Green is the new color of love

You’ve already done flowers, and chocolate is so cliché. Expensive jewelry doesn’t fit into your budget right now, but you can still give something that will last a lifetime. Give the Valentine’s Gift of Green from BeGreenNow.com to plant 3 trees in the name of your sweetheart, and make your day together carbon neutral!

By purchasing BeGreen’s Valentine’s Gift of Green, lovers can offset one metric ton of carbon emissions by planting three trees. The Valentine’s Gift of Green helps the planet by offsetting the:

• Emissions created by driving to your favorite romantic spot,
• Electricity emissions used to power your evening; and
• Shipping of your chocolates and flowers around the planet.

The three trees will be planted in the Mendocino National Forest near San Francisco. This reforestation project is a partnership between BeGreen and American Forests to plant the seeds that will help reduce carbon in the air and keep this habitat thriving for species like the Northern Spotted Owl. Your purchase adds to over 125,000 trees planted by Green Mountain Energy, the parent company of BeGreen.

The Valentine’s Gift of Green can be purchased online now at www.BeGreenNow.com/valentines for only $9.95 per gift and includes a certificate that acknowledges the purchase of the carbon offsets that can be printed and presented to that special someone.

Green Corporate Gifts

Thanking clients for their business is one function of the ubiquitous corporate holiday gift. But many companies don't realize that corporate gifts say a lot about the culture of their business, and their priorities for the coming year. Choosing eco-friendly tokens of appreciation make a statement that stands out from all the other pen sets, desk clocks, and picture frames out there.

One good option for companies trying to find unique gift ideas is the BeGreen Pod, shown at left, from BeGreenNow.com. The pod is a reusable bag made out of 100% recycled polyester. For each bag purchased, BeGreen plants a tree in an ecosystem restoration project in the United States. Since it packs up so small, you'll never forget it - and neither will your customers. Retails for $12.95, with bulk discounts available.

BeGreen actually offers several different eco-friendly gift options, known as Gifts of Green, which come with tree plantings. Other choices include plantable seed ornaments, with seeds that can grow into cilantro, chili, and daisy plants. These retail for $9.95, and could even first be used on the office Christmas tree before gifting them.

For companies on a budget, the cute Trees are Good stickers might be the best option. For only $4.95, clients receive a sticker and an insert detailing the environmental impact of the tree planting. Now who says it isn't easy being green? Besides Kermit, that is.

Check out www.begreennow.com/store to see all the Gifts of Green that can wow your clients this holiday season. If your Christmas list is long, make sure to call their hotline at (512) 691-6325 to ask about bulk order discounts.

Luxury Car Brand going Green for the Long Run

Mercedes Benz has announced that in seven years they will no longer be selling any petroleum-powered vehicles. This is the first announcement of its kind and a bold statement that I hope will be followed up by most other automobile manufactures at some point. The reduction in their corporate carbon footprint associated with such a change is substantial.

By focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuel options Mercedes has seen that they have plenty of avenues to go down and the consumer market is more than willing to accept the changes at this point. In addition to making these great strides in their automobile line, they are also purchasing carbon offsets for the first six months of the customers driving emissions, and giving the customer the option to continue the purchase beyond that time.

With carbon offsets available for everyone, consumers don’t have to own a Mercedes Benz to get on board with cleaning up their environment. By reducing your driving and offsetting the rest you can be carbon neutral today, and forever.

Discoveries - Planet Green

With the launch of Discovery Channels Planet Green network viewers have been hit with a one stop shop for all thing green on TV. From home renovation to cooking to travel to motorcycle building (American Chopper bio-fuel bike episode), Planet Green is covering a lot of material with its launch. Aimed to help consumers reduce their carbon footprint at every level, and what better place to start than TV.
What Planet Green has done is taken all the green shows within the Discovery library and added a slew of new series to go along with them. This has provided enough content for a whole seasons worth of shows without getting caught in the re-run cycle very early on. Some of the new shows (Supper Club, Wa$ted!, Greenovate) are tying in topics around carbon offsets and the world of good that they can bring to us all.
The one thing that might be a nice addition to the network is a bit more industry news in the world of renewable energy, technology, manufacturing, and health care. They seem to have the consumer sector nailed down, but if they could dig a little deeper then they might just make the turn to being one of the most prevalent cable networks around.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

It’s no secret anymore that global warming is for real. A collective response is starting to emerge in its shadow and buzz words like carbon footprint, renewable energy, and reforestation are being absorbed at an elementary level. There are two key actions that consumers can take to help stop global warming in its tracks.

The first step is to reduce. By reducing consumption you can eliminate a large portion of your co2 emissions. For example, of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year, 80% end up in landfills. Recycle your water bottles and, better yet, choose to re-use a refillable water bottle made of a refill-safe material.

The second step is to offset. While it’s nearly impossible to reduce your carbon footprint to zero, a carbon calculator can help determine what remains and help you neutralize the negative impact your life creates. By purchasing carbon offsets and renewable energy credits you’re investing in cleaner technologies that help neutralize your impact on global warming.