Big Ol' Green Party

Don't freak out, dear friends, we haven't posted anything new in the last few days because we went to the Green Festival in Chicago this weekend. It was an exhausting but great experience. The festival was this past Saturday and Sunday at Navy Pier. There was some great speakers and over 350 vendors there - anything from green clothing shops, to green restaurants, green builders, and everything in between. Plus, the 31,000 people who attended are a testament to the fact the guffly lifestyle is alive and kicking.

The Festival travels throughout the year, and the next ones will be in Washington, DC and San Francisco in November. Watch this video about the Green Festival to learn more:



One of my personal favorites of the Green Festival was Majora Carter's speech called Green the Ghetto. I've admired her for some time now, and was super excited to hear her speak about Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), the organization she founded. SSBx is a non-profit that provides "environmental justice through innovative, economically sustainable projects that are informed by community needs." Check out the website for more info on the fantastic work SSBx does.

Good Stuff for Bamboo

I'm a softy for animals. I regularly find myself feeling depressed after seeing a sad story on TV about an animal suffering. The only good part about this is that my dog Bamboo brings me more joy than I could ever express. That's why I only buy him good stuff.

Last weekend I visited the Green Street Fair in Plymouth Michigan. At the event, I found a woman named Pam selling sustainable pet products. Her company Purrfect Play sells collars, leashes, chew toys, catnip toys, and pet bedding to name a few. However the one product that Purrfect Play sells, that really got me excited--for Bamboo--was a wool ball.

Bamboo's favorite thing in the world is a ball. He loves it so much that he's completely submissive to the very sound of the word. In fact, whenever I really want him to listen, the only thing I have to do is yell "Ball"; his ears perk up and he's at my feet waiting for a command (a trick that I try to use sparingly). He's so addicted to his balls that he'll stay up all night playing with them, if I were to let him. Bamboo has lots of balls, however he doesn't have a wool ball. So I listened to Pam as she explained why I should by one.

She told me that her balls are handmade from sustainably produced dye-free wool; which has only been processed with gentle non-toxic soaps. The wool is sustainable because it can be shorn from sheep annually, with no harm to the animal. It's biodegradable and has less negative impact to the environment--and ourselves--than oil-based synthetics.

So I bought a ball and brought it home to Bamboo. He loved it! He's been annoying me for the last few days with it, because he can't put it down. Here's a picture of him loving on it.

What Can You Do With An Hour In The Dark?

I found this website that describes a new movement taking place globally. It's called Earth Hour and cities around the world are participating. In short, people are encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour on March 29, 2008 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm. Check out the video below for an in-depth look at Earth Hour.



Sydney, Australia was the site for the inaugural Earth Hour trial in 2007. In that one hour, the amount of energy that was saved was 10.2%; surpassing the goal of 5%, set by the World Wide Found for Nature-Australia. This year there are 20 cities participating so there's no telling what the "energy saved" number will be.

Earth Hour is guffly because I don't have to do anything to make a contribution. All I have to do is turn off the lights! In that hour I can walk my dog, plan my next day, do yoga, and even have an hour of conversation with a friend. Which is great because I don't have much time for conversation these days.

Get Your Guffle On At Coachella

A friend of mine told me about this huge music festival in California. It's called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and it's in the middle of the desert in Coachella California. The festival is a three-day event--which runs Friday through Sunday--and attracts over one-hundred thousand people each year. However I have read that one-hundred thousand people were in attendance when Rage Against the Machine performed on Sunday night in 2007; but I haven't been able to find concrete figures on that. Here's the Coachella movie trailer which should help to visualize the event.



The 2008 festival runs from April 25th to April 27th; and the headliners are Jack Johnson, and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters performing Dark Side of the Moon. Tickets for the three-day event are $269.00; single day tickets are also available for $90.00 each. For three days and nights, ticket holders will hang out under the blazing sun and brisk desert night; and enjoy music amongst friends. For $55 Coachella's children are able to purchase camping space along with their tickets, for a Woodstock-like experience. See On-site Camping for detailed information on Coachella camping. On-site Lodging and Off-site Camping are also available.

One of the most interesting facts that I learned about Coachella is the recycle program the venue uses. It's pretty guffly. Anyone on the festival grounds can turn in 10 empty bottles to specified locations; and in return they will get a free 16oz. bottle of water. Genius!

After writing this post I feel like I need to get to Coachella this year. Hopefully I'll be able to hustle some tickets. Anyone else going?