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Getting Purelled: The New Fixation of an Ailing Nation

hand gel

Getting Purelled is the growing phenomenon of sanitizing one’s germ-infested mitts with the alcohol-based, Johnson & Johnson product known as Purell.

What’s in the name, William Safire students might ask?

Pure, I imagine, denotes the opposite of tainted, which in flu terms translates into ralphing, the runs and the unpleasant sensation of having been poisoned by Satan. Elle is French for she, as in, she is cruel that H1N1 Virus, widespread in 47 states now. Elle also is a swank Fifties ad-on, like ette for dinette. …

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How to Get the Most Out of WWOOFing

munnar

WWOOF! It might sound like a dog barking but it stands for “worldwide opportunities on organic farms”.

For travellers, the WWOOF organisation lets you travel the world and experience local culture on a budget. For hosts, the deal is you provide room and board in exchange for free labour.

You might be working on an organic mushroom farm in Brazil or a Buddhist community on the East Coast of Australia. This is not a jolly day out – you are expected to work hard. Yet many travellers find it very rewarding. For some, the …

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A Date with Ecology

For those of us who haven’t succumbed to the Palm Pilot or Blackberry, it’s time to shop calendars and datebooks for 2009. I found some cool green options for your kitchen, home office or desk at work that contain images and information to raise eco awarness. Yes, you have a date with ecology. Take a look:

From Calendar Club, helpful reminders every month that our planet needs saving. The 101 Little Ways to Save the Planet is a pocket wall design, $21; The Living Green is a daily desk calendar, $14; the Deluxe …

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Facebook Friends: the More the Merrier?

Mitch Goldberg wants to be my friend? Oh, my God.

I haven’t seen Mitch since UCSB and those magical walks along the beach experimenting with the kind of salad ingredients that prompt spiritual awakenings. It was on one of those trips that I experienced an epiphany, deciding if I could organize my dorm room closet, I could get all A’s. That Mitch Goldberg?

Facebook provides a new kind of face-to-face contact with other humans, ready or not. The popular and apparently addictive social …

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Grow Green: 10 Tips for Personal Sustainability in Trying Economic Times


Alan Greenspan is calling it “a credit tsunami” that policymakers did not expect. The smart ones who converted to a green lifestyle long ago are well-equipped for riding that ominous wave. Many of us are still figuring out how to sink or swim.

Like the wronged woman in an old movie, the spastic stock market has slapped us across the face, leaving an ugly mark. My sister, a single mom, says her portfolio has shrunk by some 40%. Poof. Gone. Next comes a rise in lay-offs and unemployment, threats to retirement funds, and increased job …

ESC

Merchants of Venice Tormented by Thrifty Tourists

Legend has it there was a time when you could move through the fashion boutiques, Murano shops and cafes of San Marcos Square without battling monstrous crowds. Friends of mine even speak of walking right into the Duomo, right on in. No sweating a one-hour line.

But these days, the main island of the famous Grand Canal is as packed as Disneyland in July, heaving with tour groups fresh off cruise ships and trains, eager to look, but not to buy.

While the spastic market hasn’t exactly curbed travel to Venice, …

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Green Your Career: Top 10 Sustainable Green-Collar Jobs for the New Economy


Once upon a time, “doing your bit for the environment” was an impassioned hobby at best. Now, it’s a job – within the biggest boom industry of the next decade. The American Solar Energy Society estimates that 1 in 4 Americans will be working in green-collar jobs by 2030. (Future President, take note).

So, what are going to be the sustainable occupations of the new economy? Here are 10 predictions for green-collar jobs that will grow and grow:

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Bicycle /

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5 Fun Ways to Add Some Action to Your Day

We all know we need to exercise. And none of us seem to have the time. Even I, who mostly work at home, still find it hard to fit regular exercise into my routine. But human bodies were clearly not made to be sedentary, so here’s how you can sneak some extra action into your life.

Take the stairs. Skip the elevator and climb a flight or two. Sprint the stairs two at a time if you want to make it aerobic!

Park further away. Cruising into the …

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Make the Green Grade: Eco School Supplies Checklist


As a young girl my favorite time of year was the week before school started every September. Not because I went shopping for new clothes – a plaid skirt and white blouse were the extent of my “uniform”. I equated back-to-school with school supplies. A new binder with a plastic zip-lock envelope packed full of brand new pens and pencils – thrilling!

Those were the days…when new meant something good and fresh and exciting, but the world was eco-oblivious. Fast forward a few decades and it’s easier than 1-2-3 to green that school supplies list.

Here are some

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