Author: Anna@Green Talk
Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/green-talk/jRYI/~3/SObTFXcEbs…

About a year ago, I ran across an article about Act By Nature, an organic permanent hair color, which is now known as Palette by Nature. What caught my eye was that it was PPD and ammonia free along without all the other nasties you see in permanent hair color. Thrilled to see such a product is an understatement!  But when I used it, what a disappointment.  See my video below, then read on because realize that this is my experience.

Coloring and I go way back

I am no stranger to hair color and have been coloring my hair since my late 20s.  Gray whisks started to pop up all over my hair in my late teens.  You could say I was destined for gray-head. Over the years, I have looked for safer alternative starting with a lower ammonia based color to now using Organic Color Systems which is ammonia free but has a low PPD amount.  See my review of Organic Hair Color System here.  Be forewarned it contains lot of chemical jargon in it for those who loved to know…

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Author: earthpm
Website: http://www.earthpm.com/2010/07/happy-planet/

We, project managers, love indices, benchmarks, or anything else we can use as a number for quantification.  When we, EarthPM, were researching our book, we looked for company facts and figures to show how much savings can be realized by greening your projects and greening your organizations.  We found this “index” that provides a measurement of how well the world does with sustainability as it relates to our well-being, something we are all concerned with.

According to the website http://www.happyplanetindex.org/ “The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is an innovative measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world. It is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives. The second compilation of the global HPI, published in July 2009, shows that we are still far from achieving sustainable well-being and…

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Author: earthpm
Website: http://www.earthpm.com/2010/07/ownership-not-an-onus-but-a-b…

What was the root cause – really, the root, root cause of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster?

Let us answer that with another question.

Who owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform?

Our (quite non-scientific) survey shows that at least 7 of 10 Americans were – at a minimum – confused enough to give no answer or the wrong answer.   Worse than that, the companies involved – TransOcean, BP, and Haliburton, all seemed to quickly void themselves of ownership and responsibility once the disaster occurred.

So we assert that one of the biggest risks of all – perhaps one could call it the “parent” risk – was that the well, without clear ownership, didn’t have clear direction, clear objectives, clear identification of stakeholders, mission, everything that one needs to run a project.

Good project managers know that a project is laden with risk.  They also know that a good risk register has a list of well-formed Risk Statements, and that Risk Statements always have a component tied…

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Author: Lisa Frack
Website: http://www.enviroblog.org/2010/07/support-the-2010-safe-cosm…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should have the authority it needs to regulate cosmetics and personal care products - so that you can trust that what you’re buying is safe for you and your family.

What will the Safe Cosmetics Act DO?
The recently introduced Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (H.R. 5786 for the wonks) will greatly expand the powers of the FDA to regulate the ingredients in cosmetics. How?

The agency will be able to prohibit the use of certain ingredients, including carcinogens and reproductive and developmental toxins; recall products that fail to meet safety standards; and require product labels to name each ingredient, including fragrance. Yes, it’s ludicrous that none of this is happening now.

We need this legislation - urgently.
Currently, manufacturers may use almost any ingredient or raw material in your soap, shampoo or makeup without government review or approval. According to EWG’s research, 22 percent of all personal care products, including…

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Author: easy eco blog
Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/easyecoblog/~3/W_tyT6Pst1I/

Here are some free resources to help you save money on your home’s energy bill. Hiring a local firm to do a home energy audit would yield more useful specific items to address, but would cost a couple hundred dollars.

Home Energy Saver has a web based do-it-yourself energy audit tool. It is from the people at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While some recommendations are pretty general, it is a good starting point.

Energy Star Home Yardstick has helpful resources but focuses more on Energy Star rated items.

Money Magazine has an article stating that some people could invest $1500 in insulation and mainteance and get over twice that in energy savings in the first year.  Most of the tips cover those with poor attic insulation, leaky duct work, no programmable thermostat.

Flex Your Power has lots of energy saving tips.

Pacific Energy Center has many free classes on how to save energy.

Related posts:

1. Home Energy Audits – Home Energy Assessments
2. PGE Energy Partners Program…

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Author: Joe Ascanio
Website: http://www.terracurve.com/2010/07/29/meet-the-next-generatio…

Last week, the three-day Tunza North American (Tunzana) Youth Network Conference (July 23-25) gave seventeen North American teens a chance to show they care about the planet.

Amongst the event’s various hip hop performances, eco-friendly dance floor and dinner aboard a hybrid ferry, young environmental leaders from the United States and Canada showcased their environmental work on a regional and international platform, while also connecting them to UNEP and the global Tunza Network.

The event itself was organized by UNEP’s Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) and was hosted at the University of California at Berkeley.

Started in 2003, Tunza (meaning “to treat with care” in Swahili) is made up of networks of young environmentalists from across the world and is part of UNEP’s long-term strategy for engaging young people in environmental activities.

The project is designed to foster a generation of environmentally-conscious citizens and help channel their…

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Author: Jean-Paul
Website: http://www.thechicecologist.com/2010/07/green-web-roundup/

Here are some of the stories running around the green web this week. Recycled wood flooring and recycled glass surfaces on Jetson Green- Glass2 is produced with 99% recycled glass with no resin and can be worked on by stone and glass fabricators. Staybull Flooring salvages waste wood from lumber mills around the world in [...]

Related posts:

1. Trees, Habitat Restoration and Arbor Day
2. Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Countertops
3. Plyboo Bamboo Plywood and Durapalm Palm Tree Sustainable Flooring
4. Recycled Glass Wine and Beer Glassware
5. Recycled Glassware – Winebottle Vases and Vessels

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Author: Green Talk
Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/green-talk/jRYI/~3/LqQ-reH8r3…

Welcome guest poster, Katy Farber, author of Why Teachers Quit. She also blogs at Non-Toxic Kids.  This post is quite timely with the kids getting ready to go back to school.

Did your child’s favorite teacher suddenly leave mid-year, or quit in the summer? Have you noticed the palpable stress levels of teachers and staff at your local school, especially around standardized testing times, or with new principals, or teaching staff?

Consider that one in three teachers leave in the first three years of teaching, and fifty percent quit in the first five years. It becomes clear that to give our children continuity, the best teachers possible, and to save loads of tax payer money—we’ve got to focus on teacher sustainability. For families, this issue is personal.

Low pay, increased responsibilities, and high stakes standardized testing– these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth…

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Author: RyanG
Website: http://www.paolodesigngroup.com/blog/portland-design-firm-pa…

Join us for our 20 Year Anniversary Party to help Paolo Design Group celebrate two decades of designer Paolo bringing design excellence to homeowners and business owners throughout Portland.  Reconnect with friends and familiar faces.  Meet and greet new folks as you are wined and dined.  The event concludes with a raffle benefiting a local [...]

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Author: earthpm
Website: http://www.earthpm.com/2010/07/follow-up-to-a-balanced-view/…

Forgive us for taking advantage of a little bit of serendipity.

Precisely 24 hours after posting “A balanced view”, in which we implore project managers of the need to gather facts and make a decision based on rational analysis and background, an alumni magazine arrived from the University of Wollongong.  My son attended UOW as part of an international exchange program with the University of Massachusetts.

The cover story was: “Climate Change: What to Believe?”.

The story, written by scientist Dr. Helen McGregor, is a good read not only because it provides a calm, scientific view of climate change, but for project managers, it talks about something which has always fascinated me and that is the way that people (and your team members and customers, by the way, are people) react to uncertainty.  Note the portions highlighted below in green.  You will find a valuable lesson here which has NOTHING to do with climate change, and has much more to do with successfully managing a…

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