As a female friendly business, AskPatty.com trains automotive dealerships and retailers to create a safe and comfortable environment where women feel welcome; these businesses are then held to a high level of customer satisfaction for their women consumers. However, AskPatty.com is also an automotive website that recognizes its responsibility to the world around us, encouraging its employees and affiliated dealers and retail businesses to continually strive to reduce their environmental impact.
AskPatty.com’s President and CEO Jody DeVere launched the BE GREEN initiative last year to help affiliated automotive dealerships and retail locations become more environmentally friendly. As part of their training, AskPatty provides business with the information and tools they need to utilize green marketing and to highlight earth friendly vehicles in their inventory.
AskPatty developed an Earth Friendly Logo that dealers can place on any vehicles in stock that are earth friendly, allowing consumers to easily identify vehicles that qualify for the program. How are vehicles defined as “Earth Friendly”? Under the Be Green program any vehicles that utilize hybrid gasoline/electric power plants, are powered by clean-burning natural gas, produce the lowest emissions possible thanks to PZEV and ULEV engines, or promise more than 28 miles per gallon qualify as Earth Friendly. The AskPatty BeGreen program also helps dealerships highlight vehicles that they sell that are Earth Friendly.
AskPatty.com also educates its Certified Female Friendly dealers and retail businesses on things they can do to become more environmentally friendly in their day-to-day operations, such as: (more…)
Oh yeah, Tim Burton strikes again with his uncoming recreation of “Alice in Wonderland.” I can’t wait to see it, but I’m also a little afraid to venture into his twisted version of Wonderland.
According to USAToday, “The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.”
Johnny Depp welcomes Alice back to wonderland in his role as the Mad Hatter, his seventh collaboration with Burton. If you thought he was wacky as Willie Wonka, my guess is he’ll be truly out of his head as the Mad Hatter.
Burton’s real-life wife Helena Bonham Carter will appear as the Red Queen; as the result of her favorite slogan “Off with their heads!” her moat is filled with bobbing noggins. Anne Hathaway creates an ethereal and ghostly white queen. The star role of Alice is 19-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska. (more…)
We found an awesome site the other day that is definitely worth sharing: It’s called Kids vs. Global Warming and the focus is about “Empowering Youth to Cool the Earth.”
The site represents a non-profit organization founded and led by Alec Loorz, who is now 14 years old. The organization is run by a group of kids whose goal is to educate other kids about the science of global warming and empower them to take action.
Kids vs. Global Warming spreads its message through a variety of projects. By partnering with “Alliance for Climate Education“ Kids vs. Global Warming are able to reach high school students to explain global warming and its effect on our planet, while offering the students solutions to combat it. The ACE program is scientifically based, interactive, and energizing — and is presented to schools at no cost.
Kids vs. Global Warming also works with California Climate Council of Youth to help teach young adults how to use their voices when asked to speak on behalf of their beliefs.
The site’s main message is that today’s kids DO have the power to make change, and as the ones who will be most affected by global warming, the site emphasizes that they need to stand up and lead the movement to stop it.
The site says: “Adults always say things like, ‘It’s great to have kids involved, you guys are the future.’ But we’re more than just ‘the future.’ We’re here now. We are the present, and our voices do make a difference… We need to be involved NOW. We need to educate ourselves on these issues and find out what if is WE are needed to do. And then we need to simply go out and do it.”
We hope you will share this link and this video with the teenagers you know, as a way to empower them about the Earth-friendly changes they can make in their day-to-day lives.
We stumbled across this short film at DailyMotion.com and wanted to share it with you all as a little Father’s Day gift.
In this short video, an old man with an affection for classic cars feeds his passion by repeatedly taking the 1970 Ford Mustang on display at the local dealership out for a test drive. Time after time, the patient car salesman endures the test drive, until one day, the old man arrives to discover the Mustang has been sold…
Father’s Day is just around the corner, so we’ve been collecting an assortment of gadgets and gizmos meant specifically for that Car Guy you love so much: Husband, Dad, Brother, Uncle, Son, or special friend, we know you’ll find something here that’s perfect for him.
Just in time for Father’s Day, LeaseTrader.com has shared this year’s list of top car gadgets according to its team of Customer Advisor Experts. LeaseTrader.com, the company that helps people trade their car lease to someone else, shares this gadget list from its team of customer experts who work closely with drivers on what they find appealing in car features.
“Here at LeaseTrader.com there are a number of car gadgets we’re excited about this year, including the mobile microwave for your car, and the anti-sleep driving alarm,” said John Levine, customer advisor expert at LeaseTrader.com. “This year’s list is comprised of gifts that keep fathers safe and provide the ultimate wow factor for any dad on the go.”
Why am I not surprised so many of these are related to food? (more…)
7UP invites consumers to enter for a chance to win seven days of natural fun and relaxation through the 7UP “7 Dias de Sevenisima” contest, running through August 2 nationwide. “Sevenisima” is a call to celebrate the flavorful moments experienced through a “natural,” real lifestyle. Nine deserving winners will receive a week of easy living, including fun prizes like a family vacation, and gift cards that can be used for home cleaning service and a shopping spree. Consumers can enter online at www.Sevenisima.com or at participating retailers in select markets. It’s a Hispanic campaign, so it will definitely help if you also speak or read Spanish.
“The ‘7 Dias de Sevenisima’ contest reflects the natural energy, fun and spirit of 7UP consumers — something we call the Sevenisima lifestyle,” said Rene Sanchez, associate brand manager for 7UP. “We’re offering fans of the ultimate lemon-lime flavor of 7UP the opportunity to enter the contest for a chance to win ‘7 Days’ of fun prizes for their families.”
Beginning May 18 through August 2, 7UP fans can nominate family and friends for a chance to win seven days of natural living for the whole family. Whether it’s mom for being an “everyday hero” or grandma for making every meal from scratch, “7 Dias de Sevenisima” gives consumers a chance to celebrate the people that make their lives more naturally flavorful. (more…)
Do you twitter? We do! Follow us at twitter.com/ecyclegroup and find a great assortment of earth friendly tips and commentary. You won’t believe how large Twitter’s green community is! We’re following the very best of the eco-twitterers, who share great info on green products, sustainable businesses, alternative energy technology, daily living-green tips – YOU NAME IT!
We found a link today to an excellent roundup of green tweeters at Mashable: The Social Media Guide, and wanted to share it with you here:
According to Mashable’s blog on Green Tweets: “There are green media, green companies, and green charities all active on the microblogging service, as well as a whole bunch of individual environmentalists and green bloggers.”
The list includes more than 75 “environmentalists, conservationists, green-living enthusiasts, eco experts, and green organizations that offer up some excellent eco information on Twitter.” It’s separated into two alphabetical groups to make it easier to find what you’re after, whether it’s green-living people and organizations or specific earth-friendly publications.
It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for you’ll find them here: people on the list run the gamut from the Nobel Prize- and Oscar-winning former US Vice President @algore, to sustainable beauty, eco-fashion and sutainable lifestyle tweeters @ecofashionista and @EcoGlamourista and everything in between!
@EarthShare distributes charitable contributions to a variety of environmental charities on behalf of their donors. @ecorazzi is a blog covering celebrity environmental news, including green gossip. Their tweets take on green news with a celebrity twist. @focusorganic is a blogger and nature lover who tweets mostly about organic and local foods. @greenergirl tweets about eco-friendly beauty, fashion and food. @greenpeace (Yes, that Greenpeace!) promotes peace, environmental responsibility, and conservation worldwide. @greenskeptic focuses mostly on green economics issues. @mcmilker concentrates on green business. @MomGoesGreen is a mommy tweeter who shares her progress as she “greens” her life. @NWF (the National Wildlife Federation) promotes wildlife and habitat conservation efforts across the U.S. @World_Wildlife (the World Wildlife Fund) promotes wildlife conservation and protection efforts worldwide, including habitat conservation and protection for endangered species.
And these are just a few from the very complete collection of the many great environmental blogs, organizations, and people that are active on Twitter.
Each Monday, Green Tweeters use the #EcoMonday hashtag as the environmental equivalent of #FollowFriday to suggest eco-friendly tweeters to follow and share green news and info. #EcoMonday has become a regular trending topic every Monday, bringing with it a variety of other green initiatives to the twitter trending to list.
These people and organizations are doing their best to raise awareness about the world around us and the challenges we are facing 140 characters at a time, so browse the list and find a few to follow yourself. And be sure to add eCycleGroup to your list as well!
Marriott International has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious and highly competitive “2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Award for Sustainability” in the Global Tourism Business category by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The global award recognizes the company’s achievements in demonstrating sustainable tourism practices, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage, social and economic benefits to local people and environmentally friendly operations.
“Now, more than ever, sustainability and environmental stewardship are good for the planet, good for business, and are vital to the future of travel and tourism,” said Ed Fuller, Marriott’s President and Managing Director of International Lodging and co-chair of the company’s Executive Green Council, who accepted the award at WTTC’s Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Florianopolis, Brazil.
Marriott was selected from a record number of entries from more than 40 countries and six continents, based on an exhaustive nomination and on-site evaluations. The judges visited Marriott’s global headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, where they met with the company’s Executive Green Council and toured the facility, which should receive LEED(R)-(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Existing Building status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) by year-end. They also toured several hotels to observe their environmentally-friendly operations, including the The Inn and Conference Center by Marriott at the University of Maryland in College Park, which is LEED(R)-certified; the JW Marriott Hotel Washington, DC and the Washington Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, D.C.; the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown; and the Miami Airport Marriott, Eden Roc, a Renaissance Beach Resort & Spa, The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, and The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, all in Miami, Fla.
“We have reached a global tipping point in the travel industry, as more businesses and countries realize that sustainable tourism is not only about protecting the environment and safeguarding cultural diversity, but that it is also an important economic opportunity,” said Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges, WTTC.
Building on 20 years of energy conservation experience, Marriott is committed to protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Some of the most recent outcomes from the company’s Spirit To Preserve(TM) strategy include:
– When guests book a room on Marriott.com or visit Green-Brazilian Rainforest, they can help protect 1.4 million acres of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, joining Marriott in its $2 million commitment. Guests can offset the carbon generated during their stay for as little as US$10. Recently, about six members of Marriott’s sales team visited this rainforest reserve after helping raise more than $400,000 through Marriott’s Spirit To Preserve(TM) group meetings promotion. [Watch their video to learn more and see the rainforest: www.youtube.com/marriottgreen.]
– Marriott is expanding its portfolio of green hotels–more than 30 hotels are expected to achieve LEED(R) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with at least a dozen set to open in 2009 and 2010. For three consecutive years, Marriott has received the Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has awarded its ENERGY STAR(R) label to approximately 275 Marriott-branded hotels, the most of any hotel company.
– Marriott is greening its $10 billion supply chain, swapping towels, pens, and paint for more environmentally-friendly options. By replacing 24 million key cards made of 50 percent recycled material, Marriott prevents 66 tons of plastic from being dumped in the landfill. Using “coreless” toilet paper eliminates 2 million cores a year and saves about 119 trees. Also, Marriott will begin replacing the 100,000 synthetic pillows that it purchases with those filled with material made from recycled bottles.
Marriott has been recognized for its environmental leadership in the hotel industry by several groups, including Ceres, an alliance of investors and environmentalists; the non-profit organization ClimateCounts.org; and Travel + Leisure magazine.
For more information on Marriott’s eco-friendly initiatives, visit www.marriott.com/spirittopreserve and follow MarriottGreen on Twitter. Also, join the conversation about traveling green by becoming a fan of Travel Green on Facebook.
Hot off the presses: The creators of the beloved “Toy Story” films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz, and the entire posse of delightful toy characters in “Toy Story 3.” Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2″ and “Finding Nemo”) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine,” brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings.
According to the synopsis at imdb.com “Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.”
It is scheduled to arrive in theaters June 18, 2010 in Disney Digital 3-D, and features the voices of all the actors we’ve heard in previous films. If you can’t wait until then, Disney and Pixar will be bringing the original two Toy Story movies back to theatres with special 3D showings for two weeks beginning October 2, 2009.
Sprint has announced the availability of new eco-friendly accessories, www.sprint.com/accessories including the SOLIO Mono solar-powered charger and two new cell-phone carrying cases made from 100 percent recycled plastic water bottles. The SOLIO Mono Hybrid Charger allows cell-phone users to store power from the sun or electrical socket allowing customers to recharge their mobile phone anywhere, anytime.
The SOLIO charger includes a large internal Lithium-ion battery that can easily be recharged via included USB cable, AC Travel Charger, or solar energy and retails for $59.99 (excluding taxes). The new sport carrying cases from Nite Ize are made from recycled water bottles and are available for $19.99 (excluding taxes) in two colors and sizes: large in sage green and small in rust. Additionally, both the SOLIO charger and the sport carrying cases from Nite Ize utilize a high percentage of post-consumer recycled paperboard packaging. These new accessories are now available for sale at www.sprint.com/accessories.
In addition to new environmentally friendly accessories, Sprint also launched a new green-themed website at www.sprint.com/green. The new site details Sprint’s green mobile applications and helps customers learn about Sprint’s sustainability initiatives including e-billing options, wireless recycling programs, and acquire green tips such as utilizing mobile GPS to calculate the quickest route to save gas. Sprint has also added a green channel to its Sprint Exclusive Entertainment TV programming where Sprint customers can view green themed content on their mobile devices. (more…)
Oh yeah, Tim Burton strikes again with his uncoming recreation of “Alice in Wonderland.” I can’t wait to see it, but I’m also a little afraid to venture into his twisted version of Wonderland.
