The latest headlines in the mobile industry was happy news for all. Recently on NPR's "All Things Considered" I heard that all the major cell phone manufactures (LG, Nokia, Motorola, etc) agreed to an universal cell phone charger interface for the majority of cell phones by 2012. The winning technology is the Micro-USB chargers. The advantage of this agreement is twofold: first, it will reducethe number of discarded cell phone chargers in landfills and secondly, it will reduce consumers' costs when purchasing a new phone. Additionally, the elimination of the high cost of packaging, shipping, and disposing of the numerous types of chargers will save in greenhouse gases and landfill space. However, there are already some obstacles in this endeavor, the most important being that this agreement is a voluntary measure. Should we as consumers push the world association for the mobile communications industry - GSMA - to make it an obligatory requirement of being a member or contract? Another controversy has been the significant absence of a major cell phone manufacturer: Apple. Why has Apple abstained from joining in this agreement?

We want to start a discussion of these issues and to hear YOUR point of view. Please share your knowledge and opinions, you probably will know something from your own experience we don't know. For example, I have a Nokia cell phone (which I am sadly very dependent on). A benefit of having a Nokia which many non-Nokia cell phone users may not know is that Nokia cell phones beep once they are completely charged. This is a great reminder because it saves battery life as overcharging your cell phone will cause it to overheat and eventually damage your battery. Also keeping your charger continually plugged into the wall will continuously draw electricity into the adapter, which can be extremely wasteful when the majority of us who use cell phones do this.

The convenience of technology saves in human labor and time, but it also has created a number of new environmental issues. What other solutions or issues do you see in our daily use of technology and the habits we have cultivated? Is this agreement a step in the right direction? Do you know an environmentally conscience way currently of disposing of our many unused cell phone chargers? What about the energy efficiency of our cell phone chargers - is the science there? Should we expand the universal charger to other electronics - such as digital cameras, mp3 players, PDAs, my awesome Nintendo DS?

Elisabeth

There are 12,547 active members in the Richmond chapter of Freecycle with more joining everyday - I joined yesterday! Freecycle is a wonderful concept that combines aspects of eBay and craigslist, and shares a similar grassroots mission with Stuff. We wanted to share this exciting opportunity so you can join the Richmond chapter and work individually to avoid filling landfills with valuable and functional STUFF. With everyone's budget tightening in our economic recession, this is an amazing opportunity to give to your community and find things you need without having to shell out cash. It's all FREE!

Here's the basic concept (and check out the video from Freecycle):
1. You sign-up on Freecycle's website and join a local group in your area. I joined the Richmond group.
2. After approval from the group (to filter out the freeloaders, spammers, and people who abuse the system), you are allowed to post on the message board. You only post stuff to offer, when your stuff is taken, stuff you want, or stuff that you have received to fulfill a want.
3. Once you find something you want or someone wants something you have from the listserv, you communicate via personal email/number (not on the message board). You two will arrange pick-up or drop-off of the item, foster a sense of community in Richmond, and someone gets stuff for free.

The exciting part about Freecycle is that it's not just local or national, it's a global movement!
Elisabeth

    I LOVE food! I'm not sure that it is entirely healthy to be constantly thinking about food. If thinking about food caused weight gain, I would be morbidly obese with all my pork chops and root beer daydreams. I love all types of food: Korean (what I grew up eating), Jamaican, Indian, Afghan, Latin, and many many others. But, what I don't love is American food. Don't get me wrong, the idea of mac-and-cheese, sweet potato pie, or a juicy burger gets my stomach juices stirring, but only when they are made out of fresh ingredients. It is really hard for us to understand what we are missing until we live in a immigrant household or even travel to foreign destinations. Before I traveled to Peru, I thought OJ was okay (as long as there was no pulp). Surprise! I discovered America's version of OJ is not pure OJ despite what Tropicana says on its label. I had freshly squeezed OJ and nothing but OJ - with pulp - in Peru everyday and it was delicious! I was in love with OJ there; it wasn't too sweet and syrupy like OJ here and it was fresh, which made all the difference. (I imagine I could have experienced that here, but it was more magical in Peru :D)

    People are always saying use FRESH ingredients, Emeril, your grandma, the yuppies who live next door, vegans and vegetarians, and me! Please please believe us this time.

    Think about this: the majority of our "fresh" foods at grocery stores come from foreign countries and then travel miles to reach us...do you really think that food is still fresh? Food on average travels 1,500-2,500 miles from the farm to get to your table. I won't bore you with a horde of other reasons you should eat local, fresh foods. But if you won't do it for your community, for your environment, for the economy, at least do it for your TUMMY!

Going to market in Peru was also an experience that I wished we had back home - we do! Please take the fresh ingredient challenge and go to the local markets:
>> Sprout Richmond: Richmond's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group
>> 17th Street Farmers Market
>> Ellwood Thompson's - a daily, local market in Carytown
>> A real butcher! - I am so impressed at our resources
>> Good Foods Grocery - in Stony Point's Shopping Center
>> Goochland's Farmers Market
>> Byrd House Market
>> A pdf List of Virginia's Farmers Markets

Happy President's Day!
Elisabeth

How do you show your lover your true feelings? How do you share your love of the planet with your sweetie? Will a diamond, chocolates, flowers really prove your love?

Maybe these are questions you are asking yourself...maybe not. But, every Valentine’s Day in the United States, the materialism and consumerism that pervades our culture is corroborated in the name of love. With continued evidence of human caused climate change and our wallets suffering, maybe this year is the chance for you to show your love a different way.

Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day ideas:
>> http://www.treehugger.com/green-valentine/ a whole day of love
>> http://alittlehut.blogspot.com/2008/01/recycle-project-no-11-egg-carton-turned.html easy, crafty project

For those of us that are not too crafty or don’t have the time, consider trading for/purchasing a green gift.
>> http://www.swaptree.com trade your stuff for someone else’s stuff without having to empty your wallet!
>> http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9100081 longest lasting bouquet ever
>> http://www.etsy.com/category_top.php?top_tag=vintage handmade vintage items
>> http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/environmentally-friendly/102
>> http://www.alchemyboutique.net/ local! in carytown
>> http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php fair trade, also has store in carytown
>> local farmer’s markets

If your hunnybunny really wants that pink diamond, those yummy chocolate truffles, or fragrant roses, PLEASE go ahead and make your boo happy! We don’t want our suggested Valentine’s Day gifts to be the cause of a break-up. But, just consider another gift that shows you put time and effort into it, and you can always find eco-friendly chocolates, diamonds, or flowers.

...isn’t it the thought that counts?