Strivin To Be Green

For my applied journalism class, I’ve decided to create a video feature on the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle. I’d like this to become a periodic feature of the show Strivin’ To Be Green, but for now what I am creating is for learning and practice. Think of it as a pilot project.

I’d like to invite Strivin’ To Be Green community members to be a part of this project. Especially if you live in Michigan since that is where I am. I’ve already got someone in Ann Arbor scheduled for me to film/interview her recycling efforts and tentatively scheduled someone in Lansing to let me film/interview him with his reuse project of making his own bio-diesel fuel. I still need an example of what someone is doing to “reduce” their material/energy consumption. And if there is anyone who would like me to film their efforts in any or all of the three R’s please contact me.

If you live outside of Michigan and you’d like to share some video of what you are doing to reduce, recycle or reuse, feel free to contact me and we’ll figure out how you can send your videos to me to be included in the pilot project and help me get an A in my class!

So after almost everyone (except for me) went out to buy a new TV to accommodate for the digital tv signal, we are now told that there is an even better new fangled TV that we just have got to get. The 3D TV. At the Consumer Electronics Show, this technology is on display in the Samsung HDTV LED 9000. It sports a thin screen and includes a 3D processor, 240 MHz refresh rate. It is said to be more energy efficient than plasma or LCD TVs. My question is, just how environmentally responsible would it be for people to ditch their brand new digital TVs just so Hannah Montana or Chuck can leap into living rooms? Or do the makers of the digitals know something we do not about planned obsolesce?

Today I did a drive-by of a potential house for this project. The price is nice, under $10,000. However not much land on the south side of the house for a south facing sunroom which would be nice to have for heat and lifestyle. It did have a driveway, which is good. No garage, but that can be built. Every winter I am reminded of just how much I’d like to have a garage. It does come with a nice chunk of land, part of which is an old river bottom with lots of trees and not very usable for a garden.

SPONSOR NEWS
I’ve received word today from greenadvertizing.com that Strivin’ To Be Green is now officially accepted as a part of their network for our “Sustaining Sponsors” spot located on every page of the site. And I’m sure that since we are still just starting out, advertising is rock-bottom prices.

STATS: Today Strivin’ To Be Green has 41 FB fans and 60 followers. Chipins: 2 people totaling $14.22.

YOUR WIND POWER SUGGESTIONS:
Someone suggested to me that I create a list of all the possible ways to improve a home, make a list and then allow members to vote on which improvement to make next. I like that idea. So I need your help in creating that list, and I’ve decided to start by asking members to give suggestions for wind power electricity generation. Your suggestions can be commercial or home made. If they are commercial please include info about the company and a link to their web site if they have one.

In a press conference, GlobalWatt CEO Sanjeev Chitre announced that his company will bring his company to Saginaw, Michigan to build solar cell technology 600 jobs in 2010, 700 jobs in following five years. According to WNEM reporter, the combination of having a pool of ready and skilled workers, a solar manufacturing “chain” in Michigan and state tax credits, helped to convince GlobalWatt to locate in Michigan.

Monday StrivinToBeGreen.com had a technical glitch, but with me working into the wee hours of the night on it… we are back online and ready to go. I want to thank you for your patience with that and for your continued belief and support of the StrivinToBeGreen project.

We are now ready to begin the fundraising phase of this project. I’m asking you and others to ChipIn $4.22.

People who ChipIn $4.22 or more before Earth Day will be a Founding Member. What does that mean?
It means Founding Members will be helping to fund the start up costs (camera, cables, software, taxes and initial renovation projects). In other words, Founding Members will help to make this project possible.

What do Founding Members get? The knowledge that they helped make this possible. Also only Founding Members will get to nominate up to 10 environmental organizations that you want me to include on the ballot to benefit from the sale of the house. As we approach the auction date, all members will be given access to that ballot to vote one which organizations will receive the benefits and as a Founding Member you get to nominate which ones will show up on the ballot.

Once I have the Membership software set up, I’ll send you an email inviting you to activate your Founding Member account. If you decide you don’t want to activate your membership, it is the only email you will receive from me. As I develop the project I will continue to find other ways to thank Founding Members for helping me get this project started.

My goal is to have 10,000 Founding Members by Earth Day 2010. That’s about 100 Founding Members a day between now and then. It will raise enough to buy the house, get some production equipment and start some of the renovation on the house. Ten thousand is a lot of people, but I know that with your help we can find 10,000 people around the Earth who care about the Earth enough to ChipIN to make this happen.

Please, ChipIn right now, via Paypal so you know it is secure and it just takes 2 minutes.
Again, thanks in advance to you for your support!