Many of us are taking steps to improve the energy performance of our homes and offices and to educate our families and ourselves about ways to save energy and to protect the environment. For those of you seeking a fresh way to get involved in 2010, consider joining our newest partner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Change the World ENERGY STAR campaign, and take the ENERGY STAR Pledge today! By taking the pledge, you can join Climate Mama and other individuals, businesses and organizations around the country that are taking part in an important movement to help our planet. You can find new ways to measure and promote your own energy and environmental savings, as well as help your family save money and do their part for the environment. 

Most people want to protect our environment, but many don’t know where to start. Choosing ENERGY STAR qualified products and energy-saving practices is a simple way to save money, save energy, and help keep our planet a healthy place to live. The Change Our World, Energy Star pledge includes simple everyday actions that help the environment as well as save you and your family money at the same time!

 CLIMATE MAMA CAMPAIGNS

CLIMATE MAMA "DO AND DON'T CLIMATE CHANGE CAMPAIGN"

Do you ever just want to throw up you hands and say: OK, I get it, but what can I do..!? Each month, Climate Mama will tell you 3 things you should be doing to help combat climate change. We will also point out 3 things that contribute to climate change that you should NOT be doing!

 Although there are many great "top ten" lists out there, some of our favorite Climate Mama's and Papa's have asked us to create our own campaign and our own Climate Mama  "Top Three." So thanks for your great ideas, we are taking you up on your suggestions, and here we go!! Each month, we will be providing YOU with 3 easy to understand and easy to implement, so join us and the "Climate Mama: Do and Don't Campaign."  If you have some great ideas that you and your family are already doing, send them to us. 

Three things you can do THIS summer to help in the fight against climate change:

1. Try making 1 in 3 BBQ’s this summer, MEAT FREE (or go for as many or as few as you like but try out at least ONE and see where it leads…!) While this might seem “counter” to the American Family BBQ, it’s all really just a matter of what you are used to – it’s the 21^st century and time to shake up old traditions and keep up with current times! Did you know that according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, meat production accounts for nearly 1/5 of all human caused greenhouse gases? If each of our families cut out meat just one day a week from our regular routines, think of the significant impact we could have, not only on climate change but on heart health as well!

Try BBQ’ing veggies and fruit that you get from the local farmers market or from your own garden. Enjoy veggie burgers, or sustainable fish burgers. There are great recipes, you just need to look or ask a friend. The California Monterey Bay Aquarium website has some great “sustainable seafood recipes” as well as free lists, pocket and mobile guides which recommend sustainable seafood to buy, as well as which seafood to avoid; download yours today! Surprise your kids with grilled watermelon and pineapple - drizzle chocolate sauce on top! Let us know your favorite meatless BBQ or picnic recipes!

2.  Ants on the loose, inside – try some “natural” cures. Each spring, along with pollen, sunshine, flowers and ladybugs, many of us in the Northeast get tiny black ants invading our homes! Here are a few natural cures that have worked for us and for some of our friends, cures that are non-toxic to kids and pets. Try vinegar in a spray bottle, mint leaves, cayenne and black pepper and white chalk lines; all placed inside, near the points of entry where the ants are getting in. Remember that pesticides inside and outside the home are linked to water and ground pollution, as well as health and allergy issues including ADHD in children as well as autoimmune diseases in adults.    

3. Picnics in your backyard, on your balcony, at the beach, while on a hiking trip, camping in the mountains or just hanging out in your local park; all of these scenarios seem to imply the necessary use of disposal dishes and cutlery.  Why is that? According to The Clean Air Council Americans toss out enough paper & plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times!  So, invest in some dishes that you can use on your picnics, outside on your deck or when you are on the beach or on a hike; but find non-breakable dishes and cutlery you can use, again and again. Not only will you be saving money on disposal products, you will be reducing waste in landfills and showing the kids in your life that caring for the environment is important to you.

Let us know what you tried, share your Do and Don’t ideas and your successes with us!

ECO HEROES

We want you to meet one of OUR Eco Heroes, Roz Savage! In 2005 Roz rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean and is now on a quest to row solo all the way across the Pacific. Roz begins her third and final stage of her Pacific journey, from Kiribati to Australia, later this month. See Roz’s website for more details. We all can’t take on Roz size challenges like rowing across an ocean, but we all can become super-heroes in our own way, and help save the world. We are happy to help promote Roz’s latest campaign and  eco-initiative, Eco Heroes. Be one of the first to register, as the site is brand new! It is a cross between a game, a social media site, and a save-the-world environmental challenge. The site is now open for pre-registration, and users will be notified by email when it goes fully live, sometime later this month. 

 To become an Eco Hero you have to log at least one Green Deed every day. For each Green Deed you’ll get points, and as you move up the points scale you’ll be awarded medals. Do more than one Green Deed a day, and you win more points! Each week, the greenest of all the Green doers will receive a special prize, donated by Roz’s sponsors Sony Ericsson, who are giving away their eco-friendly Green Heart Mobile Phones, and DaKine, who have donated laptop bags made using their new Re-Gen bag technology. These products aren’t available to the public until this coming summer – so this is an exclusive offer especially for Roz’s Eco Heroes!

 Green Deeds can be anything you like – picking up trash from your neighborhood while you’re out walking, joining an eco organization, writing a letter to your newspaper or elected representative, starting  your own vegetable garden and/or starting a compost pile – everyday events in the lives of all our "Climate Mamas and Papas!" Feel free to get ideas and inspiration from other Eco Heroes.  By playing the game, you’ll be connecting into a worldwide community of aspiring Eco Heroes. Hopefully, with your help, this initiative will take on a life of it’s own. You can register your interest by clicking on the link at the top and entering your name and email address. Engage the children in your life in this initiative and introduce them to Roz; they will love meeting her, and love helping YOU become their Eco-Hero!