Recently I watched the documentary “FLOW (for love of water)” which unexpectedly at the end of less then two hours shifted my outlook on water and made me vow to never drink bottled water again. I think before I thought as long as I recycle the bottle then, it’s an o.k. thing to do. I mean it’s better then drinking high fructose corn syrup, right?! Well for my body yes water is the better choice, for the environment tap water should be the ONLY choice!  After watching FLOW, I’m thinking bottled water should just be outlawed all together. This whole bottled water thing not only affects other countries negatively (which we’re kind of pros at) but we’re even destroying our own back yard for this one, gasp!   That’s right, Nestle is currently devastating / flat out draining parts of Michigan so that it can pump millions of gallons of water out of the ground to bottle. Then there’s the little tid bit that bottled water is WAY less regulated then tap water and often times more dangerous to drink … and we’re talking seriously dangerous sometimes. So, I’m thinking my palette can withstand the sometimes not so pleasant tap water if it means I’m not contributing to severe devastation of my own country and other countries (ie. earth).

I really think you should watch ‘FLOW’ and come up with your own conclusion. However if you don’t thrive off educational documentaries, I totally understand. So, below is a shorter 8 minute lamens version that you and your 5 year old can understand in under 10 minutes.

If this article is all the time you have then please, just trust me on this … you really, really, really don’t want to drink bottled water unless it’s an absolute emergency! It’s so not cool and I feel pretty bad for not understanding the consequences of my bottled water drinking sooner.  If you want natural clean water in your future then you will stop drinking bottled water immediately.   For, all my office managers out there it’s up for you to educate your employers on how taboo it is and get a water filter and pitchers instead to serve to clients and employees!  You can do it

Back in July we posted NC Don’t Ban Wind Power .   There have been some opposing comments that do to their nature and misinformation we have struggled to approve.  We have approved the comments for view in hopes that the debate surrounding this issue remains open and educated even though we might strongly disagree.

We have responded to each comment and would like to share our most recent response with you.

We stand firm on the comments posted by Kiesha Jean earlier.  We believe a combination of wind and solar is the right way to go. We’re all for seeing wind turbines versus nuclear power plants and the already proven (very close to home) disaster coal plants can bring to both humans and wildlife. The new bird friendly Windspires are what prompted us to write this post, they only stand 30ft tall which is far shorter than the McMansions that pollute the ridges now. We would much rather see a surge in Windspires versus Turbines but we’re more then delighted to see either.

We do have a great love for the raptors and an even greater love for our children. A Wind Turbine will never produce harmful nuclear waste nor will they ever accidentally leak deadly radiation. A Wind Turbine will also never spill ash into rivers, give workers black lung or trap workers underground.

One out of every 50 Americans living near landfills or ponds used to store ash or sludge from coal-fired power plants has a high risk of getting cancer from drinking water contaminated with arsenic.

So, if you really want to do good … help promote Windspires and stop the ludicrous denial of just how dangerous coal and nuclear power plants are versus wind.

www.TerraPlana.com
www.DominicWilcox.com

At this stage in the game it’s a rare occurrence to find something in your house or in a store that is made in the U.S.A. and not in China.  There’s a lot of ways to be ‘green’ and I’ll be the first to admit I  fail on most of them!   I don’t compost, I don’t drive an electric car, I can’t afford solar panels, I have a full flush toilet, I don’t collect rain water … trust me the list goes on.  Someday I hope to have a self contained off the grid carbon neutral  living arrangement … until then, I do my best to support items and businesses made locally by friends and family and choose MADE IN THE USA whenever possible.

View more information on the Cotton of the Carolinas website.

Just how “Green” is your company? Take the survey and find out!

http://www.bcorporation.net

Part 1

Part 2

Check out the TS Designs website for more information.  And while you’re there, be sure to take the Virtual Tour and become a fan on their facebook page for some behind-the-scenes action.

Fashion Designer & Illustrator, Julie Prescesky all the way up in Canada is doing her part to be green, creating one of a kind handmade apparel using recycled, repurposed, and ethically sourced organic materials.

http://www.julesmae.com

Founder of Treehugger.com at GEL Conference 2009 (via The Life Simple)

PHOTO BY: KIESHA JEAN

If you have had the privilege to see Food Inc.  you have seen the horrible truth behind GMO companies.  They are destroying the heart of our great nation by controlling, unlawfully suing and spying on hard working honest farmers.   H.R. 6637, The Genetically Engineered Farmer Protection Act, places liability from the impacts of genetically engineered organisms on the biotechnology companies that created the GMOs, and protects farmers from law suits by biotechnology companies. Dennis Kucinich is fighting for the right to protect farmers from large companies such as Monsanto with H. R. 6637.  Kucinich is proud to give strong and unwavering support to our organic family farmers.

Please fill out the petition below to have North Carolina Congressman Heath Schuler protect farmers rights and support Bill H. R. 6637.  I know our audience reaches far beyond the mountains of Western North Carolina.  If you agree with this bill, please sign the petition and I will forward your information to your elected official.

View the full H. R. 6637 bill

Sign the Petition

You can also share your personal message with Congressman Heath Shuler by clicking here

This message is very near and dear to me.  Our farmers sustain our life with the food that they provide, please help give them a voice.  We can make a difference!  Share this link with your friends | family | coworkers | followers & Digg this submission below.   The bigger the audience the bigger the voice.  Thank you.

note to news and onlines sources: you have our full permission to share this message either in part or whole on your site.

Here’s a short video we cut together from the Warren Wilson College 2009 Mountain Green Sustainability Conference. We decided to open up a dialog with vendors, speakers and attendees asking a simple question, “What does green mean to you?”.

Join in the Conversation:

Share a short video asking you, your friends and family, “What does green mean to you?”
Email your answer, video, or link to hi@WeAreGreen.tv

Related and Suggested Posts:
Mountain Green Sustainability Conference

Majestic Birds Make a Big Impact at the Mountain Green Conference

By far one of the most popular attractions at the conference was the Carolina Raptor exhibition!  The center brought 3 of it’s educational birds to visit for the day including two owls and a hawk.  The raptor center does it’s best to rehabilitate and release birds back into the wild.  The birds that are part of the education program are unable to be returned to the wild but sure do a huge service for their kind.  The raptors make a tremendous impact on children and adults which helps to tell their story and raise funds to help rescue and rehabilitate others.   In the very near future WeAreGreen.tv will be visiting the center and we hope to tell you more about their incredible story and share some amazing photos and video!

With your support, you can help other orphaned raptors be released into the wild.

Click Here to make a donation

Bald Eagle Release on The 4th of July! “Carolina Raptor Center will release a bald eagle in honor of North Carolina’s veterans and fallen service men and women. The event will be at McGuire Nuclear Station’s EnergyExplorium. The free event begins at 8:30 AM, led by military and political leaders, culminating with the eagle release at 9:15 AM. Local and state dignitaries expected to attend with keynote speaker Colonel Charles A. Dunn II of Pope Air Force Base. Local veteran and Mayor of Davidson, John Woods will release the eagle.”  Click Here for more info on this event.

Race Car Driver Leilani Munter Making a Difference at Top Speed!

Kelly Miller (Senior Vice President & Executive Director of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau) introduced Leilani Munter a.k.a. Carbon Free Girl.    Leilani is a biology graduate, racecar driver, vegetarian and environmental spokeswoman.  Her keynote speech helped to inspire both young an old to do all that is possible to help the environment.

Leilani’s extraordinary mission to stay carbon neutral has proven to be quite the challenge yet she remains strong.  Leilani is going the extra mile only accepting ‘Green’ sponsors for her race car.  This challenging step has kept her off the track for a short period while on her mission to green her car.

So, any of you forward thinking green businesses out there who want a cool female racecar driver as part of your marketing contact:

Leilani’s Eco Dream Team

Blown Away by Speaker Eric Henry of TS Designs!

TS Designs prints and dyes T-Shirts.   What sets them apart is their 3-part bottom line that focuses equally on People, Planet and Profit.  They use local and organic cottons and top quality low impact dieing process.

We were so blown away by Erics A+ quality shirt and mission that we’ll soon be dedicating a few post to the companies incredible mission and achievements.

One of these future post will include the full video of his presentation at the Mountain Green Sustainability Conference.

TS Designs has an industrial location with:

• A small farm that employees volunteer in and benefit from.
• Solar panels on the roof
• Bio-diesel station out front along with a Bio-Diesel Co-op facility
• Walking path
• Beehive
• Natural landscaping based on permaculture
• Compost & compost heating
• Recycled carpet
• Water free urinal and grey water toilet

… I mean really what has your business implemented lately!  Just buying recycled paper, take it up a notch or ten. Click here to see a full tour of the complex and be inspired.

Some of our Favorite Vendors at the Conference

The image above is from the Living Roofs display.  The plants they use are so pretty, I would need to have a roof top garden just to admire them.  I was really impressed with Alkemi Recyled Surface Material I’ve never seen such beautiful textured material green or otherwise a really impressive product.  Click below to see images

Through an online community, contests, and events, Challenge Your World connects emerging entrepreneurs to the resources and expertise they need to launch companies that restore the environment, contribute to society, and build a healthier economy. Each year, Challenge Your World 20/20 — a partnership with Motionographer — challenges 20 video artists to get involved by creating 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. If we’re going to create a new world we have to challenge ourselves to think differently, so these videos blast beyond boundaries, explore crazy ideas, and question the status quo.

Bran Dougherty-Johnson, Filip Kleremark, Pierre Vanni, Sebastian Baptista, and Yaya & Momo, created the first five amazing videos of the 2009 series.

Check them out at www.challengeyourworld.com/2020

Would you like to participate? For information on how to submit a video send an email to Julien Vallée at video@challengeyourworld.com