Contributed by Entercom Memphis'Director of Marketing ExtraordinaireCindy Debardelaben
Musician John Mayer created AKOG (Another Kind of Green) with belief that “small steps toward environmental sustainability can effect widespread change when multiplied by a great number of participants”. AKOG is a partner of Reverb which is changing how musicians tour the country. He is just one of many groups that are passionate about reducing their carbon footprint and that of their fan base. We at Entercom believe the same and that’s why we’ve developed the 1Thing Program. It’s a sharing of ideas of how to make a difference on our planet starting with one thing. I thought I would share with you some things I found on-line on how musicians are doing their 1Thing while entertaining us on the road! Bands like Maroon 5, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson and events like Lilith Fair and the Campus Consciousness Tour are going green by using recyclable items backstage, composts, encouraging ride share programs and empowering their fans to make a difference.
Reverb, an environmental non-profit founded in 2004 by Adam Gardner of Guster and his environmentalist wife, Lauren Sullivan, provides greening programs for artists' tours while conducting grassroots outreach with music fans everywhere. Reverb is working with bands from tons of genres to help green their tours -the company’s goal is to “educate and engage musicians and their fans to promote environmental sustainability.” Bands including Maroon 5, Fallout Boy, and the Beastie Boys have worked with Reverb. The company got its roots from Bonnie Raitt’s successful “Green Highway,” which accompanied her 2005-2006 tour.
In addition to our work with artists and fans on over 80 major tours to date, Reverb consults with a number of businesses in the music industry including venues, record labels, and radio stations.
We take a positive "work-with" approach and believe that being green is not all or nothing; many people doing some things will have more impact than some people doing everything. All of us can be active participants in protecting the environment. As a result, Reverb creates real, large-scale, and measurable change.
The company is also the brains behind the 2010 Campus Consciousness Tour, a combination music tour and environmental awareness campaign. This is the tour’s fifth year.
The impact thus far:
Tours Greened
91
Events Greened
1,715
Tons of CO2 Reduced
96,675
ENVIRO-GROUPS Involved
2,080
Fans Reached
13.5mil
Wow! Next time your are at a show at Mud Island, or FedEx Forum, or Snowden Grove, how will leave it? Better!
Are you one of the millions of people who use twitter? From July 12 through August 15, Popsicle will be monitoring for tweets that include the hash tag, Slow The Melt(#slowthemelt). For every qualifying hash tag, Popsicle will donate one dollar to National Geographic's Polar Fund, up to $25,000, to support research and exploration efforts of the polar ice caps and other global warming issues. So start tweeting and be sure to spread the word about #slowthemelt. This is a fun way to help make the planet a little more green.
Are you planning on taking advantage of the upcoming long weekend to head to the beach? Before you load up the car, take a minute to review some thing to NOT take with you. The following was originally posted by Tasha Eichensheer on May 20, 2009 at The Green Guide.
What NOT to Bring to the Beach
By Tasha Eichenseher
May 20, 2009
Vasjan Gulka, National Geographic magazine's My Shot.
Last year U.S. beach closings and advisories due to pollution were at an all-time high, at more than 20,000, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Testing the Waters annual report.
The primary culprit: rain flushes human and animal waste from aging sewer systems, urban streets, and agricultural fields into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Human waterborne illnesses associated with this stream of fecal matter include gastrointestinal sickness and skin rashes.
But don’t let that scare you. There are still hundreds of clean ocean or lakeside spots for respite (just heed advisories and avoid swimming after storms), and dozens of things you can do to protect your favorite beach.
Eliminate plastic:
Other forms of ocean and beach pollution include visible trash, especially plastics. During the last international coastal cleanup organized by nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, nearly 7 million pounds of debris—more than 40 percent of it plastic—were collected by volunteers. This included 1.3 million plastic bags, nearly 1 million food containers and wrappers, close to 940,000 caps and lids, roughly 710,000 plastic bottles, 500,000 straws and stirrers, and just over 440,000 plastic utensils.
By many expert accounts, plastic debris sailing the oceans is responsible for the death of more than a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles annually. Plastic pieces are often found in the stomachs of dead ocean-going beasts.
The simple solution: Instead of bottled drinks and disposable plates and cutlery, use a re-usable thermos, and pack in re-usable dishes, knives, forks, and spoons—at the beach and for all other outings, picnics, and barbeques.
During the coastal cleanup, volunteers found more than 3.2 million cigarette butts and filters. If you have to smoke, don’t leave evidence.
Stick to organic sunscreens, cosmetics, and insect repellent:
Research has shown that some sunscreen compounds suspected to be endocrine disruptors are finding their way into fish tissue. Scientists have said some of these could alter reproductive function and birth weight in fish. Not all ultraviolet filters have harmful materials, but to be safe, try to use natural ingredients. The possible synergistic human health and environmental affects of residue from the hundreds of chemical compounds in cosmetics and personal care products give water quality experts a real fright.
Not only is trash and food waste on the beach an eyesore that can end up suffocating sealife, it attracts birds and wildlife that end up defecating on the sand. This ends up contributing to the already problematic sewage problem, says Nancy Stoner, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s clean water project. She advocates disposing trash in lidded bins, or if those are not available, containing the trash and packing it out yourself.
No leaky diapers:
"When it says swim diaper, that doesn't mean [the waste is] self contained,” Stoner said. “I know this from personal experience. Plastic pants are the way to go.”
"Pet waste is a big problem and so easily solved by scooping up the waste,” Stoner adds.
Capture stormwater and keep things clean at home:
If you can, think about replacing impervious surfaces such as asphalt with more water-absorbing surfaces such as gravel, garden, or lawn. A relatively easy way to reduce storm-water runoff is to redirect the downspouts from your rain gutters from impervious surfaces (your driveway or sidewalk) to your yard. And if you have impervious surfaces, keep them clean, free of oil, gas, and other pollutants.
“Lots of people run [storm-water] out into the driveway,” said Stoner. “They think they are getting rid of storm-water by discharging it to a pipe but it may flow to the beach.”
In addition, using natural fertilizers will help reduce the amount of chemicals, nitrogen, and phosphorus entering waterways, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These compounds en masse can cause ocean algal blooms. When these blooms die, they suck oxygen out of the water, sometimes killing the fish and oceanlife that need it, creating a dead zone.
It’s summer. Here in Memphis, there have already been multiple Air Quality warnings and scorching hot days. If you are as pale as I am (I swear I’ve been known to glow in the dark), sunburn can be a real possibility if you spend any time outside. According to Esme Floyd’s book 1001 Little Ways to Save the Planet, our skin can absorb close to 60% of whatever it is we slather on. With that in mind I thought it might be good to take a look at some natural remedies for sunburn relief.
1. Aloe – commonly sold in gel form. You can green up your aloe usage by growing your own aloe plant. Just break off one of the spears, split open, and apply the fresh gel to your burn. Aloe plants are fairly easy to keep alive, just don’t overwater it and put it in the sun. Just a reminder that ignoring it all together is a surefire way to kill it, as I learned first-hand. (They don’t call me a “black thumb” for nothing!)
2. Milk – soak a washcloth in milk and apply the milk compress directly to the burn.
3. Ice – A quick way to help with swelling and to provide some temporary relief is to ice down your sunburn.
4. Vinegar – Mix up a bowl of half white vinegar and half water. Soak a washcloth in the mixture and apply as a compress directly to the burn. Another option is to pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz onto your sunburn.
5. Water – Drink plenty of water. This will help to prevent headaches and dehydration which are common side effects of having a sunburn.
These are just a couple of quick tips to help you get a little relief from your sunburn. But keep in mind that the best remedy is prevention. Don’t forget your sunscreen (check out The Green Guide’s advice on greening your sunscreen), hat, and my personal favorite—the AC you get to experience by staying inside.
As most of you are aware, the more local and organic your foods are the greener they are. These days, just about everyone is jumping on the vegetarian or flexitarian bandwagon. Personal finance and budgeting pros talk about the green effect on your wallet (saving money) when you take meat off the menu once or twice a week. Environmentalists, such as those over at vegfamily.com (as seen here), bring out the energy savings of a reduced meat diet. For the past several generations in my family we’ve chosen to be vegetarian for the health benefits and I’ve even been known to dip my toe in the vegan waters. In my opinion, these hot summer days are a great excuse to keep the oven (and outdoor grill) turned off. Here is one of my favorite summer salad recipes that is perfect for your next picnic or summer potluck.
7 Layer Salad*
Served in a large see-through bowl (I use a punch bowl) and layered as follows:
1 head of lettuce (or 2 1/2 romaine hearts) chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large bag of frozen peas
2 cans of sliced chestnuts
4-5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 small bunch of chopped green onions
Spread a large jar of mayonnaise on top (like frosting)
And finally, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top
You need to wait a couple of hours before eating for the peas to defrost. They keep the mayo cold so you don't need to worry about it staying out. As the peas defrost and people dig into the salad, the mayo thins out, mixes with the egg yolks, and makes an amazing dressing. I often boil the eggs and chop up everything except the lettuce the night before to speed up the assembly process.
*The picture is of the vegan version. Just substitute chopped green bell pepper for the egg layer, follow with a layer of quartered /halved grape tomatoes, use vegan mayo, and sprinkle the green onions on top instead of cheese.
I recently developed an allergy to a new prescription after taking only 2 of the 30 pills. While I was wondering what to do with those pills I will never use (and no, selling them on the black market is not an option) I came across this blog post. I hope you find it as informative as I did.
Consider the environment when disposing of old medicines
There are many areas of our lives where we can lighten our environmental impact just a little; and one of them is how we deal with medication.
I'm certainly not about to recommend that anyone using prescription medication to cease taking them for the sake of the planet, but how we handle the waste related to our pills and potions does have an effect on the environment. I'm not referring to the packaging, but the drugs themselves.
Old, past-expiry date medication are a common occurrence in the home and these drugs pose a risk to others in your household, so it's certainly a good idea to dispose of them. Old medication should be considered as being household hazardous waste and careful consideration given to their disposal.
Unfortunately, old medication often goes straight down the toilet or the sink, but the problem is sewage wastewater treatment plants aren't equipped to filter out drugs; so they wind up in our waterways.
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have found pharmaceuticals present not only in waterways, but also in aquatic creatures. Minute levels have also been found in drinking water. In addition to antibiotics and steroids, over 100 different Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products as Pollutants (PPCPs) had been identified by 2007 in environmental samples and drinking water.
Not a lot is known about the environmental and human health impact of the presence of pharmaceuticals in waterways as more research is needed; but it's a disturbing situation.
While most drug residues enter waterways through people taking medications and then passing them through urine or faeces, the addition of old medications that are flushed is just an additional burden on our waterways that can and should be avoided.
How to dispose of old medication
It's important not to flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless information accompanying the medication specifically states you can do so. For people in the USA, you can locate a list of medications that can be flushed on the Food And Drug Administration web site. Something to bear in mind though is that the FDA's recommendations have little to do with the environment. Its opinion is the potential risk to people and the environment from flushing the listed medicines is outweighed by the "life-threatening risks from accidental ingestion of these medicines".
Probably the best first course of action regardless of the country you are in is to contact your local pharmacy and ask them if they have a drug take-back program as these initiatives are becoming increasingly common. Pharmacies that do will ensure the medications are disposed of in the proper manner; usually via incineration.
Another point of contact is your local council's waste department as they may offer a drop-off facility for old medications or may be able to direct you to a service that does.
Failing all that, the general advice is to dispose of the medications in your household trash, but to take some special safety precautions by take the medications out of their original containers and placing them into another airtight container, mixed in with something undesirable - such as used kitty litter or other substances equally as unappealing. It's not ideal as the drugs can contaminate the soil when landfilled and possibly contaminate groundwater; but that's really the only other option and according to authorities; the "lesser of the evils".
By the way, while some disposal programs incinerate old medications, do not attempt to incinerate medications at home as this can be just as environmentally damaging as landfill disposal and hazardous to your health, due to the gases produced. Medicine disposal programs use special incinerators that burn at very high temperatures.
Michael Bloch Green Living Tips.com Green Living Tips is an online resource powered by renewable energy offering a wide variety of earth friendly tips, green guides, advice and environment related news to help consumers and business reduce costs, consumption and environmental impact .
Once a year, usually around Mother's Day, I invite the youth group from my church over to the house to make some crafts. We've made scented lotions, chocolates, soaps, etc. This year we made lip balm. I got the recipe from my herb loving mom who makes some for stocking stuffers at Christmas time. This is a quick and easy project that will help keep your lips protected all summer long.
Honey Lip Balm
(makes 16 -18 containers)
4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces grated or shaved beeswax (or beads)1 ounce honey½ capsule Vitamin E, 400 IU or 1 ounce Vitamin E oilA few drops of essential oil (Optional, I used peppermint)Chopstick or wooden spoon18 small bead storage jars
1. In a microwave or top of double boiler, melt the beeswax and oil together using a Chopstick or wooden spoon. Do not boil.If the mixture starts to boil remove from heat and allow to cool. (You can remelt it)Once the beeswax and oil are blended, stir in the honey. Then pierce the vitamin E capsule with a needle, squeeze out half of the contents, and stir in. Add in any essential oil you want at this point and stir in. Pour the resulting mixture into clean containers with tops. (I found it cooled very quickly, so pour it immediately before it has a chance to thicken too much.)
2. Let the lip balm sit at room temperature for 48 hours until it arrives at the proper consistency for spreading. You can carry a small container of lip balm around with you during the day, but you may find it keeps better in the refrigerator overnight.
I like to add a couple drops of essential oil for variety. Peppermint is cool and soothing. Lemon or orange taste good. You can add food coloring, but I like mine natural. Use your imagination and make a fun label for your products. Small plastic bead containers with screw-on tops work well for this if you can’t find lip balm holders. They make great gifts!
Did you know that vodka can be used for more than just an inhibition remover? My mom has a gift for all things herbal and has taught me a thing or two—homemade lip balm for example. But, teetotaler that she is, Mom might just be found with a bottle of vodka in the cupboard. Why? Vodka has been used for centuries in medicinal herbal tinctures such as Valerian Root (for hot flashes and night sweats) and Plantain (for insect stings and bruises). Thanks to Chris Wilson from our sister station in Virginia Beach, I found a few more uses for that bottle of vodka:It’s NATURAL! Vodka is made from any one of these fermented substances: grain, rye, wheat, potatoes, grapes, rice, or sugar beetmolasses. Sure it’s tasty, for those who imbibe, but did you know that it can replace some nasty environmentally detrimental chemicals in your daily life?It is widely available, effective and less toxic than many of the chemical alternatives you might use for these tasks: *You can keep your clothes smelling fresher with vodka . Spritz your clothes, then hang to dry in a well-ventilated area. (Do a spot-test first to be safe.)*Shine your chrome, glass and porcelain fixtures by moistening a soft, clean cloth with vodka and then applying a little elbow grease.*Keep your flowers fresher longer. Add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the water in your flower vase. Change out the mixture with fresh ingredients daily.*Forget the DEET products when trying to deter the bugs from taking a bite out of you and your family. Pour a little vodka in a spray bottle and squirt on pests or yourself as a repellent. But not the BEES – please – we need them!*Forget the conditioner. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo – healthier (and happier) hair guaranteed!*Get rid of Mold. Instead of harsh chemical sprays, fill a recycled spray bottle with some bottom-shelf vodka. Spritz on, then let sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with an old toothbrush.
By Guest Blogger Brad Carson. Originally posted on his WKQK 94.1 FM blog.
It’s been since April 20th that the BP oil spill took place following the “explosion” and fire. Unfortunately, it’s still going on. Clearly, there’s no true expert in this situation because the oil is still spilling into the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.
So why would some silly radio DJ from Memphis now feel compelled to write in his “happy go lucky blog” about a national catastrophe that is seemingly above his head? Well, for starters it’s almost hard to avoid the daily updated coverage. Frankly, as a marketer/media “expert” I’m fascinated by the media/public relations aspects of the spill. The political positioning crap is hard to ignore as well.
But as a new twitter user (check me out at www.twitter.com/BradCarson), this whole thing jumped the shark (ironic sea oriented term) when some creative genius set up a bogus twitter account titled “@BPGlobalPR”. This is someone with a little free time, some creativity, and now more than 100K followers! In today’s media landscape, given the size of this catastrophe, even BP can’t control their own image. Even if BP were able to miraculously plug the hole, their value as a company is cliff diving.
And deservedly so, right? I mean regardless of the regulation issues here, think about your own life or career. The old adage goes, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Personally, I enjoy music, sports, and radio. I focused all of my young career life on those 3 things. Makes sense I’m a radio DJ on a music station, a program director for a sports station, and I’m in radio after working in the business since I was 18.
At home, I lack many traits that would make me a “handy man.” My wife will tell you! I know exactly where to go when I need to get things done. They are called experts. Whether it’s a problem with a toilet (plumber), a roof (roofer), or landscaping (I know a few things about that because my father was in excavation), you need to know where to go to get things done right.
Clearly some things are easier than others. We finished the difficult task of putting a man on the moon (NASA). People are able to sail around the world by themselves (I recently heard a smart teenager did that).
We don’t do things if there aren’t experts. If BP (or any company) weren’t experts enough to figure out how to solve a problem such as the one they and the rest of us are experiencing, what the hell were they doing drilling in the first place? Maybe regulation is part of the problem? But what the hell were they thinking? Money maybe? Probably. Which leads me to believe BP should in fact get the death penalty.
The solution? It needs to be dramatic. In my non-expert opinion it should include more explosions, very smart engineer people, using expensive tools that we would never think of, and something large and heavy sitting on top of it. I don’t know… I’m not an “expert” in this field. I should have applied. Truth is, I wouldn’t take apart my car if I didn’t know how to put it back together. I can’t, so I won’t even attempt it.
As a proud mom of two feline furbabies (l to r: O'Malley and Daly--aren't they just the cutest?) who spend a majority of their time inside, cat litter is an important part of my monthly budget. But how can you green up cat litter? There are many different options ranging from newspaper and pine pellets to kicking the litter habit by toilet training your kitty. Not too long ago one of my favorite blogs that deals with all things cats did a comparison on how some of the different types of natural cat litter hold up. If you get some time check it out at Moderncat. In my house we've switched to an all natural scoopable cat litter with herbal odor control that is specifically for a multi-cat home. If you've never thought about switching to a more natural cat litter, why not try today? For more background on the dangers of clay litters check out the post below that was originally published on The Green Guide.
The Scoop on Clumping Cat Litter
By Aisha Ikramuddin
February 21, 2003
The convenience of easy clean-up provided by clumping cat litter may be something to reconsider. Clumping litters, as the name suggests, become clumpy when moistened. These clumps may be removed with a slotted spoon without having to change the entire litter box. This all results in less mess and odor.
Unfortunately, the clay in most clumping litters may be dangerous. Clumping litter is made of sodium bentonite, a naturally swelling clay. According to Ken Simard, CEO of Nature's Way Earth Products, this clumping clay is dusty when dry. As cats kick up the dust, while digging and scratching the litter, it clings to fur, under claws and in between toes, gets tracked around the house, and ingested by cats when they lick themselves. The dust is also inhaled by the owner. Clay dust contains crystalline silica, which is registered as a carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and may cause respiratory illnesses. The greatest danger, however, may come from ingested litter, which can expand up to 15 times more than its original volume. Simard says that this can block a cat's gastrointestinal tract. Unfortunately, no studies have yet been conducted on clumping cat litter, and the evidence against it remains anecdotal. Some pet owners have seen kittens ingest the litter, only to fall sick and die later. Symptoms include vomiting, nasal and eye discharge, and diarrhea which turns hard and clay-like.
Until the verdict is in, the simple and safe solution is to "dump the clump." Alternatives include plant litters made of alfalfa, corn cobs, peanut shells or wheat, and pellets made of cedar, pine or newspaper. The down side is that plant litters may attract pests and, along with newspaper, may smell when wet. Pine, a natural disinfectant and neutralizer of ammonia, may help. All of these products, unlike clay, are biodegradeable and flushable. As an added bonus, some are recycled or made out of waste which would have gone to landfills, such as Nature's Way Feline Pine, available at PetSmart, Kroger Supermarkets and some Wal-Mart stores.
FM 100
As a proud mom of two feline furbabies (l to r: O'Malley and Daly--aren't they just the cutest?) who spend a majority of their time inside, cat litter is an important part of my monthly budget. But how can you green up cat litter? There are many different options ranging from newspaper and pine pellets to kicking the litter habit by