I spend every Sunday morning watching what else…CBS Sunday Morning. My Boxer Otis howls to the opening song and always makes my hubby and I smile. It’s one of the only days I really have to myself but much of the time my brain is screaming out loud at all the tasks put off or not completed from the previous week.
Hmm, what have I let fall through the cracks. Perhaps a blog post?? So interestingly of one of the segments on CBS Sunday Morning was about procrastination. How perfect! A company by the name of stickK has created a website that helps you kick the habit of procrastination. A bit about the site in stickK’s own words:
stickK was formed by combining personal experience and scholarly research. Our story began at Yale University a few years ago when Dean Karlan (Economics Professor at Yale and Co-Founder of stickK) came up with the idea of opening an online ‘Commitment Store’.
He envisioned that people would come to the Commitment Store to sign contracts obliging them to achieve their personal goals such as losing weight or quitting smoking. Dean experimented this concept by making contracts himself. Meanwhile, he also conducted and published research on Commitment Contracts as a tool for helping people save money.
The Commitment Contract concept is based on two well known principles of behavioral economics:
1. People don’t always do what they claim they want to do, and
2. Incentives get people to do things
What I found so interesting is that procrastinators can tell the world what they intend to do, who will check in that they do it, and how much they’ll pay if they fail. What? Pay? Apparently money is a great motivator. During the Commitment creation process, you will have the opportunity to fully customize your Commitment. Choose a start and end date, add a Referee, put money on the line (Stakes), or add Supporters… it’s all up to you!
“If they have money on the line and a referee, we’ve seen success rates in the 70 to 75 percent range,” Goldberg said. “If they don’t, it drops considerably – down to 30-35%.” If users fail, stickk.com will send their money to a charity they hate. “A lot of people write in and say, ‘You know what really motivated me? The thought of giving money to the George Bush library, or the Bill Clinton library, depending on your political views,” Goldberg said.
stickK has many commitment categories including Green Initiatives. Pretty cool! So what are we waiting for?! Let’s tell the world what our commitment is. I think my first will be to make more regular blog posts:)
I am happy to share great news. All Green Things is now sharing our retail space with Green Graphics and Printing. We are both up and running after the reorganization and we’re both happy and ready to serve our community. If you live in the Los Angeles area stop by and see us!
Green Graphics and Printing prints with soy and vegetable based inks. They carry recycled paper, FSC Certified paper and 100% recycled seeded blooming paper. Their UV and Aqueous coatings are water based and contain zero VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are known to harm surrounding environments. Green Graphics and Printing offsets their electric and carbon emissions with 100% Wind-Powered Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) and Verified Emissions Reductions (VER) projects, and they donate a portion of profits to several environmental conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy, The Ocean Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation.
Renee Delgado is the owner and founder of Green Graphics & Printing and her contact information is as follows:
Office: 818.854.6551 Fax: 818.716.7544 Email: info@gotgreenprinting.com Retail Location:
5321 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
How exciting!!! I just received word that we scored prime space at a local community garden. I am thrilled to learn the ropes and get busy growing my first edible garden. I will take great pride in being able to say, “I grew it myself!” I am already daydreaming about my first meal. Hmmm, who to invite??
Did you know the National Gardening Association expects 43 million American households to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries this year. That’s up 19 percent over last year, according to a 2,559-household survey. Mike Metallo, spokesman for the National Gardening Association, says a $70 investment in a garden will yield $600 in produce for the year. That is a pretty awesome savings!! I would think this is truer for someone who really knows what he or she is doing. My team and I will be learning as we go. I am confident we will turn something out that can be shared by all. It will be two very dear friends, my hubby and I sharing the responsibilities.
My goal to grow an edible garden is to teach myself a life skill that I really should know. You never know when it might come in handy! I think community gardens can strengthen bonds and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for us, and hopefully provide some really great food to be shared with family and friends.
So welcome to my edible garden journey! I look forward to sharing my knowledge and growth with you all. Oh, and recipes too!!
Thank you Harold, Mary, Jodi & Jeremiah for making this happen!!
When I got home late last night from work, I decided I needed my Oprah fix. What could today’s episode be about…maybe cutie pie Nate Berkus? Well I was wrong and boy did I learn something very powerful. I came away with a different and profound outlook on cell phone use and texting in the car. I am so guilty of talking on my cell in the car!! Texting, I just flat out don’t do anymore but this is because I almost barreled another car from behind one day. I was counting my blessings and I made a clear and firm decision that day to never text while driving again, however I have Bluetooth in my car so I am hands free when talking on the phone. No problem, right?? Wrong! Talking on you cell phone in your car while driving is equivalent to drinking and driving.
I guess I’m not alone because a recent survey finds 71% of people between the ages of 18 and 49 admit they text or talk on the phone while they drive. I think the age group above 49 is doing it too…Mom and Dad…guilty! I see it here everyday in Cali because every other person in their car has the phone up to their ear jabbering away as they are cutting across 3 lanes of traffic. Gotta love the LA drivers!! Look folks I think we are all doing it but we must make a commitment to stop.
Invincible is what we all think about ourselves. We can handle it. I get it because I think I can do it all, all of the time. Well we all are flat out wrong! Science shows your brain just can’t keep up. University of Utah researcher David Strayer has been studying distracted drivers for 10 years. “The brain just doesn’t work the way we’d like it to work,” he says. “We can’t multitask the way that a lot of people think they can.”
This is what a driver would see if she/he was talking on a cell phone. “One of the things we know when people are talking on a phone is that they get in kind of a tunnel vision,” David says.
“You don’t see the information in the periphery. So if there’s a car, a pedestrian, something like that, you just don’t see it,” he says. “They’re not looking at their side mirrors.”
David’s research found that talking on a cell phone quadruples your risk of an accident. “For comparison purposes, someone who’s drunk at a 0.08 blood alcohol level has a four-time crash increase. So talking on a cell phone is about the same as driving drunk,” he says. “When you’re text messaging, the crash risk goes up to eight times.” Hello people…8 TIMES!!!!
Oprah has spoken and is urging everyone to take her pledge today! Here is the pledge: I pledge to make my car a No Phone Zone. Beginning right now, I will do my part to help put an end to distracted driving by not texting or using my phone while I am driving. I will ask other drivers I know to do the same. I pledge to make a difference. Click here to pledge.
Remember the Los Angeles commuter train?? The conductor missed a red light while sending and receiving more than 40 text messages. His packed train collided head-on with a freight train, injuring 135 people. The conductor and 24 others were killed, making it the second worst commuter train crash in U.S. history.
Distracted driving is an epidemic that is sweeping through our country, claiming lives and destroying families. I was sobbing while watching this episode. People are dying for no reason. What made me snap out of it is the fact that my stupidity could actually kill a little girl or little boy, or someones husband or girlfriend, mother and father, or a best friend. I am pretty sure I could not live with myself if this were to happen. Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting and e-mailing behind the wheel. I took the pledge to never, ever pick up a cell phone again, hands free or not, while driving. It is simply not worth it. If I need to make a call I will pull over into a parking lot to do so.
“It is my prayer that this show, this day will be a seminal day in your life,” Oprah says. “Let it be the end, the end of you using a cell phone or sending a text message when you are behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. And until we as a nation decide we’re going to change that, those numbers are only going to go up.”
I am asking all of my family, friends and readers to please pass this on and take the pledge. Let’s save ourselves from a horrible situation that can happen if we choose to talk while driving.
I recently had the opportunity to meet two amazing people who have accomplished quite a bit when it comes to creating sustainability in residential and commercial properties. Ron and Tammy Schwolsky are the real deal and may I add lovely people! I came to know this couple when I learned of a project called Zenergy House. The Zenergy House project was developed as a guide to greening existing homes. It’s is all about creating a healthier home that is more durable, more energy efficient, and more respectful of the environment.
A zero energy house or zero-energy building (ZEB) is one that generates energy provided by on-site Renewable energy sources that are equal to the amount of energy used by the building. So if you could achieve a zero-energy building you would never use power from the grid, which means you would need a very good battery system to store energy captured during the day for energy use in the evening.The next best thing is net-zero energy and this means that although you may be using power from the grid at night (when there is no sun for your pv- Solar photovoltaic) the amount that you generate during the day is typically more than you use (the meter will spin backwards when you are generating power) and the rest goes back into the grid– give some, take some –at the end of the day your at net-zero energy. “This kind of home is healthier, more durable, and absolutely essential for saving large amounts of energy and effectively curbing climate change”, say the Schwolsky’s. I have now learned the difference between a “Green” house verses a “Zero-energy” or “Net-Zero energy” house. A green home may be certified green but this does not mean that it has an emphasize on zeroing the usage of energy. Don’t get me wrong, a “Green” home is great and it uses less water, energy, materials, and provides better indoor air quality but does not have an emphasis on zero-energy. So what I now understand is that both are important and should be a combined effort when building or renovating a home or commercial property.
The Zenergy House was created to implement the expertise known by the Schwolsky’s. Not only have they created this project but also they are the founders of REAS (Residential Energy Assessment Services). This is where I get even more impressed! The list of services that they provide is extensive and they have the knowledge to go with it. They provide Comprehensive Energy Audits, Energy Efficiency Retrofits and Green Remolding. They are HERS, LEED, and GreenPoint Rated Certified. Why stop there? They offer Eco-Broker Real Estate and Green Financing Programs. This is what I call one-stop servicing!!! I think the most important point is that they are trustworthy, reliable and the most pleasant people you ever want to meet.
The Zenergy House, located in Studio City, CA, is a one-story home with 2450 sq ft of living space. It was built in 1950 and has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. This prototype is a whole house remodel and was created to show the benefits of a high performance home. This includes improved health, safety, comfort and the ability to protect property values from rapidly escalating energy costs. You can take a peek here at what the property looks like:
When the project is complete they will host open home tours. The mission is to help homeowners recognize what truly determines a green home and to provide a roadmap for creating our own Zenergy House!! I took a sneak peek just before the Holidays. It’s a beautiful home and has inspired me to strive for zero-energy in my home. Stay tuned for more information on when the tours will begin.
In the near future REAS, Inc. will offer training curriculum for emerging green job markets.
Hello to all! I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday and New Year. I know I did. I took my first vacation in a year. It was long over due. I looked very similar to my dog Otis here in the pic for most of my lovely staycation. So now I’m back to work and soon you will have many new things to read about. Stayed tuned…
Happy Holidays everyone! A last minute bargain for any last minute shopping you may have left. You can pick up your Baggu Bags online or at our shop for only $4.00. Now that’s a deal. A great gift for the one’s in your life that have not started using reusable bags. We have Red, Black, Smoky Grey & Khaki available.
Carry in your hand or over your shoulder. Holds the contents of 2-3 plastic grocery bags. 14” Wide / 23” high / 5” deep. Folds into a flat 5” by 5” pouch. Holds 50 lbs. 100% Ripstop nylon. Machine washable.
I just received the most darling holiday card via an email. The great design is what caught my attention and the fact that it’s super Eco friendly is the best part of all! You must check out PaperlessPost.com.
Paperless Post is a venture of Alexa Hirschfeld, 25, and her brother James, 23. They are seeking to redefine the tradition of paper stationery so that people can send custom, personalized invitations and announcements with the same thought and care as previous generations but by a way we all communicate today, online. The designs are elegant and fresh.
Signing up is free and it only takes 30 seconds. The only thing you pay for is e-mailing it to friends, at prices that are much cheaper than your average stamp. Sign up and learn more about pricing and special customization options. That’s it for now… I need to get busy sending out my Paperless Post Holiday greetings!
Are you ready to GREEN your next move, save a ton of time and money? If you are, I need to tell you about my friend Spencer Brown and his amazing company Rent A Green Box. Spencer has created the first, comprehensive, zero-waste, no hassle packing and moving system developed entirely from 100% recycled trash mined from landfills.
Basically Spencer is reinventing the cardboard box. He is changing the way people pack and move with his invention called The Recopack. It stands for Recycled Ecological Packing and it’s a replacement for using new or used cardboard boxes when you pack and move anything. It’s available in 3 sizes and delivered direct to your door on a fleet of super green eco-trucks powered by waste vegetable oil and bio-fuel.
Not only has he designed and manufactured the Recopak but he’s also designed many other products made from our trash. I get so excited when I look at what he has accomplished. 100 Recopak boxes use up 500LBs of our trash. They are designed to last up to 400 round trip applications and when the Recopacks wear out he grinds the boxes up and makes another Recopak. Brilliant!!
Another group of items in his list of designs are the Recocubes, Recopaper and Gemini Paper. The Recocubes are made from 100% recycled newspaper sludge. It’s a replacement for petroleum based styrofoam packing peanuts or corn based biodegradable packing materials. This sludge is usually dumped into the landfill but Spencer collects this end life cycle resource and adds sugars, starches and B-12 then compresses it into cubes and compostable packing sheets. The list does not stop here. Another great product is his Poo Poo Pallet. Yes you heard me! Each poopy pallet uses 700 recycled baby diapers. Wow, let’s hope they left the stink at the landfill!
I encourage you to visit Spencer’s site to check out his additional products made from our trash. What a genius!
Rentagreenbox.com is currently servicing every city in Orange County, Los Angeles County and select areas of the Inland Empire and San Diego County. If you do not see your area they are expanding as fast as they can. They are expanding nationwide so partnership opportunities exist!!!
Did you know that up to one hundred million cell phones are replaced each year? As crazy as it sounds some owners aren’t aware that the electronics contain metals and other materials that can be hazardous to the environment and chuck them in their garbage cans, which then go to the landfill. Yikes!!!! FYI, cell phone circuitry and displays contain toxic compounds like cadmium, beryllium, arsenic, copper and lead.
Because manufacturers use so many different types of plastic in electronic equipment it’s the most challenging to recycle. It is also difficult and costly to sort all the different types of plastics used in cell phones. So my suggestion today is to donate your used cell phones!!! I am a drop off point for Cell for Soldiers. If you are not in the Los Angeles area remember that many charities will collect cell phones for fundraising or give them directly to people who need them. So do something easy, drop your phone off at a collection point or send it in to a participating site. Most will even send you a prepaid shipping label to speed along the process.
If you are a local customer of All Green Things, bring me your used cell phones!!!! Cell Phones for Soldiers is a great organization and they expect to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Let’s show some love for our soldiers and our environment!!
It is unlawful in some states to not recycle your cellular phones and cell phone accessories. There is a growing movement to protect the environment and lawmakers all over the world are taking note.
stickK was formed by combining personal experience and scholarly research. Our story began at Yale University a few years ago when Dean Karlan (Economics Professor at Yale and Co-Founder of stickK) came up with the idea of opening an online ‘Commitment Store’.
A zero energy house or 
did. I took my first vacation in a year. It was long over due. I looked very similar to my dog Otis here in the pic for most of my lovely staycation. So now I’m back to work and soon you will have many new things to read about. Stayed tuned…
Happy Holidays everyone! A last minute bargain for any last minute shopping you may have left. You can pick up your 
I just received the most darling holiday card via an email. The great design is what caught my attention and the fact that it’s super Eco friendly is the best part of all! You must check out 
Are you ready to GREEN your next move, save a ton of time and money? If you are, I need to tell you about my friend 
Soldiers is a great organization and they expect to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Let’s show some love for our soldiers and our environment!!
The Story of Stuff
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