Green Roadside Assistance

Anthony shares information on an eco-friendly roadside assistance:

Did you know...

Triple A (AAA) is not a green roadside assistance company.
It extensively lobbied against eco-friendly measures such as Proposition 87 which aimed to reduce petroleum pollution. Prop. 87 failed.

There is an eco-friendly alternative!
Better World Club (BWC) offers roadside assistance while supporting eco-friendly measures and organizations. It also offers carbon offsets to all members and discounts to owners of hybrid cars. BWC also offers roadside assistance to cyclists!


Check out the article:
Did You Know AAA Is Bad for the Environment? But You Can Get Green Roadside Assistance

For information on Better World Club, click on the logo below:

Day 2 as Raw Foodist

Day 2: Marina explains her experience being on raw food diet.

Focus The Nation videos

Green Gallaudet, an environmental organization hosted Gallaudet's very first global warming teach-in, called "Focus The Nation". This was conducted simultaneously with thousand of other colleges and universities all over the nation on January 31st 2008.

On January 31st Gallaudet faculty, staff, students and visitors learned from numerous presenters and booths about many different ways about how we can make less of an impact and tread lightly on Mother Earth so next generations can enjoy what we take for granted today.

9 a.m.: "Introduction to Climate Change: Current Issues and Implications for the Future," presented by Dr. Caroline Solomon, Faculty, Biology Department

10 a.m.: "Food for the Future: Shopping and Eating Sustainability," presented by Rhea Kennedy, Gallaudet Public Relations Office, Green Chef www.youaredelicious.net

11 a.m.: "Global Warming: The Spreading of Infectious Diseases," presented by Dr. Jane Dillehay, Faculty, Biology Department

Noon: "Kick-Off Speech," presented by President Robert Davila

12:30 p.m.: Biotour Presentation and Tour of Biodiesel Bus

2 p.m.: "Old Habits Die Easily: How Psychology Can Help Stop Climate Change," presented by Dr. Raylene Paludneviciene, Faculty, Psychology Department

3 p.m.: "How Yoga Can Help Reduce Global Warming," presented by Beverly Hanyzewski, Deaf Certified Yoga Teacher www.deafheartyoga.com

5 p.m.: Panel Discussion with Gary Aller, Executive Director of Business and Support Services at Gallaudet; Meloyde Batten-Mickens, Executive Director of the Physical Plant Department at Gallaudet; Mr. Michael Fields, Gallaudet University Architect; Leah Katz-Hernandez, Gallaudet SBG Representative; Dr. Caroline Solomon, Green Gallaudet Faculty Advisor, moderated by Darian Burwell, Presidential Assistant, Diversity Relations.

6 p.m.: "Habitat, Species and Global Warming" presented by William Snape, Gallaudet Swim Coach/Fellow in Environmental Law at American University

6:30 pm: "Global Warming: Ecological Systems," Dan Millikin, Deaf Environmental Protection Agency attorney

7 p.m.: "An Inconvenient Truth," presented by Bradley Porsche, the only Deaf presenter of the 1,000 representatives trained by former Vice President Al Gore

There are videos of those presentations produced by Gallaudet's e-learning and Video Services department.  Check them out here.  

Raw Food Bash

Note:  Alynn, the Raw Foods Chef and Dina, the gardener/hostess worked together to host a raw foods dinner party a few weeks ago in Frederick, Md.  EcoDeaf asked them to write and share photos about the event and what follows is their beautiful expression of the event.

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As our chef, Alynn, conjured up her delish raw dishes, our tongue danced and our body danced with glee.

As our gardener, Dina, created the masterpiece of a Garden of Eden in her backyard, the garden thrives and swayed with power of life.

We had the pleasures of enjoying the graceful and stimulating presence of our friends at Dina's humble abode.

I believe what makes us truly unique is being who we are.  Being more conscious of who we are stands out. A double whammy of standing out is being one who is deaf. Just because we are deaf doesn't mean we are clueless! We fall in where we can easily communicate and relate with other deaf beings.

Our goal was/is to educate and communicate with the every beings in regards of healthy, living lifestyle and sustaining our mother earth. We have been told that people are amazed of what we have done and what we are doing.

Alynn mastered the creations of raw yummy dishes for all to savor 

and those dishes were

Dazzling Raw Sushi with ginger sauce,

Earthly Raw Manicotti (made with eggplants) with tomato sauce,

Zany Deep Dish (Raw) Pizza!

The grand finale was her

three Divine Cheezecake:

Raspberry, Blueberry and Bliss (Chocolate & Vanilla swirl).

Dina had the liberty to show our guests her connection 

with Mother Earth by getting herself dirty. 

She embraces her garden with love, filling with flowers, 

fruits/vegetables, herbs and trees! 

Imagine the abundance filling with abounding energy!

The bash was a ROCKING success and 

we have been asked to host another one next year! 

Also, Alynn have been asked to co-host one in Chicago as well as in Sedona! 

Share your passion, embrace and connect with others as well as with Mother Earth.

Day 1 as Raw Foodist

Marina explains her first day experience being on raw food diet.



(The following days will come via video soon... )

Why am I on raw food diet?

Marina explains why she is on raw food diet.

(Note: Marina will be submitting a series of vlogs about her new experience being on a raw food diet - more coming soon!)

Eco-Friendly Bike

        darren frazier shows a cool bike, raves about portland, and discusses "blue-consciousness"                   

Want to Take Courses about Wilderness Safety?

Cornell University offers wilderness education scholarships

Cornell Outdoor Education in Ithaca, NY is offering a scholarship opportunity for members of the deaf community to take its Wilderness First Responder and Wilderness First Aid classes among others. The scholarship covers the costs of classes and interpreters.

For more information or to apply, go to the Cornell Outdoor Education website or email Austin Schultea at schultea at southwestern dot edu

Or to register contact Cornell Outdoor Education at 607-255-6183 or coed@cornell.edu or see COE's web site at www.coe.cornell.edu.

7 Corporations You'll Want to Avoid

Do Visit Co-op America - They have very educational information on how to become a responsible shopper - and the information below is from their site.

1. Which major retailer saw its New Dehli factories raided in October 2007 by authorities acting on a tip from an undercover newspaper reporter who found children as young as 10 sewing garments for a children's apparel line?

GAP

2. Which fast food company (owner of KFC and Taco Bell) received the dismally low score of 1 out of 100 in the "Climate Counts Company Scorecard," a report that that judged companies on their commitment to reversing climate change?

YUM!

3. Which popular retailer of apparel and toys got busted for the ninth time by Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), which uncovered sweatshop abuses (unpaid wages, illegal working hours, unsafe working conditions) at a producer factor in China in 2007?

DISNEY

4. Which electronics company was revealed in November 2007 to be at least partly responsible for more than 100 current or former Superfund sites? (Superfund sites are locations designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as being so contaminated by toxic chemicals that they are dangerous to human health.)

GENERAL ELECTRIC

5. Which chocolate-maker, long under fire by social justice advocates concerned about rampant child labor in the cocoa industry, has also become a dominating force in the bottled water industry, generating tons of plastic-bottle waste, and drawing criticism for polluting groundwater near its bottling facilities?

NESTLE

6. Which popular catalog company was the subject of a 2006 National Labor Committee report documenting abuses at its Saidan factory in Jordan including: human trafficking of guest workers, confiscation of passports, 118-hour work weeks, wages below the legal minimum, no sick days, and unsanitary working conditions?

L.L. BEAN

7. Which chemical company was named the number one polluter in America by a May 2008 report from the Political Economy Research Institute called the “Toxic 100 index”? (The index is based on EPA Toxics Release Inventory data, and ranks the nation's largest companies based on the quantity of their emissions, relative toxicity of chemicals emitted, and proximity to population centers, among other criteria.)

DUPONT

Jump into an Eco-Friendly Summer with a Farmers' Market Bike Tour!

Faced with escalating gas and food prices, ominous warnings about climate change, and the knowledge that delicious produce was just minutes away, two friends and I recently embarked on a farmers' market bike tour. This adventure took us to two farmers' markets and an eco-friendly store in DC, and let us engage in a whole slew of sustainable practices all at once

As you may know, the benefits of biking are many. Bicycles use no fossil fuels and the only emissions are your own sweat! Cycling also gets you out into the fresh air, and makes you more aware of your surroundings. Seeing trees in bloom and feeling the sun are sure-fire ways to get your eco-conscience flowing.

Buying from farmers' markets also has a basket load of eco-merits. It is a way to buy local, which as the 100-Mile Diet folks remind us is the hottest new way to cool down our climate. And markets like the ones run by FRESHFARM Markets and the Bloomingdale and Mount Pleasant farmers' markets are "producer-only," with the farmers themselves selling their bounty. Want to buy organic but don't see a sign on the strawberries declaring that they're USDA certified? Not sure what it means that the baby salad greens are labeled "pesticide free" or the eggs claim to come from cage-free hens? Just ask!

The producers are there, in person, to answer any question you have about their farming practices and animal raising methods.

Buying eco-friendly products is another wonderful way to shrink your carbon footprint. At Greater Goods, we checked out reusable shopping bags, bamboo "sporks," glass food storage containers (as an alternative to plastic), and even a solar cooker.

We finished up the tour at the Big Bear Cafe right next to the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market. Big Bear serves fair trade coffee, buys local ingredients for their yummy sandwich and salad menu, and uses DC's own Breadline breads (which you can also, conveniently, get at the market just outside, as well as several other farmers' markets in DC).

That about sums up our tour. To jump into summer, get some exercise, and eat sustainably, I highly recommend trying one.

Shamanic Retreat in Peru

Meghan Shannon, whose EcoDeaf Bio is posted below shares some exciting news with us...


Hey everyone, I wanted to make sure everyone knew about the first ever Deaf and Hearing Signers Shamanic Retreat in the Amazon Region of Peru! Historically, it is hard for hearing people to find good, safe, powerful shamans out in these small villages, where spirituality is natural for them. For Deaf it's even harder. To have interpreters there too is near impossible. PLUS interpreters who can interpret from Spanish to ASL! And be relatively affordable. So - we did it! - this vision is coming into reality with the first Deaf session November 10-23, 2008 in Peru!

My name is Meghan Shannon, and I'm a Gallaudet University HUGS program alumni (2003) and DC area interpreter. I am also a shamanic apprentice, back and forth from my spiritual training with the ayahuasca shamans in Peru. The ayahuasca plant medicine is extremely powerful, as it purges dark energies, entities, physical ailments, and emotional and spiritual blockers from the body. It is like a doorway to the Spirit World, allowing access to profound wisdom and healing. It is very intense, and can be impactfully life-changing. I want to make sure the Deaf Community has access to this as well. Please forward this around and share the light within the Deaf World too. If there is enough interest, we will open up a second Deaf session as well.

See my blog link below about my personal experiences with the ayahuasca, as well as a new blog about Deaf and the Spirit World

peace:)
Meghan

My info:

WEBSITE: www.infinitelightperu.com
BLOG: http://ayahuascameghan.blogspot.com/
EMAIL: infinitelightperu at gmail dot com
TEXT/VOICE: 703.628.9931

MYSPACE PAGES:
www.myspace.com/infinitelightperu
www.myspace.com/meghanshannon
www.myspace.com/deafayahuascaexperience
www.myspace.com/deafinnerlightaccess

Smart Strip: Really Smart!

No, this is not about some smart stripper - but about a power strip with a high IQ!

Smart strips have three sections:

- 1 control plug
- several "slave" plug outlets that bow to the "control" plug
- several plug outlets that are just like regular plugs

Whenever the power for the control plug is shut down, all the other plug outlets that bow towards this is automatically shut off too.

For example: Your TV is the control plug. You turn off your TV, and automatically, your DVD, VHS, speakers and stereo are turned off because they are in the "slave" outlets. Your TiVo, VP and router are plugged in the regular plugs and continue to draw power, because you need them on to record shows and receive calls, 24/7.

Why is this important? Any plugged in item you have in your place of residence draws power, even though it may be off. For example, you leave your toaster, rice cooker, pager recharger plugged in 24 hours a day/7 days a week and you use them occassionally. Even though your toaster, rice cooker and pager recharger is not on - they are plugged in, and they draw "vampire" power, and cost you money!

To order environmentally recycled smart strips, click here.

For more on vampire power, click here or view this photo below: