Step it up 2: National Day
of Climate Action - A rally
for citizens and elected
officials to address global
warming, in Concord, NH
on Nov. 3, 2007 from
1-3:30 p.m. at the State
House Lawn.
Step It Up 2007
 

Going Green Expo in
Manchester, NH on October 27 & 28th.
For more
information go to
Going Green Expo   

The Events page of our
website lists local and
national green events.

Magazine Recommendation

The October issue of National Geographic features an excellent article on the carbon crisis and global warming, and be sure not to miss the folded insert.

Dear Reader,

  Let's lessen the human impact on global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. At Real Green Goods, we practice "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" in the store. For example, with the exception of our bamboo countertop and new clothing rack, nearly everything in the store has been purchased at the local auction or has been brought in for reuse. An obvious way for a retail store to contribute to carbon reduction is by offering reusable shopping bags. We have a wide variety of organic or recycled bags and totes from the classic netted string bag, to larger canvas totes, to our latest fashion shoulder bag that says, "My Bag is Green". 

   And, consider buying a netted produce bag meant for fruits and vegetables which allows you to leave the grocery store with NO plastic bags at all. As responsible consumers, we must re-train ourselves (and we know how hard this is!) to remember to carry our reusable bags with us - not just in the grocery store, but for ALL of our shopping.

    For all of the energy and petroleum that goes into the making of plastic bags, the average life time of use of a plastic bag is only 25 minutes, yet it will take an estimated 1000 years to decompose.

    The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year. Worldwide, each year an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used.   

    Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photo-degrade-breaking down into small toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food-chain when mistaken for zooplankton or jellyfish. Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals die every year from eating plastic bags mistaken for food.

    And paper bags are NOT the solution: according to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.

    Using just 1 reusable shopping bag has the potential of eliminating the use of thousands of plastic bags. Try it - It feels great to return from shopping with NO plastic bags!

   We have several styles of reusable shopping totes, netted produce bags, and baskets in our store and online at our website.  Bags & Totes

   For a very clever and original 1-minute video, appealing to both adults and children, that really helps us to visualize our carbon emissions with the use of balloons, click on this link from The Alliance for Climate Protection. Video

   For an excellent explanation of just exactly how we humans produce so much of this CO2, go to "What makes a pound of Carbon Dioxide?" The Green Guide

   National Geographic's "The Green Guide" has provided a
short and informative quiz that tests our understanding on
the confusing topic of plastic. Referred to in this link as "the
excrement of oil", remember that plastic is a petroleum
product and therefore is carbon producing. Quiz

  Always store your reusable shopping bags right inside your car,  and keep a scrunched up string bag handy in your purse - they hold up to 40 pounds!

    For Halloween - How about trying organic lollipops this year?  Made with organic sugar, real fruit extracts, and NO artificial flavors or colorings - come in for a sample!

   Special Note - Our beloved Arghand Soap from Afghanistan Arghand has been nominated as a finalist in the socially responsible "World Challenge 2007". Click on "Top of the Crops" at The World Challengeto find out how you can help them win much needed prize money with your vote.

   Thank you for reading and for caring about the environment. And, as we say at Real Green Goods.

Have a Green Day!™