Read more of this story »

In a first for the CD industry, Victor Creative Media Co Ltd. has begun taking orders for CD/DVD cases made with rice-based plastic. While rice accounts for less than 10% of the material, the composite plastic uses significantly less fossil fuel than traditional plastic. Victor’s product has previously been used in paper fan handles and benches.

Read more of this story »

Naturally Successful is an expertly assembled compilation of inspiring interviews of the leading visionaries giving a voice to the emerging green ECOnomy and the businesses that are in the business of remaking the world for the better. The release of this video couldn’t be better timed as millions of Americans explore ways to prosper despite the economic downturn.

“Build your business around your calling,” continues Lovins, who like the many leaders featured in the DVD, recognize opportunities for enterprising ecopreneurs to solve the most pressing problems now facing us, turning some profits in the process while achieving a happier, more fulfilling life. “We’re not in a sprint. We’re in a marathon to save the world…What is it that you love to do? How do you make a business of it?” asks Lovins.

To grasp the scale of the sustainability movement afoot and harness ideas to guide your green business, this 78 minute DVD offers insights on what being an ecopreneur is all about with a focus on building a values-driven business, providing meaningful leadership, achieving results beyond profits, serving customers, thinking long-term, seizing opportunities in new and existing markets, creating a thriving business and embracing a new type of commerce that seeks to make the world a better place. Interviews are woven together like a well-made life raft for anyone setting out to launch a green business that thrives with a triple bottom line.

Read more of this story »

Of course, you cannot be a stickler for quality with such DVDs, or you will be sorely disappointed. But if you like laughing along with audiences, wearing a hearing aid while watching movies, or pride yourself in your non-humble ability to tell people to sit down and shut up in the theater, then I’ve got a Kungfu Panda DVD that will be perfect for you.

It will probably come as no surprise to you that these kinds of DVDs are made by pirating businesses who use digital cameras to record new movies in theaters. They then distribute them quickly to the masses for profit. Peru, as well as many other developing countries where pirated DVDs are sold will unquestionably suffer over time from the pollution these DVDs will cause. To better understand why the environmental effect of DVDs will be proportionally greater in Peru than in a country like the United States, read on.

Read more of this story »

Enter the latest DVD release from Arnold Creek Productions entitled Naturally Successful: Entrepreneurship That Redefines the Bottom Line. Highlighting some of the sustainability movement’s most compelling speakers, this 78-minute video “features interviews with some of the country’s top business consultants, educators, authors and speakers who are inspiring entrepreneurs worldwide.” Consider emailing clips to your team to kick off a sustainability discussion or launching your next presentation with the words of leaders such as:

• Van Jones, President of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
• Christopher Flavin, President of Worldwatch Institute
• Gil Friend, CEO of Natural Logic, Inc.
• Susan Anderson, Director of the Portland Office of Sustainable Development

View a preview and purchase the full-length feature, browse the Sustainability Shorts clips, and explore the full sustainability video series on Arnold Creek’s website.

Read more of this story »

Creating Healthy Environments for Children features Private Practice’s Amy Brenneman as host with Ben Harper providing music. Pediatricians Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. Alan Greene provide their expertise, as well. Their five major tips include:

• Avoid using pesticides
• Clean safely
• Help children breathe easier
• Provide healthy food
• Use plastic products wisely.

Pop the DVD in your computers, and you’ll find three tool kits, one each for home, child care centers, and schools, that provide resources for making each environment safer for children. The tool kits also give advice for community outreach and activism on safer environments for children.

The DVD will be released in November and retails for $12.95. More information can be found on HealthyChild.org’s website. HealthyChild.org is also releasing a similar book Healthy Child, Healthy World, in March of 2008

GreenDisk will take them off of your hands. GreenDisk is a company that takes your "technotrash," removes the data, recovers any useful components and then safely disposes of the rest. All you have to do is send it to them using a shipping label you print off at home (yes, you’ll be footing the bill for the postage - $6.95 for the first 20 lbs. - but they do the rest.) GreenDisk also accepts CDs, DVDs and other e-waste, and also provides services for businesses with larger volumes of "technotrash."

As for all of those recently released DVDs you’re amassing, think about downloading. Many movies these days are available for download (after a purchase of course - want to keep it legal). This way you get the flick you want without the actual DVD, packaging, and shipping that goes with it. You’ll also save space this way and won’t be stuck wondering what to do with all of your DVDs in a few years. (Check out EcoGeek’s answer to the question: Where do CDs go to die?)

Or if you want to go the crafty route, here are some step by step instructions on crocheting a small sling bag out of VHS tape.

Amy says: I’ve had several friends ask me about this recently, and have some VHS tapes to get rid of myself. I do know people that have used GreenDisk and rave about them, so I’ll send off a few and update this tip with how it went.

EcoGeek - Where do CDs Go to Die?

Grist - Ask Umbra

Dear EcoGeek,

Is it possible to recycle old CD's or DVD's?

Thanks,
Rob

The perpetual scourge of EcoGeekiness is obsolescence. We pay good money for what we see as a good product, and then five years down the line we're surrounded by useless junk!

But I can't help but answer this seemingly straightforward question with several different answers.

First, I'll actually answer the question:

Yes, you can, but it's not as simple as curbside pickup. CDs and DVDs do contain valuable materials (CDRs even sometimes contain gold) and there are techniques to harvest that material for reuse, but those same materials make them too complicated for regular recycling centers. Unfortunately, the materials aren't expensive enough that someone will pay for them. To recycle CDs you'll have to ship them to a special recycling center. Several are listed at the bottom of this post.

Second, Destroy the Data

Whenever you're trashing something that might contain personal data, always take the time to wipe it clean. For CDs, this can be accomplished with gloved hands, scissors, a hole puncher or, for a more entertaining (and dangerous) destruction, microwave on high for two seconds.

Third, Dubious Re-Use:

The internet is littered with cheesy ways to reuse old CDs. Give people lemons and they'll make coasters, disco balls, clocks and maybe even miniature hover-craft. However, this isn't really helping anyone. At the very least, it's delaying the landfill for another few years. It's fun to play with trash, but this kind of re-use doesn't make much environmental sense.

Forth, Stop the Cycle

As with any article about obsolete materials, we'd be fools not to mention how evil forced obsolescence is. The good news is, nowadays we don't need to buy physical objects anymore. We can download pretty much everything we need straight to our hard drive, consume it, and throw it into the virtual trash can on our desktop. Whenever you can, go digital. But avoid the temptation to burn all your files to DVD. You'll just be staring at them in five years wondering what the heck you're going to do with all those coasters.

CD Recycling Services in the US

NESAR Systems
420 Ashwood Road
Darlington, PA 16115
724-827-8172

Digital Audio Disk Corporation
Attention: Disc Recycling Program
1800 Fruitridge Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47804-1788
812-462-8323

And in the UK

The Laundry CD Recycling
Lauren Dean
London Recycling
4d North Crescent
Cody Road
London
E16 4TG

Ask the EcoGeek is a column provided by EcoGeek.org. If you've got a clean technology question for the ecogeek, you can send it to him through our form.

Below, read my exclusive interview with Danny to find out more about his early days, unique business partnerships, blogging, celebrity clients, and more.

Victoria E: Do you think being born on Earth Day seeded your passion for the planet?

Danny Seo: Well, it is an unusual "holiday" if you really think about it. April 22nd is usually marked with stories about global warming, the rainforests burning down and just overall gloom and doom. So when your birthday is on a day that's about the end of the world, you can't help but take notice. So when I was twelve, I decided I had enough of the scary headlines in the newspaper and decided–right then and there–to do something about it. Who knew I'd still be at it 18 years later!

VE: Where you parents initially hesitant when you told them you want to help people lead green lives?

DS: Not really, as long as it didn't affect their lives. Honestly, my parents not being involved in my activism at a young age was–in hindsight—a good thing. It forced me to be a critical thinker at a young age and to learn from all my mistakes. Nobody was ever there to clean up my messes or do the hard work for me. I think today, my let's-all-roll-up-our-sleeves attitude is a result of their not meddling in my work as a child.

VE: How did you team up with Call2Recycle?

DS: The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation is a wonderful non-profit program that collects old rechargeable batteries—from cordless phones, cell phones, power tools—and recycles them into new metal products. The program is call Call2Recycle. They are in over 30,000 retail stores—Lowe's, Target, Best Buy, Sony Style—and these collection boxes are free to anyone to drop off their old rechargeable batteries. I'm a big advocate of making green living as simple as possible. They've made it so easy to locate these stores, drop off your recyclables and do all the work for you. Even the stores have it easy; the boxes are postage-paid, so they just seal 'em up when full and ship them off for recycling. So easy and so green!

VE: What has your experience been like filming a TV show for Lime.com ?

DS: LIME is one of the handful of media partners that I've had the good fortune to creating educational and entertaining programming. My first series was called SIMPLY GREEN and it was shot at my real home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Here, the viewer could see all the green projects and renovations that I did to my own home and come along as I visited stores and factories that were making everything from my kitchen counters to the antiques I bought to decorate with. I just wrapped filming a special for HGTV airing on JUNE 10th called Red, Hot & Green. Tune in on Sunday, June 10th at 8pm (EST) to check it out. I had a great time doing it.

VE: Your work has gotten massive amounts of press. Most recently, you were picked to be a Guest Co-Editor of Elle Magazine's Green Issue - what was that like?

DS: Working with the ELLE magazine staff was a LOT of fun. A lot of people have the misconception that a Guest Co-Editor would mean I just come to the office, share some ideas, and go on my merry way. But in reality, my background is magazine publishing! I was one of the first editors hired by Organic Style and I worked there for five years until they folded. So, when I was approached by ELLE to help them with their annual green issue, I insisted they put my editorial skills to good use. So I put together some fun stories in the issue including a green shopping spree with my pal Kerry Washington and a post-organic baby shower for Jennifer Meyer (aka Mrs. Tobey Maguire). I think this is their best issue yet… and I'm so glad such an influential magazine like ELLE has totally embraced the green message.

VE: More shabby chic than minimal and modern, where do you find the inspiration for your many unique ad crafty projects?

DS: I find inspiration everywhere. One thing that I do is that when I think of something clever or fun to do, I'll email myself the idea on my Blackberry. I have hundreds of must-try projects in my inbox. The resourceful side of my work is the fun part! The hard part is deciding which projects make it onto the TV show, DVDs, books, or magazine columns. I have a hard time deciding the best of the best.

VE: Along with being a writer for magazine and your own book series, TV show host, and overall green living guru, you also work with a number of celebrities, helping to green their wardrobes and homes. Who's life have you overhauled recently? What one celebrity would you love to help go green?

DS: I'm working very closely with a wonderful company called Method. They make a line of environmentally-friendly cleaning products for the home: laundry detergent, dish soap, air care, soy candles, all-purpose cleaners…you name it! So, right now, I'm starting to reach out to my celebrity clients and friends and offer them a Method Detox 101 crash course on keeping their homes sparkling clean the non-toxic way. I don't really have a dream celebrity I'd want to work with. I actually prefer working with folks who are already passionate about green issues and are truly committed to doing the right thing. Then, I know I'll get their full attention on whatever I'm suggesting they do.

VE: With all of your many eco-jobs, how do you find time to write your own blog as well?

DS: The blog was started just for fun, as an online diary of different projects I'm trying at home, things I'm thinking could be great for the home, and sometimes updates here and there about appearances I'll be making on TV or in a city around the country. It's not hard at all to do and I actually enjoy posting different projects. I put up a new post every single day and I love the immediate feedback from people on the different ideas. It's a great way to test new ideas, too…and stay connected to everyone as well.

VE: What do you think is the most common misconception Americans have about green living?

DS: That it's expensive! I keep saying ecological is economical! You can save the environment and save $$ too! Method products are a great example of this. They are biodegradable, non-toxic, not tested on animals and sold in discount stores like Target, Lowe's and Duane Reade. Now, how can you beat that? You just need to be a smart and savvy shopper. Green bargains can be found.

VE: What do you say to the folks that still believe global warming is just a myth?

DS: Well, fortunately, there are less and less skeptics now. I think if you asked someone if they believed in global warming 10 years ago, half would say they believe in it and half would think you're nuts. Today, I would say the majority of people are concerned about it. But whatever cause there is in our country—ecological or not—there will also be doubters. There isn't time to focus on the doubters; I want to teach people to be doers and change their bad eco-habits and help them influence others. The more assimilated good green habits become, the better we'll all be.

VE: Do you have any other nifty, secret/developing projects in the works that you could hint at?

DS: I wish I could say! There is a very exciting project I'm working on right now that will bring my green decorating sensibility to an even bigger audience. That's all I can say for now.

Danny Seo portrait photo by Shelly Strazis

Who Killed the Electric Car?

The documentary on the life and death of electric vehicles (EVs) plays out just like a good murder mystery. And yes, you will actually witness a murder, so to speak, in the film.

Electric vehicles have been around for a hundred years, but we don't have much to show for it today. This clean, efficient, and relatively simple technology is using an "alternative" power that is available today.

Since the movie premier, small and large automakers have been showing off models of EVs and Plug-In Hybrids. The former will begin to hit the market as early as this year, and the latter will hopefully arrive within the next 2-3 years.

Check out the movie from your local library or Netflix to get the whole story!

Rebecca says: This movie was a big eye opener for me. I highly recommend it. Yesterday I continued my "journey of enlightenment" by attending a lecture by Sherry Boschert, author of the newly released book, Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America. I also got to drive an EV! Full coverage of this event can be found on greenerMIAMI.

Who Killed the Electric Car? website