Hart of Green Blog Helping people make green lifestyle decisions, save money and address global climate change

Sears Tower Glass Observation Deck made me look uncomfortably green by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:25:25 +0000

Have you seen the Chicago Sears Tower piece that’s been running on TV? Oh man, take some Dramamine to get thru it. They have redesigned the observation deck with glass floors that extend beyond the building by 10 feet. OK, that is freaky scary and makes my stomach turn just thinking about it. I was giggling at how kids just love it and we adults are always in wonderment at their fearless and inspiring spirits.

Oh yes, your eyes do not deceive you nor is this a photoshopped image. This is the glass balcony that is 1,353 feet high. I will let you take a moment to pick your jaw up off your desk. Reconnect it to you face… OK, are you ready?

If you’re a parent, would you let your kids stand on that glass?

http://www.hartofgreen.com/green-news/sears-tower-glass-observation-deck-made-me-look-uncomfortably-green-by-jerry-hart

How can canned tomatoes and water be certified organic when the lining of the can contains BPA? by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:45:14 +0000

Lets cover packaging of water first before we get into those scandalous tomatoes

Myth: Since bottled water is regulated by the FDA, it is safer to drink than tap water.

Fact: A study by the National Resources Defense Council found that 25% of bottled water is actually just packaged tap water, sometimes without any additional treatment. Municipal water is subject to EPA standards and is as safe as or safer than the bottled variety.

Myth: Bottled Water that’s been sitting in that warm cab of your car for days is safe to drink?

Fact: Longer answer below

How can canned tomatoes and water be certified organic when the lining of the can contains BPA? by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:41:17 +0000

Lets cover packaging of water first before we get into those scandalous tomatoes

Myth: Since bottled water is regulated by the FDA, it is safer to drink than tap water.

Fact: A study by the National Resources Defense Council found that 25% of bottled water is actually just packaged tap water, sometimes without any additional treatment. Municipal water is subject to EPA standards and is as safe as or safer than the bottled variety.

Myth: Bottled Water that’s been sitting in that warm cab of your car for days is safe to drink?

Fact: Longer answer below

How many times have you swallowed a delicious swig of water from a water bottle that’s been in hanging around for a couple days? You know, the water bottle that sits in the car for a few days and you sip on it occasionally like a hamster milking a water spicket.

Rob a bank and Go Green! by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:10:33 +0000

I have this strange debacle facing me that every time I hit the print button on my computer I’m going un-green.

I learned my lesson didn’t I? God may have yanked on my ear lobe and yet based on my printing paper spend, I’m not sure I learned the lesson.

I loaned some money from my brother years ago, back when 3 houses just wasn’t quite enough. I’m making payments on the loan and stroll into Wells Fargo to deposit my satchel of coins for my dear brother who loves me so much he trusted me to pay him back.

1Ed McMahn 2Farrah Fawcett 3Michael Jackson by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:41:46 +0000

If part of the meaning of green embodies truth, then we know today, social media is a tool that empowers wisdom or truth of the crowd to project the message further and perhaps, more authentically than any agenda based media publisher on earth could do on earth.

It’s been quite a day hasn’t it? Three icons leaving us in one week. Ed McMahon who I met in Milwaukee in ‘96 and he was a very nice man. Farrah Fawcett is gone now. She was so beautiful… and did you know she had the #1 selling poster in history? Hey, I had one. And, Michael is now on the other side. Wow.

So many emotions about Farrah and Michael dying on the same day and the pervasive use of social media to know what’s true. It’s more than irony to me

The solar-powered ‘dragon’ stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

hartofgreen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:40:56 +0000

Today it’s really cool images from our green friends in Japan.

The solar-powered ‘dragon’ stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is the world’s first stadium which gets all its power needs from the sun.

Designed by Japanese architect Toyo on a steel-rod structure with a roof covered with solar panels, the horseshoe-shaped structure has been constructed for the World Games to be held in Kaohsiung city in July 2009. Spread over 19 hectares and having a seating capacity of 55,000 it will be used mainly for athletics and rugby events, including hosting the main events for the 2009 World Games.

You get to choose when you’re green

hartofgreen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:39:18 +0000

What was that line from Days of Our Lives, soap opera? “Like sand thru the hourglass, these are the bowls of our lives.” Now, I own a bowl I never dreamed would be part of my life and even better, I feel great living green and walking the talk. No, I was not about to buy the new toilet from Sink Positive. I give that company a lot of credit for greening their toilets so that when you use the sink on top of the tank, that grey water is used for toilet flushes. I get it… up to the point that I’m supposed to brush my teeth over the toilet. One day I know it will be all the rage but until then, in terms of my green credibility in your eyes, have I been demoted to a lime green from forest green? Maybe I can persuade you.

I’ve had one toilet in the house that has been broken for a few months and was avoiding buying a new one. My brother said, “Hey, Mr.Green, how ’bout a toilet that’s reaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy green.”

I watched a green nightmare on television

hartofgreen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:42:34 +0000

Did you see the shocking story on 60 minutes about the ship breaking beaches of Bangladesh? At first I thought the story was horrible, then my emotions fell downward to anger as I watched a nightmare on television.

Let me digress quickly about my journey of joy, living green and assessing my emotions every eco-step of the way. This was the first green story ever, that truly boiled my insides morphing from anger, as I just mentioned, to a nightmare. Have you had one of these episodes where you can’t think of anything else and can’t feel anything but the ache in your belly for people less privileged than you.

What do you do with those emotions in the moment? I directed myself to Websters dictionary to define what I was initially feeling which was the emotion of viewing people like you and me in horrible conditions. Then, the story made me physically nauseated leading to my labeling this story an utter nightmare.

Big solar panel sitting on a long steal rod by Jerry Hart

hartofgreen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:28:31 +0000

Posting options for today

Most powerful guy in Iran is tweeting everyday. Wow! If he’s turned on to tweet, maybe we should be too?
A Diesel Volkswagen is much more green than a Prius. I have proof.
Write about a big solar panel sitting on a long steal rod in my backyard. Yeah. why not?

(wait!…you either don’t care that the head of Iran is Tweeting or you don’t believe me….here’s the story if you need proof)

Now, on with this brief solar saga. Have you ever looked at something and that double take pinches a nerve in your neck?

Eco-tunnel help turtles cross a Florida road

hartofgreen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:22:11 +0000

I learned that $3.4 million of federal stimulus money is being used to build a tunnel to help turtles cross a Florida road. Look at that face. turtle-headHow could you not spend a few million bucks on a face like that? Do we hire a couple green turtle loving people to guide the turtles thru the tunnel? How can we rely on Turtles to know where the eco-hole under the eco-tunnel is positioned? Hey, I’m just the new green guy wanting some logical understanding here. Help a green brother out. You know I did do my homework on this and found out they did the same thing at Paines Prairie in Gainesville, Texas and it cut back thousands of killed animals a year to under 200 or something. I think its a good idea, people always swerve when they see animals, it causes accidents (not to mention, people that never stop) Plus, the turtles were here first.