Big investor in green technology

Billionaire philanthropist George Soros to invest 1 billion dollars into green technology.
As more people invest and support green technology and fuels the quicker we are able to move from  carbon based fuel systems.
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Global Warming Checklist

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD GLOBAL WARMING CHECKLIST
Courtesy of Joyce Mercado.

ReStore ReUse

Habitat for Humanity east bay has a store in Oakland where you can purchase used building materials. Many of these materials would be headed for landfill.  If you are planning a remodel or home renovation project it is worth checking out what they have in stock.  If you have things that could be recycled into other projects it is a great place to make a donation.
They will even come pick up the material from your home.


In addition to recycling building material Habitat has begun to look at environmental and energy efficiency in the homes they have been building. They have adding solar panels to some projects and recently received a LEED Gold certification for there project on Edes Ave in Oakland.


Habitat for Humanity helps low income families afford housing through getting the homeowners involved in their own sweat equity.  They also have volunteer days where you can go and work on a project.  I participated in the build last year at Buena Vista Commons in Alameda.  As someone involved with housing and interested in seeing people be able to afford to own their own home I think it's a great organization to support.


Check out their website.

Biking Yosemite

Last week my family and I visited Yosemite. Despite the rockslides, wildfires and my son being sick that week we had a pretty good time. One of the things that made it fun was that we brought our bikes and pretty much rode to everything we wanted to do. Not only did it provide a pretty nice car free experience in the Valley it also made it easier for us to get out and do activities I know wouldn't have been as enjoyable for him not feeling well. The great part about it was it provided us a casual easy going way to get around that did not involve driving or taking the shuttle bus that runs inside Yosemite Valley. Bikes rock!

Event tuesday 8/18/09

Tour D' Alameda AKA Brokers Tour

Did tuesdays brokers tour on my bike again.
12.5 miles on my bike. Probably saved a gallon of
gas and burned a few calories. I downloaded the Allsport GPS app for my iphone. This will map your route and then upload the info to the web.

Green Cleaning an Alameda business

We recently purchased a cleaning from Green Cleaning at the Otis School auction.

Lorna is a local Alameda business owner and parent who now specializes in green home and carpet cleaning.  With the amount of chemicals in cleaning products and our homes in general

this service is a great addition to having a green healthy home.  One of the first things I noticed after her crew was done (besides the great cleaning job) was the smell.  Or lack of any smell.

There was no overpowering scent of anything.  The house just smelled clean. Lorna showed up on time with her crew gave them the rundown on what they were going to do and we were very satisfied with the job.  I would have to say the most amazing part was the carpets.  With an older dog  a rabbit and about 8 years of accumulated dirt our carpets desperately needed a cleaning.  The machine they use at first glance doesn't look like much, but the technique actually makes sense and does a better job of actually removing the dirt with very little water than any other technique I know of.  With no harsh chemicals just some kind of cleaning solution that according to the FDA is fit for consumption (how green is that) it kind of bounces and blots the dirt out onto a towel which they keep replacing.  The result is very clean carpets that were hardly wet and smelled clean, did I say I loved the smell.  I highly recommend them next time you need a house or carpet cleaning. 

Check out their website. Click here.