Clean, Green Apple

created-by-ilife.jpegGreenpeace has started a campaign to bring awareness to Mac Computers about the toxic waste that comes from their tossed computer parts. In China, for example, children wade through mountains of computer parts filled with toxic materials such as lead and mercury finding items their families can resell while plastic cables and chords burn nearby. Local water sources are also made undrinkable due to heavy metal content.

So Greenpeace wants the help of the people like you! Rather than tying themselves to the side of Macs headquarters, they have decided to give Mac the benefit of the doubt and use creative measures by the public to get their attention. On the Greenpeace website you can take part in letting Apple know about the effect they are having on the Environment and on hundreds of peoples lives. Check it out, it’s rather fun!

Share and Save

trafficWe’ve covered car sharing programs before on ThingsAreGood and I don’t think this will be the last time we mention them.

The BBC is running a good article on car sharing in the UK. Richard Ghail writes about how carpooling is a great way to meet people, save money and the environment all in one go.

He credits the congestion charge in London reinforces of environmental protection. What’s more, he points out that the economy benefits from less congestion on the road.

Show Your Green Side

green underwear
The company GreenKnickers is about making your under-clothing organic, sweat-free, and sexy. They spare no expense with making your knickers green – they even use environmentally friendly dyes.

I like how they “support local trade and minimise our knickermiles,” which must keep the transportation cost down. Since they are on the web they feel the need to have a blog dedicated to knickers.

“GreenKnickers are knickers with an ecological and ethical foundation, both in meaning and in material substance. They are designed using the principals of Natural sensuality, humour and communication.”

Happy World Car Free Day!

people, not cars It’s that time of year again when we care for our fellow humans and we try to make the world a better place. It’s World Car Free Day!

Over in Europe they have Mobility Week, which is far better than just a day without cars. We should all celebrate non-auto transit.

I know in Toronto Yonge St. (a major street) is closed to cars today, and the Sierra Club is behind this. You can easily find out more about Canada Car Free Day. Also in Toronto the group Streets Are For People are encouraging more direct and creative action with tea!

I hope that where you live people have made an effort to stop polluting and live a healthier lifestyle!

30 ways to leave a non-lover

Canadian copyright guru Michael Geist has posted 30 Days of DRM: 30 Things You Can Do. It’s Canada-specific but you an adopt what he suggests to your locality.

Some of his suggestions:
Ask each political party where it stands on copyright.
Write to your local school board.
Buy online DRM-free alternatives
Write to Library and Archives Canada to ask that it support the preservation of Canadian heritage

To find out why DRM isn’t good check out what wikipedia has to say. Basically DRM can limit access to important documents and limit what you can do with things you buy.