Those of you who know me know that random things tend to happen to me all the time. Like, I once went to a charity function for Hurricane Katrina victims, and found myself in the middle of an S&M fundraiser party. Apparently, people in the scene like to raise cash for good causes. Who’d have thought?

Anyway, the reason I bring that whole thing up is because I was at my coffee shop, getting my work on, when a guy came up and started asking me about a specific type of Mac software (which I happen to have). We started talking a little, and he mentioned that he’s moving to Vermont next week to do some volunteer work for a nonprofit called 1% For the Planet . A random coincidence, considering I write for this blog on a pretty regular basis.

So, I looked the group up and discovered that they’re one of the coolest environmental nonprofits in America. Their mission is to get corporations to donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental groups around the world. They’re not even interested in keeping the money, they just want to create a greener community by facilitating donations to green causes. Pretty sweet, eh?

Thus far, there are nearly 1,000 companies that have voluntarily signed up. To find out which companies in your area donate their 1%, click here . If enough people do business with these companies, it will put pressure on other corporations to follow suit. After all, one of the ten principles of economics is that people (and businesses) respond to incentives. So, let’s create a financial incentive for companies to go green!

You know how you’ve always wanted a Porsche, but couldn’t justify the un-greenness of the engine? Well, want no more—the new electric Porsche 911 is here!

Made by German Porsche modifier/carmaker RUF Automobile GmbH , the car has a 204 horsepower engine that can go from 0 to 60 in less than 7 seconds. It has a top speed of 160 miles per hour and is powered by 96 lithium ion batteries, which have a range of 180 miles. Not bad for a first try!

It’s currently still in the prototype phase, but insiders are hoping that the vehicle will be ready for mass production in the near future.

My last post got me thinking about batteries, so I decided to continue the thought through this blog. Recently, Uniross conducted a study on the environmental impacts of disposable (alkaline) batteries compared to their rechargeable counterparts. It was the first study of its kind to be conducted, and although the results are fairly predictable (rechargeable batteries are more earth-friendly than their alkaline counterparts), the reasons why might surprise you.

The majority of the environmental impact of battery production and consumption doesn’t come from the harmful substances that are encased in alkaline batteries. Instead, the biggest problem is the manufacturing process and transportation of them. Because rechargeable batteries can be reused up to 1,000 times, when you recharge them you are saving the manufacturing and transportation processes.

Moreover, by switching to rechargeable batteries you’re saving a ton of packaging. The annoying cardboard backing and plastic front that batteries come encased in almost always gets tossed into a landfill instead of being recycled. Still, there are even more reasons to go rechargeable:

• Rechargeable batteries consume up to 23 times less non-renewable natural resources
• Rechargeable batteries have up to 12 times less the potential toxic risks to wildlife and sea creatures
• Rechargeable batteries have up to 30 times less impact on the fragile ozone layer
• Rechargeable batteries have around 26 times less the environmental impact that their alkaline counterparts do, overall.
• Over time, they’re way more affordable. Rechargeable batteries are one of the ways that you can go green while saving some green.

I know this isn’t a political blog, so I’m going to refrain from talking about how I think the bailout is the worst idea in the history of ever, or how there’s more pork in it than there is in a sausage factory. What I will say is that if you’re looking to buy a green vehicle, the bailout might just save you $7,500.

In an effort to promote eco-friendly technology, lawmakers decided to offer a massive $7,500 tax credit to anyone who purchases a car that meets the standard of having a 4 kWh (or larger) battery. Right now, the only car that meets those standards and is close to hitting the market is the Volt. Ideally, other car manufacturers will follow suit and start producing earth-friendly autos en masse.

Currently, the cost of a Volt is said to be $40,000. With the $7,500 tax credit incentive taken into account, the Volt will set you back $32,500…hopefully as more people are able to afford them, you’ll start seeing more of ‘em on the road.

This is Part II of this post, which details why lab-created diamonds are much better for the environment, society and your pocketbook. Now that you’re (hopefully) willing to give lab-created diamonds a shot, here’s how to pick a good one:

There are about 500 gazillion manufacturers of simulated diamonds on the Internet. Most of them are just cubic zirconias. At first, a CZ stone might fool some of your friends and family. Anyone who knows a thing or two about jewelry, however, will be able to spot the fake.

One of the reasons why CZ stones are easily pointed out as fake is because they are so porous. As a result, dirt, grime and everyday grossness can infiltrate the stone and make it appear dull and dirty. Basically, if you’re going to go faux, don’t go CZ.

Instead, try a lab-created diamond. They’re specifically engineered to be perfectly clear (which is an extremely costly trait in mined diamonds), the hearts and arrows are perfect, the cuts are microscopically precise and there’s really no way to tell the difference.

I’ve spent several hours researching different manufacturers of lab-created diamonds, and so far the best that I have found come out of Diamond Nexus Labs. Their stones are just as hard as mined diamonds, so there’s no need to worry about the stone getting dull. Plus, they’re extremely affordable (a two-carat solitaire ring comes in at just under $500, compared to around $20,000 for a similar mined stone). With all of the money you’ll save, you can buy yourself something nice…like a new hybrid car.

Welcome to part two (or three, if you count my previous post about wedding invitations) of my How To Have A Green Wedding series. As we all know, the perfect engagement starts with the perfect ring. But are diamond engagement rings really all that perfect?

To start, whenever you purchase a diamond, chances are you are buying a DeBeers diamond. By doing so, you support a monopoly (this is the reason that DeBeers purposely operates outside of US jurisdiction) and supporting artificially high prices. In short, the $10,000 diamond that you purchase isn’t really worth $10k.

Additionally, when you purchase a lab-created or artificial diamond, you ensure that none of your money goes to advance child or slave labor practices. Diamond mining operations are rife with horrific conditions and have a long history of dehumanizing, humiliating practices. Debt slavery and child labor are common in diamond cutting operations in India, where much of the world’s diamonds are cut and polished.

Since the beginning of the modern diamond industry (around the early 1800s) and straight through to today, diamonds have been used to support wars in Africa, pay for mass murders and contribute to genocide, particularly in Africa.

Needless to say, there are several social and economic reasons to choose artificial or lab-created stones over their mined counterparts. But what about the environmental reasons? In short: the diamond mining process is a dirty one. After several years of mining, just about any area is left totally barren and uninhabitable. Even if mined for a relatively short period, the effected landscape is left scarred and polluted. In short, there are no “green” diamonds.

So, what to do about it? In my next post in the series, I’ll go over the various artificial and lab-generated options that are just as beautiful as their mined counterparts. In some cases, the only way to tell the difference between them is the price. So, stay tuned

This is going to be a pretty exciting few months for me…first, because I’m engaged. Second, I’m about to take a crash course in how to have a green wedding. As I go along the journey, I’ll be giving you guys some updates and whatnot, detailing how it’s possible to go green while still coming in at or around the designated budget.

This is all totally new to me (I haven’t been to a wedding in YEARS, and most of my friends are part of the “dedicated to singledom” crowd). I’m hoping that as I make each individual decision about different aspects of my wedding, I’ll be able to recognize and choose the greener path. Or something.

Anyway…first up is the green engagement ring (literally, not figuratively!), so stay tuned.

First and foremost, sorry for the delay in posting. I thought stuff was going to autopost, but I guess it didn’t save right. Or, you know, maybe I’m just completely illiterate when it comes to computers. Whatev.

Anyway, the people at Puegot have been kicking butt and taking names in the design department lately, and this sweet ride is the perfect example of their ingenuity. The Puegot 888 is a concept design that is supposed to be a “personal vehicle for the future Metropolis.” It’s kind of like a SmartCar on crack, with room for two people plus some luggage.

The 888 has a nifty transforming feature, which expands and elongates into a uniquely stable and aerodynamic shape for the highway, then contracts when you’re in the city to help you parallel park like a ninja, no matter how small the spot may be.

As for the green features, the 888 requires no gas at all. Each of its wheels has its own electronic motor, there are scores of lithium ion batteries in the trunk and the trunk itself is packed with solar panels. James Bond, meet Rachel Carson. Awesome.

File this under: oh man, this is really friggin’ cool. In case you aren’t aware, there’s a giant sea of really, really hot stuff floating around underneath the surface of the earth. If tapped into, it has the potential to be a geothermal power source. So why isn’t it being tapped into and used?

That’s the question asked by an Australian study, which determined that only 1 percent of Australia’s geothermal power potential could supply the country with 26,000 years of energy. That’s like, longer than the crazy Christians think that the earth has been around for!

Apparently, the only difficult part of the plan is getting the power out of the ground. In a report that the Australian Geothermal Energy Association recently produced, all of the details are explained. Workers would have to drill 2.8 miles into the ground to reach the hot magma, which would reach 20 percent of all electricity demands using this system. It is estimated that it would cost $10.45 billion and take 10 years from start to finish, but once the initial cost and time is laid out, there’s clean and free energy coming up from the ground. Not bad, eh?

If you’re interested, you can read more about it here.

Sorry I’ve been MIA on the posting lately…I was forced to drive through some flyover states and have spent the last week and a half reminding myself what the term “red state” really means. Anyway…

You know those magazines that you keep having delivered? Turns out, you’re probably not recycling them, and neither is your neighbor. That adds up to a whole lot of trees that are being cut down unnecessarily. 35 million a year for magazine production alone, to be exact.

In fact, according to GQ Magazine, only around 20 percent of Americans recycle their magazines. That’s pretty bad, especially considering that around 70 percent of Americans have access to magazine recycling in their own communities. That means that half of Americans are slacking on their recycling, without having an excuse!

So, what can you do? First of all, find out if there’s a recycling program where you live. Then, start recycling your magazines. Better yet, find out if the magazines you subscribe to are available online (many are available to subscribers in a PDF file). You can always print the articles that you want to save.