of recycling more than you think!  Also, find out how you can properly dispose of or recycle electronic waste, prescription drugs, and yard and food waste. Consider making 2009 the year you start composting!

8. Consume less!  If something breaks, consider repairing it before you replace it. Repurpose things that still have some life left in it or donate it to someone who can use it when you are through.  

9.  Change your light bulbs. I know this is totally cliche by now, but believe it or not a lot of people are still using incadecent bulbs! CFLs and Cold Cathode bulbs are improving all the time, especially when it comes to bulbs used with dimmer switches.  If you tried to switch in the past and couldn't find what you needed it might be a good time to look again.

10.  Drive less. If you life in a mild climate, walk and ride your bike as much as you can.  Be efficient with your time and fuel by running all your errands during one outing instead of taking lots of seperate trips. Carpool and use public transportation!

11.  Take Action!  Consider finding a local organization that is working towards a sustainable future and volunteer!  Talk to your friends, family, co-workers and anyone you meet about these easy ways they can make a difference!  

These are just a few things that we can all recommit ourselves to doing in the New Year!  Remember, all these little actions add up to a big impact and we can all do our part. 

Scott O’Brien never really considered himself an environmentalist.  He joked that he "used to think that being an environmentalist meant wearing all hemp clothing!"  For him, living a cleaner, greener lifestyle started in as mundane a way as you could imagine: while he was cleaning his bathtub.  Scott noticed that when he used the standard issue bleach based bathroom cleaners he ended up feeling the effects on his lungs, eyes and skin for hours after the cleaning was done.  He realized instinctively that these products were toxic to his health and therefore must also be bad for the environment and so he started seeking out natural cleaning alternatives. This was about 5 years ago, when green products were a lot harder to find.  Once he started researching environmentally friendly and non-toxic products he started incorporating more and more of them into his everyday life.  Over time, Scott began to realize that there was a wealth of eco friendly products available and that he didn't have to sacrifice his quality of life or his creature comforts in order to live a greener life.  

While pursuing his graduate degree in business at Loyola Marymont University, Scott decided to base his thesis project on developing a business model for an environmentally conscious products store.  His idea was to create a neighborhood store that would be a one stop shop for eco friendly home and body products.  After graduation, Scott decided to put his business plan into action and in June 2008 he opened The Green Life store on Main Street in Santa Monica, CA.  Scott says the community reaction to the store has been really positive, the most frequent comment he receives is, “It’s about time someone opened a store like this!”  

Shortly after the store opened, Scott met Barent Roth, who leads the Los Angeles chapter of Green Drinks as well as teaches community sustainability workshops for the organization Sustainable Works.  Barent and Scott agreed that The Green Life would be a great venue for these types of events and since then Scott has hosted a number of Green Drinks events and workshops at his store.  Scott is happy that his store has become a meeting place for these positive community building events and hopes to continue to make connections and build momentum in the local sustainability movement.

The Green Life offers a complete range of home cleaning products, organic linens, baby clothes and toys, beauty products, gifts, and books.  And since the store is only two blocks away from the 11th Hour Action offices we have been personally bringing over copies of ‘The 11th Hour’ for Scott to sell in the shop!  

Check out The Green Life’s new website or stop by the shop and say hello to Scott!

www.thegreenlifeco.com
2409 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-392-4702

Want to come to a Green Drinks event? There are Green Drinks groups all over the world! Check out the calendar of upcoming events in your area: http://www.greendrinks.org/

Los Angeles Green Drinks:
www.lagreendrinks.org

Interested in taking a workshop with Sustainable Works?
www.sustainableworks.org  

Obey clothing founder and world reknowned artist Shepard Fairey chose The 11th Hour Action Campaign as the featured cause for his Awareness initiative in 2008! Shepard created a beautiful design inspired by The 11th Hour and produced limited edition prints and 100% organic cotton t-shirts, the sale of which go toward directly supporting 11th Hour Action! Tens of thousands of dollars have been generated so far and the t-shirts are being sold and worn all over the world!

We thank Shepard Fairey and Obey for their generous support and want to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who bought the t-shirt!  

Be a part of the movement! Get your own t-shirt today and help support the 11th Hour Action Campaign! BUY NOW!

 

A message from Shepard: 

 

 

In November Tree Media's Stephan McGuire represented 'The 11th Hour' at a gala event in Windhoek, Namibia.   Stephan was invited to attend the launch of Namibia’s first Green Charity, GAWA (Green Awareness Africa) as the special guest of Mr. Garath Amos, the Founder and Director of the Charity.

The powerful message of 'The 11th Hour' is what initially inspired Gareth to contact Stephan. What Garath didn't originally know is that in addition to being one of the producers of 'The 11th Hour' Stephan is also the President of CSAfrica, a cooperative organization that promotes the sustainable development of Africa.  This shared passion for working towards a greener future in Africa became the catalyst which made the Stephan's visit all the more meaningful. 

Says Stephan of his trip to Namibia, "This actually is turning out to be a much bigger deal than launching a charity.  We are working now with the Namibian government and others to create real on the ground change throughout Namibia, with the focus of 'greening towns'.  It is really exciting and we have only just begun!  I will be sure to keep 11thHourAction up to date as we move forward."

 

A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could potentially provide enough power for the entire world. The new device, called Vivace, is inspired by the way fish swim, and consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs.

Other existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots. The Vivace can generate energy using currents that are as slow as under 1 knot and do not obstruct views or access on the water's surface since they can be installed on the river or ocean floor.  Scientists also claim that this new technology is more gentle on aquatic life since it is slow moving and mimics the natural vortex patterns created by the movement of swimming fish.  

The makers of Vivace state that these simple devices are made from rugged moving parts which stand up well to the elements and continual usage with minimal maintenace required. An installation of 1 x 1.5 kilometers (less that 1/2 square mile) in a current of 3 knots could generate enough power for 100,000 homes.  

A Prototype, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office Naval Research, is currently operating in the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory at the University of Michigan. This device has met and often exceeded expectations; thereby, providing strong evidence to proceed to the next scale, a multi-kilowatt field demonstration.

Read more about it and watch video demonstrations here:

www.vortexhydroenergy.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/renewablee...

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&c...

 

 

 

Our planet is choking on plastic and plastic bags are a huge part of the problem. Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags per year.  This translates to about a million bags every minute across the globe, or 150 bags a year for every person on earth.  You can make a difference by pledging to be plastic bag free.

Visit Leonardo DiCaprio's Eco-Site www.leonardodicaprio.org/pledge and sign the pledge to stop using plastic bags! 

Once you get in the habit of using reusable shopping bags you will wonder why you didn't make the switch sooner! 

11th Hour Action recently became aware of a great company in the San Fransisco area that is working directly with homeowners to  install and maintain beautiful, plentiful organic food gardens in their own backyards!  MY FARM helps people transform their unproductive grass lawns (which require tons of water, fertilizer and maintenance) into sustainable mini farms.  It is well known that eating organic, locally produced food is not only important for individual health but also for the health of the planet.  What could be more local than eating organic fruits, vegetables and herbs harvested on your own property?

MY FARM's mission is to use the existing land in the urban landscape to create a decentralized urban farm system that will be more sustainable and secure than our existing food system that relies too heavily on fossil fuels for fertilizers, pesticides, harvesting and transportation.

For an intial fee of between $800 - $1200 the skilled members of the MY FARM team will install a garden in your yard and plant it with your favorite fruits and veggies! For a weekly maintenance fee (determined by the size of the garden) they will do all the weeding, watering, havesting and dirty work, leaving you with a basket of fresh produce on your doorstep each week.  Don't have a yard of your own? No problem! You can join MY FARM's CSA program (community supported agriculture) and enjoy the benefits of your neighbor's gardens.  Members of the CSA pay a membership fee which allows them to receive a share of the produce each week.

11th Hour Action commends MY FARM for the action they are taking to support organic, local agriculture, while providing a service that allows others in their community to take important steps towards a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle!

 

If you want to find out more about MY FARM check out: www.myfarmsf.com

The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) is proud to announce that Theo Colborn has been chosen to receive this year’s prestigious Göteborg Award.  The award was founded in 1999 by the Swedish city of Göteborg and several interested companies.  Its purpose is to “stimulate and encourage strategic work for national and international sustainable development”.


Dr. Colborn has worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to bring the science of endocrine disruption to the forefront of public health policy in the United States and abroad.  As the founder and president of TEDX, she has developed an organization dedicated to providing others with the sound scientific evidence they need to prevent further harm to our health and our environment from endocrine disrupting chemicals.

This is the ninth Göteborg Award and the prize sum is one million Swedish crowns.  The award is shared by Dr. Colborn, European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström, environmental engineer Jan Ahlbom and toxicologist Ulf Duus.  Please see the attached press release for more details of the award.  For more information on TEDX and the pioneering work of Dr. Colborn, go to www.endocrinedisruption.org.

11th Hour Action congratulates Dr. Colborn for this award recognizing her important work.  To learn more about Theo Colborn and her work please check out the Ideas and Experts page.

http://11thhouraction.com/ideasandexperts/theocolb...

 

Our new President Elect Barack Obama has a new website where the goals of his administration are outlined.  Listed among the principal priorities of the Obama Administration is " to define a clear path to energy independence."

From the website www.change.gov:

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will: 

* Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump
* Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private   efforts to build clean energy future.
* Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
* Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
* Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

 

Whether you cast your vote for Obama or not, it is up to all of us to continue to push our government leaders to take the important steps that are necessary to preserve our natural resources, shift to renewable sources of energy, and stop global warming!  We must do all we can to make sure that our collective voices are heard and hold our leaders accountable.  

 

 

11th Hour Action member and California artist Lea Monro shares her actions and describes how she uses reclaimed materials and is inspired by natural design.

Lea writes:

"I'm always looking for new ways to further my transformation to a sustainable lifestyle. I focus on basic things to sensibly conserve resources like; recycling, short showers, water filter on the tap, no buying plastic bottled water. I also curb-the-urge-to-shop, use saver light bulbs, reusable bags and unplugging whenever possible. I like to support green businesses, I try to eat organically, use products that are as close to nature as possible and use non-pharmaceutical remedies.

Back in the day, long before "Going Green" was fashionable, I used an eco-friendly cloth diaper service for my older daughter. Well, I had no choice; she was allergic to disposable diapers. But, her delicate skin caused me to think about the chemicals and materials in disposables, then I imagined how other baby's diapers where rapidly filling landfills. So there started my awareness of the destructive disposable lifestyle. And as a parent of a young child with Asperger's Disorder characteristics, I'm sensitive to the role environmental agents play in health issues. For me green living is a health necessity.

As for my artwork, I¹m working on an Art Installation. A series made from reclaimed wood and other recycled materials. With a multimedia approach; drawings, photographs and light are part of the art process. Using elements from natural patterns of movement and urban lines, creating an environment of abstract landscapes. The environment of silkscreen images and sculptural pieces will be lit by solar power."

You can see more of Lea's nature inspired artwork at www.leamonro.com.

Join 11th Hour Action today and post your own story about how you are making the world a little greener!