We have a new site design!

This new design is to help people read the content that they are most interested in. Some highlights:

Two new categories Transportation and Body & Mind
RSS feeds for each individual category

If you find any bugs just write an email to contact ( at) ThingsAreGood.com!

For years environmentalists have blasted the Home Depot’s wood buying practices, especially after numerous fiascos involving clear cut wood labelled “Green.” But with a $380,000 over two years grant to the Forest Stewardship Council to develop a global forestry registry, Home Depot hopes to help it and other companies ensure they purchase wood that is harvested in a responsible manner.

A new trend emerging in the category of Green Buildings are hospitals with an eye to reducing their environmental impact. So called “Green Hospitals” are keen to lower energy bills, reduce waste and achieve healthier indoor air; and its having an impact on worker productivity and patient recovery rates.

Hospitals are energy intensive insitutions that generate enormous amounts of waste in order to achieve sanitary conditions and ensure the safety of their patients from infection and disease. In a twist of irony, many of the protection systems cause respiratory problems in other patients. By choosing low VOC cleaning products the safe recovery of both sets of patients are expediated. Simple design changes such as ‘Daylighting” are having an impact as well.

No one can deny hospitals have a bottom line. In fact, these changes Green Hospitals are adopting are helping achieve that bottom line. “Hospitals are the heart and soul of the community and we need to be open for business no matter what,” says Kai Abelkis, environmental coordinator for Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado. “If the hospitals in New Orleans had solar panels, at least they could have kept the respirators going. If hospitals upgraded to more efficient lighting, we could save a considerable sum, enhance emergency preparedness and improve air quality.”

For a ranking of the top 10 US Green Hospitals click here.

The February wrap-up of Great News is now available.

As always, you can get this monthly wrapping of news send directly to YOU through the wonders of email. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter. That way if you don’t check the site regularly you can still keep in touch with all this good stuff!

A person named Poor Boy has found a picture of the dropable mug. Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

Poor Boy is right, these mugs are UGLY. Still a neat concept though.

So go read about Poor Boy at his site and all of his thoughts!