From Frank Rahim  at Gartner12/24 

In my email, I did spy, a corporate citizen Being a great guy!

“As part of our Green initiatives at Gartner, we have chosen to send only electronic holiday cards this year. In addition to saving resources, the money saved on printing cards will be donated to charities supported by Gartner associates.”

Very classy, Great job, Gartner!!!

I really have a problem with furs. They are beautiful, but so much nicer on the original animal.

So what do you do with a fur that is from a grandmother, aunt, dear departed relative etc. I believe simply throwing it away it so wasteful. Actually, I try to avoid putting ANYTHING in the landfill that can be reused. There are ways to reuse furs. And there might be a story that can be shared about “we don’t do this anymore” with a young person. 

Here is a suggestion for recycling fur coats into teddy bears. There is a store in Carmel that carries these and they are beautiful.More information, if you would like to try this recycling idea: Teddy Bears by Karen who says, “I realize there is some controversy using fur coats, but I only work with recycled fur garments. I am giving each fur coat a “new life” as a special friend. “

From the Stanford Report, November 19.
This article discussing pushing forward with green initiatives and not looking at the energy & resources it takes to get there. He is pushing for a CONSIDERED approach, and evaluating alternatives.

Entrepreneur says green tech must first make economic sense

BY MICHELE CHANDLER

Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla warned that the world cannot simply conserve its way out of the current environmental crisis and must instead create technology alternatives that are both affordable and widely accepted by consumers across the globe.  For the entire article…. click on the title to link.

 It is imperative for anyone recycling computers, monitors etc. to find the most scrupulous recyclers in their area. Why? Because dumped computers that were supposedly recycled are turning up in our streams, baylands, landfills and also in other countries as smoldering, burning, toxic waste emitting eco-disasters.
There are several recyclers of computer parts in California. It is very important to look for a Recycling company that manages the process from end to end, so that your computer devices don’t end up burned, trashed, shipped to another country or only partially recycled. Several companies that recycle outsource the “tear down” and recover portions of this job to the lowest bidder, which means that the valuable materials are extracted in the most expedient manner – burning and acid baths are common. This “smash and burn” method endangers the people doing the work [exposure to chemicals, dust, fumes, hazardous extraction methods, lack of stringent safety techniques etc.] and nearly guarantees a less than eco-friendly result.
Several recyclers have sought to differentiate themselves by signing the “Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship“. While this document is only a page long, it outlines the most important concepts quite clearly: do not allow hazardous e-waste to go to landfill, use best practices, take responsibility for the entire process

There is a local group in San Francisco, that is amazingly clear and committed and happy to explain their actions and goals. Located in two stores, one in the SF Financial District, the other in Santa Clara, Green Citizen serves the Bay Area. Why are they so passionate? From Green Citizen, “Every year, an estimated 400 million units of obsolete electronics are scrapped. By 2010, three billion units will be in need of responsible recycling.” Call them at 877-918-8900 they are open 7 days a week.
Mon-Sat 10 AM – 6 PM
Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM 

The NY Times ran an article in their Personal Tech section on computer recycling, power use and more on October 1, 2008,  entitled, “It Comes in Beige or Black, but you make It Green“.