Towel Day

As we round the horn on the month of May, it’s time for us sci-fi comedy nerds to get ready for a day of remembrance and celebration. If you happen to be a sci-fi comedy nerd, then you know I’m talking about Towel Day (http://www.towelday.org/), the day when we all carry our towels to prove that we know where they’re at. If you’re not a sci-fi comedy nerd then, well, you may as well just stop reading now.

Towel Day is held on May 25 in memory of Douglas Adams, the genius behind all the many forms of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchhiker%27s_guide_to_the_galaxy). Though every version of the story varies significantly—from radio to TV to novel to movie to video game to infinity—all versions focus on the story of Arthur Dent, an everyman Englishman who narrowly escapes the destruction of the planet Earth, and then spends much of his time wishing that he hadn’t.

Nothing seems to go quite right for Arthur, and that goes all the way to his clothes. When he was picked up by a passing UFO, Arthur probably wished that he was wearing something a little classier than a muddy bathrobe. Something that shows a little home-planet pride. You know, like a T-shirt that says, “Keep the Earth clean. It’s not Uranus.” Well it’s too late for Arthur, but you can pick up a shirt just like that right here: http://www.teehugger.com/Keep_The_Earth_Clean_p/thas1031.htm

Be prepared, and keep your towel with you at all times, because you never know when you’re going to have to unexpectedly flee the Earth in the belly of a Vogon ship. But until that day comes, we all need to take serious heed of our comical T-shirts and keep the Earth clean. Douglas Adams knew it, and he left a legacy of ecological work to prove it.

In 1990, Adams and zoologist Mark Carwardine published the book Last Chance to See, in which they chronicled their BBC-Radio sponsored trip around the world to visit endangered animals, such as the Kakapo—a unique and awesome parrot from New Zealand. According to the Kakapo Recovery Programme, “The kakapo is the rarest parrot in the world. It’s flightless, it’s the world’s heaviest parrot, it’s possibly the oldest living bird and it has a subsonic mating boom that can travel several kilometers.” And, as of today, there are only 90 left in the world. You can help save the endangered Kakapo by making a donation to the KRP here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/dz5eqy

In 1994, Adams participated in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the British charity organization, Save the Rhino. The entire way up the mountain, the climbing party took turns wearing a rhino costume—Adams included—as it was one of the conditions of the hike that someone had to be dressed as a rhino at all times. This is, of course, ridiculous, but it did the trick, and Adams and his crew raised about 100,000 British pounds through the event. Find out how you can help Save the Rhino today by visiting their website, here: http://www.savetherhino.org/

Be like Douglas Adams and get out there and do your part to help save our planet’s endangered animals this Towel Day. Much like knowing where your towel is, showing that you care about the Earth proves that you’re a real hoopy frood.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Earth Day Wrap Up

Woo! Was it just me, or was that an awesome Earth Day? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_day) All of us here at Tee Hugger loved having the opportunity to let down our hair and go wild. Just like our pal the elephant. That guy is so wild, we gave him his own T-shirt. Well, it’s not a T-shirt for him. An elephant wearing a T-shirt would be preposterous. It’s a T-shirt for you featuring a picture of him, and those words that describe him best: “Born to be Wild.” (http://www.teehugger.com/Born_To_Be_Wild_p/thjs1052.htm) But even if you didn’t party with a pachyderm, there were still lots of great things that happened this Earth Day.

The Earth Day Network launched their Green Generation campaign—a two-year initiative that launched this year and will culminate on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. Wow, next year Earth Day turns the big four-oh. That is, assuming it doesn’t mysteriously turn thirty-nine again like some age conscious holidays might...

And don’t feel bad about crashing the Green Generation’s year-long party, they’ve invited everyone—“people of all ages and all nationalities, consumers who are committed to buying green; community leaders who are focused on greening their communities; parents and teachers who work to provide healthy foods and green schools for their children; those who work in green jobs; academics whose research is focused on innovative products and services; scientists and engineers who develop new green technologies; and governments that seek to implement policies and support research that will build a green economy and healthy population, and the religious community who are committed to a vision of a just, sustainable, green planet.” If that sounds like you, come on over and join the party at http://www.earthday.net/greengeneration

In the USA, the Obama administration used Earth Day to “sell the American public and key lawmakers on “green jobs” as the solution for the United States' environmental and economic woes.” According to the New York Times, “It has become increasingly clear that the administration's central theme—not to mention its pitch to key lawmakers—is that energy-related legislative priorities are based not only on environmental merits but on their ability to create jobs.” A greener Earth and a greener wallet for American workers? Well happy Earth Day to you too, Mr. Obama!

On a more local scale, the citizens of Newark, NY—a town that has long suffered as the butt of many a “horrible place to be” jokes—showed that they have what it takes to beautify their little corner of the planet this Earth Day. “Some 39,000 students from more than 70 schools in Newark took part in an Earth Day celebration organized by the student community and philanthropy organization the LEAGUE. Students around the city cleaned streets and parks around their schools and planted flowers. Some 2 million seeds were planted in gardens around the city on Wednesday. At Hawthorne Avenue School, students filled the street as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who lives across the street, pumped up the crowd.” See a great video of Newark going green for Earth Day here: http://www.nj.com/helpinghands/carlyrothman/index.ssf/2009/04/newark_students_plant_flowers.html

You don’t hear it very often in the middle of the year, but we think it’s appropriate to say it now—Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us here in the Tee Hugger family.

Saving the gorillas, 15% at a time

Hey Tee Huggers, guess what!? It’s National Frozen Food Month! To celebrate we’re going to get a whole bunch of TV dinners, and we’re going to... wait, hold on... Oh man, March was frozen food month. We missed it. Well, moving on...

Hey Tee Huggers, guess what!? It’s Earth Month! Yes, Earth Day may be the ecological jewel in April’s crown, but April is the crown itself. All over the world, people are celebrating the beauty and splendor of April on Earth. Check out some pictures of said beauty and splendor here: http://www.earthsky.org/article/earth-month-gallery

But Earth Month isn’t just for people. Animals dig it too. That’s why Tee Hugger is running an Earth Month special for you, and for your furry friends a short step down the evolutionary ladder. When you buy any of our awesome 100% natural cotton T-shirts in the month of April, we’ll donate 15% of the sale to the Wildlife Conservation Society (http://www.bronxzoo.com/). You’ll get a top-quality T-shirt with a funny picture and perhaps even a clever entendre, and the WCS will get the funding they need to support their efforts to save endangered gorillas. Everybody wins during Earth Month.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “I want to save a gorilla, but I don’t know which shirt to get. They’re all so great!” Oh, stop it, blog reader. You’re embarrassing us. Here, let me help you out of your quandary: You’re buying a shirt for you, and you’re giving funding to the gorillas—who are you leaving off of your Earth Month gift list? That’s right. The Earth itself. If you want to give the Earth a gift that it will truly appreciate, hook it up with something it really needs: peace. Buying our “Peace for the Planet” design gets you a shirt, passes a little cha-ching on to the gorillas, and lets everyone who sees you know what to get for that hard-to-shop-for planet this Earth Month. (http://www.teehugger.com/Peace_For_The_Planet_p/thas1016_thjs1043.htm)

But we’re not the only ones pulling out all the stops this April. The good people of Mid-Columbia bring their local activism to the world with their Earth Month website. They encourage us all to take their “Earth Pledge 2009,” which goes a little something like this:
“Make a pledge to reduce the amount of trash you generate. You choose how you are going to reuse: start by refilling water bottles, reuse grocery bags, repair broken items and reroute useable items. We can make a world of difference by conserving natural resources and reducing the amount of garbage we send to landfills!”

I’m already honoring my pledge to reuse by reusing that copy in this blog entry. And now you’ve read it too, and maybe you’ll reuse something of your own. See how quickly conservationism snowballs when we all take the pledge? (http://www.earthmonthmc.org/pledge.php)

We’ve already raised awareness with our shirt, and we’ve helped fund wildlife conservation with our shirt, now it’s time to put that shirt on and get out in the field. The most important thing you can do to help Mother Earth during her very special month is to get out and volunteer. The folks at Planet Green have put together a great resource to help you get started: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/earth-day/earth-day-2009-volunteering.html

Me? I’m going to start my Earth Month festivities by turning off my freezer to save energy. But first, I’ve got a lot of frozen TV dinners to eat...

Let's get personal

Uh, hi. Okay, I’ve never done one of these before, so I don’t really know where to start. Um... okay, my name is Tee, and I joined this dating service just because, I mean, you know, I’m sort of looking for that special someone, but I mean, I’m not, like, looking for “the one” or anything, but if I found “the one,” you know, that would be awesome. But, whatever. Right?

So, okay, about me. Let’s see. First of all I’m really passionate about the environment. But you probably guessed that from my shirt. Yeah, it’s 100% organic cotton, and it has this funny message that says, “Solar Power Turns Me On.” (http://www.teehugger.com/product_p/thas1006_thjs1008.htm) Heh. Er. I mean, it’s just a joke though. You know, figuratively turned on. I don’t, like, get sexually aroused at photovoltaic cells or anything.

But I guess, you know, solar panels really are pretty exhilarating, in their own way. They take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity without having to harvest, mine, process, or transport anything. The sun just shines onto the panel, part of it is absorbed by a semiconductor, and then the freed electrons are directed a certain direction, and pow, you’ve got free electricity. It’s all right here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell1.htm You’ve got to admit, that’s pretty hot.

Let’s see, what else is there? Oh, my interests include sports, old kung-fu movies, and taking long walks in romantic places. Places like, I don’t know, Spain. Have you ever been to the wine country around Jumilla? The farms in that area are amazing. Like, for example, did you know that they have the largest photovoltaic solar power farm in the world? Seriously, that thing covers almost 250 acres, and it has a peak power capacity of 20 megawatts. That’s enough to power 20,000 homes for a year! (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/powering_20000.php) Yeah, I think that’s probably the most romantic place there is.

If you decide that you want to go out with me—no pressure, though—there’s something you should know: I’m very frugal. Not that I wouldn’t pay for your dinner or anything like that. I just mean, well, for example, last weekend I was fitting my house with solar panels to generate my household electricity. I figured I could save a few bucks on my electric bill, but man, solar panels are expensive! So what I did was—oh man, I can’t believe I’m telling you this—I called a company that maintains highway solar panels and asked if they would sell me some broken ones. They ended up giving me some for free! They’re kind of old and busted, but every bit of solar energy helps, right? Here’s the whole process I went through to get ’em: http://cleantechnica.com/2008/02/07/how-to-cheap-or-free-solar-panels/

So, uh, yeah. I guess that’s all the time I have for this personal ad... blog... dating thing here. If you think that maybe you want to go out with me, just go ahead and send me a text. I’ve got my phone on all the time. Literally, all the time. It never runs out of charge, ’cause it’s solar powered. Pretty sweet, huh? (http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/samsung-unveils-blue-earth-a-solar-powered-mobile-phone/) Maybe we can get together and do some karaoke or something. You are the sunshine of my life... Okay, uh, sorry. Call me!

We pass the savings on to you!

It’s the second week of March, and that means most of us here in good ’ol North America have just switched over to Daylight Saving Time. According to Wikipedia, this practice of rolling our clocks ahead one hour near the start of spring was first conceived by the English outdoorsman William Willett. Because Willett thought it was unfortunate that so many people slept through the morning of a summer day, and he also hated to quit golfing at dusk, he petitioned tirelessly to get Daylight Saving Time enacted. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_savings_time) The practice did not come into use in Willett’s lifetime, but it was eventually adopted by much of the world, proving that one person’s ideas can make a difference. If Willett can save the hours of a summer day, then we can save the Earth by saving other things. Let’s start saving, savers!

1. Save water! Here in the United States, we have enough water for drinking and washing, and still have enough left over for some pretty awesome water parks. But that is not the case in much of the world, where up to one half of the human population suffers from diseases directly linked to a lack of clean water. (http://whyfiles.org/131fresh_water/2.html) Every drop of water that you save is a drop of water that can be put to use somewhere else, so that’s why we at Tee Hugger encourage you to “Save Water—Shower with a friend.” It’s more than just a catchy slogan, it’s also a 100% organic cotton tee! (http://www.teehugger.com/product_p/thas1004.htm)

2. Save power! If we’re saving water, we can also save power. Heck, a lot of us buy them from the same utility provider. When California’s overloaded electrical grid forced rolling blackouts a few years ago, a collaboration of the state’s utilities, residents, businesses, institutions, government agencies and nonprofit organizations formed an initiative called “Flex Your Power.” “The campaign includes a comprehensive website, an electronic newsletter and blog, and educational materials. Flex Your Power has received national and international recognition, including an ENERGY STAR Award for excellence.” Whether you live in California or not, the “Flex Your Power” website is an excellent resource to find out how you can save power in your own home. (http://www.fypower.org/)

3. Save gasoline! Everyone has heard about the big fuel savings that you can get from buying a hybrid car, but who has the money to drop on a new ride just to increase their gas mileage? The good news is, there are things you can do to up the efficiency of your old jalopy as well. Even better, a lot of them come from just changing your driving habits, which is absolutely free! There is a list of 32 ways that you can save some gas listed here: http://www.opentravelinfo.com/travel-guide/uncategorized/how-to-save-money-on-gas-29-tips.html

4. Save landfill space! Did you know that Americans throw away over 200 million tons of garbage every single day? Sure you can recycle your cans and bottles, but what about your golf balls? Or dishwasher parts? Or pickle vinegar? To keep those things out of the landfill you’ll want to enlist the help of the folks at “How Can I Recycle This?” This web community is dedicated to finding ways to recycle... well... anything! Join in the fun at: http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/

We’ve got more hours of summer daylight thanks to Willett’s ideas, but we’ll have more water, energy, gas, and space thanks to yours. Chew on that, Willett!

Your Oscar Recap

Hollywood’s most glamorous day has come and gone, leaving nothing but a mess of glitter and stardust on the red carpet outside the Kodak Theater. If you missed the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, we’ll walk you through some of Oscar’s big winners in this week’s blog. (http://www.oscar.com)

Our star-studded evening begins on the red carpet, where America’s Next Top Model’s Jan Manuel noted that Kate Winslet’s hair “may look very retro, but is actually very futuristic.” In the ever-cycling world of style, where “what goes around, always comes around,” it’s nice to have someone who can tell us exactly what point on the temporal spectrum a hair helmet comes from. Later in the evening, that same very futuristic hairdo found its way to the stage as Ms. Winslet took the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in The Reader. Like host Hugh Jackman, we didn’t see The Reader, but we think she deserves the award nonetheless. What can we say? We’re big fans. You know what else we’re big fans of? Wind power. Which is fitting, because wind power uses big fans. It’s a visual thing. Check out the shirt: http://www.teehugger.com/product_p/thas1003_thjs1007.htm

From there we move on to Best Actor, and to be perfectly honest, we were shocked by the Academy’s choice. They gave the award to Sean Penn, a man who is best known for playing Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, being married to Madonna, and punching out a photographer. I mean this is shocking on so many levels, because... wait, hold on... this just in: apparently I’ve been in a coma since 1986. Maybe so, but even to someone who has been eating through a tube for the past twenty-odd years, it’s pretty obvious that Mr. Penn is not just a movie star, but also a very outspoken activist. Even if you’re not a big celebrity like Sean Penn, you can learn how to go green like the stars do on Variety.com’s Green Hollywood page: http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Lifestyle&jump=greenhollywood

The awards for Best Picture and Best Director both went to Slumdog Millionaire, a film that traces the life of an Indian boy from the slums of Mumbai to the stage of a TV game show. But while Who Wants to be a Millionaire can keep your wallet filled with green, it isn’t the best show for keeping your planet green. That award goes to Planet Green’s Go for the Green, hosted by Tom Green. Seriously, for this show to get any greener, it would have to be hosted by a leprechaun. You can learn all kinds of interesting green facts and even play the game for yourself at its website: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/go-for-the-green/index.html

This year’s trophy for Achievement in Visual Effects went to the crew of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for taking hunky dreamboat Brad Pitt and making him look like a knobby little senior citizen who ages in reverse. If you’re an actual knobby little senior citizen, you can do your part to save the planet and maybe even feel a little younger in the process. According to ScientificBlogging.com, “Volunteering for environmental protection activities can be physically and mentally sustaining for older people.” (http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/gray_turns_green_older_people_stay_fit_keeping_the_environment_in_shape) If you’re a senior who wants to get involved in saving the planet you’ve enjoyed for so many years, you can also check out Greenseniors: a senior-friendly website dedicated to fixing the environment. (http://greenseniors.typepad.com/greenseniors/)

Now that we’ve rolled up the red carpet on another year of Oscar, it’s time for us all to roll out the green carpet for the Earth. Get ready, paparazzi!

Holiday Pileup!

Even though February is the shortest month, it sure packs in the holidays. Let’s have a quick rundown, shall we? Take notes, August. This is how it’s done.

Though it’s not technically a holiday, we’ve already passed a Friday the 13th this month. Superstitious people believe this day to be bad luck, but to horror movie fans, it’s the release date of a new movie featuring a certain a hockey-mask-wearing killer stalking co-eds through the forest. And after you see the way that guy swings a machete, you quickly realize that nobody is safe from his wrath. Not even the trees. Our advice? “Run, Forest! Run!” You can spread the word and keep your personal PG-13 rating when you cover yourself with a 100% organic “Run, Forest! Run!” tee here: http://www.teehugger.com/product_p/thas1017_thjs1003.htm

After that came Valentine’s Day—a holiday best known as a celebration of love and candy. Of course, there are those who say that Valentine’s Day is an artificial “Hallmark holiday” designed just to sell cards and frilly pink trinkets. Those people may be right, but, statistically speaking, they’re also bitter, lonely spinsters. Hey, the numbers don’t lie, folks. Whether you believe in Valentine’s Day or not, you can take your sweetie on an ecologically sound date this February. Since men are from Mars and women are from Venus, we’ll take our green dating tips from aliens: http://www.itstheplanetdidiot.com/2008/05/zork-green-ti-3.html

For those of us here in the United States, there are three more holidays piled on in February. The first was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12. This year our 16th president turned 200 years old—that’s right, Abe is now a bicentennial man. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is celebrating Lincoln’s big two-oh-oh with a campaign to help Hoosiers save the planet and save Lincoln pennies. Read all about it here: http://www.andersonfreepress.net/node/15052

But Honest Abe isn’t the only president blowing out candles this month. President numero uno, George Washington, turns 277 years old on February 22, 2009. What do you get a man who has everything (and has been dead for over two hundred years)? If you know your Washington lore, the answer is pretty obvious: a tree. When he was just a dumb kid, George famously chopped down his father’s cherry tree and then immediately copped to it, saying, “I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet.” Of course, most modern historians consider this tale to be apocryphal, but that’s beside the point. The point is, none of us should be cutting down trees with our little hatchets. In fact, we should be planting new ones. That’s why the Nature Conservancy started the Plant a Billion Trees program. For just one dollar per tree, they are working to repopulate the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Give George the gift of reforestation at: http://www.plantabillion.org/

And, because we love a month chock full of holidays, we Americans also celebrate Abe and George together on Presidents’ Day, February 16. This year Lincoln is rolling out the green carpet to the President Lincoln and Soldiers' Home National Monument. “A $15 million rehabilitation gives the public access to the most significant historic site directly associated with Abraham Lincoln's presidency aside from the White House, and to an important demonstration of how sustainable design principles can guide historic preservation.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS145427+18-Feb-2008+BW20080218)

Whew! That’s a lot of holidays! At least this year has no Leap Day...