Our Green Relocation - Overture

Who can resist the allure of the parrot poster? It had him at hello.

Countdown! For those of your following this series, we are now officially less than 3 weeks away from our move from NY to Seattle. We have made it our mission to make this move as environmentally friendly as possible. Our first goal has been to reduce as many of our belongings as possible, and while the move is a good impetus for passing on unneeded possessions, the idea of responsible net reduction is one that almost anyone can embrace.

In addition to the usual avenues for reuse - Goodwill, local charities, etc., we have also made it a point to recycle even those hard to deal with items. With the clock ticking towards our departure date, it has become progressively more tempting to dispense with our outmoded possessions at the landfill, but we have been resisting the urge...

Before you deem your unwanted possessions "junk" see if they are treasures for anyone else. Here are a few tips for a successful sale:

• Plan a date when you know people will be around (in our case, this meant the last day of school meetings since we live on a campus)
• Advertise! Send out an email to your friends, those in your community, and/or consider placing an advertisement in a local paper.
• Put up signs. Even if the yard sale has been well-advertised, a little nudge from a sign on the day of the sale, may be just what people need to check it out. And, of course, signs will catch the attention of those passing by.
• Display everything in an attractive and neat manner. You are less likely to buy items in a store when everything is in a heap - the same goes for a yard sale.
• Be prepared to haggle...but not too much. Of course, there are always those looking for a deal - hold your ground with prices only if something has significant value. Otherwise, the point of a sale like this is to rid yourself of excess possessions, so let them go!

Our moving sale was hugely successful - obviously it doesn't hurt to have a feline sales(person?)!

Slacking again? Back to work!

We sold about 2/3 of our "inventory" and all of our big ticket furniture items.

Net reduction strikes again, and with three weeks to go before the move, we continue to avoid relegating anything to the landfill.

To see if our quest to avoid the dumpster is successful, stay tuned for the next installment...

In the meantime, isn't it a beautiful weekend for a yard sale?

The Solstice Round Up

The longest day of the year is tomorrow. With summer officially upon us, many of us find ourselves with a bit more time for chillaxin (nope, not my word, but the friend I stole it from is reading this now and smiling). Here are few suggestions about how to spend some of those extra minutes of free time and light:

Mandatory To Do

First, answer these two questions....

1. Are you over 18?

2. Planning on voting in this year's ridiculously important election?

If you answered yes (and I'm sure most of you did), check out your voter registration status on votepoke. You can also encourage friends to do the same with an application that allows you to scroll through your address book and send your contacts a short message alerting them to the votepoke website.

This upcoming election is critical! Make sure you are registered to vote.

Suggested Reading for those Living in NYC and Beyond

Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple, and one of the founders of Evolvist, has launched sustaiNYC, which is "a reblog covering NYC's sustainability scene." It is informative, entertaining reading, and if you are a New Yorker looking to get the round up of enviro-events, initiatives, and plans, Ben is your go-to man.

Optional Olympic Action

The summer Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching, and the corporate sponsors of the Olympics carry a lot of clout (i.e. cash). Today is Dream for Darfur's National Day of Action, and you can take action by sending this message to the major Olympic corporate sponsors asking them to urge China (the Sudanese government's partner in trade and diplomacy) to take tangible steps to stop the genocide in Darfur. Read more about the situation in Darfur at the Dream for Darfur website.

The Dad's Day Dish

Ah, the blogosphere, where everyone seems to have an opinion about everything (including me of course!). Rather than add to the bounty of ideas already circulating on the web about what to present on your day of devotion to dad, I have rounded up some of my favorites and compiled them here:

1. Shameless Self-Promotion for the Sake of Others: Wow, is that ever an oxymoron?! Check out the list of Organizations Making a Difference over at tenways.org (a.k.a. my website). Consider making a donation in honor of dear old dad. You can make a do-it-yourself card (on recycled paper of course) with facts about the organization, or you can take the e-card option offered by most orgs.

2. Dad will be Devastated without a Package: Yeah, I hear you. Some Dads want tangible evidence of your love, gratitude, and affection. Fortunately, there are many socially and environmentally responsible companies to choose from. Find ideas at tenways.org (again!!) on the Businesses Making a Difference page and over at Co-op America's Green Pages.

3. Don't Know the Difference Between Biodegradable and Bamboo? Check out the Dad's Day blog over at Earth 911 for some clear ideas and explanations about how to find the perfect gift made out of reusable, low-impact, and/or recycled materials.

4. Freebie! Let's face it, most parents really just want to spend time with their beloved offspring (unless you are one of those unloved children with awful social graces and a penchant for shouting at old people) and over at Live Earth, they have a great blog with lots of ideas about how to spend a contented, consumption-free day. (Beware the slightly weird suggestion at the end though, about talking, but not too much - ha?) Guess I'm too much of a gabby girl to get that one. I think I inherited that trait from my dad!

Person Steve Joke!),

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Green TV - It's a Go!

The Discovery Channel's Planet Green went live today. You can check their website or your local listings to find it. With such shows as Wasted where eco-unfriendly households get a makeover, and Battleground Earth where Ludacris and Tommy Lee compete to be the most eco-fabulous reality show stars, it is clear that Planet Green is taking a page from reality TV in order to produce shows that are both loaded with tips AND interesting to watch. It's a pretty big deal that an entire channel is now devoted to the environmental movement, so let's support it!

Watch the shows and offer feedback on their website, which also has many helpful tips.