Meaning we carry a certain sense of loyalty for the companies we work – and have worked – for. This means that Quinn will always use Dial soap, shop at Home Depot, and buy Lort’s furniture. You think I’m just embellishing for blog’s sake. But next time you’re over at my house, take a peek into Quinn’s bathroom. That smell? Dial.

It’s a little harder for me, though. In the last five (5) years, I’ve probably had close to twenty (20) different jobs. Seriously. However, I did stay one place for a really long time (read: two years).

Yes, I called the Big Green Giant home for a long time. Long enough to be able to see, smell, and taste differences between coffees from different regions of the world. Long enough to order a complicated drink with precision. And long enough to defend its practices. That’s right, Sam the anti-Wal-Mart guy is a fan of Starbucks. We all have our weaknesses.

Anyway, I had a habit of reading the quotes on the back of the cups when I worked there. And along with drinking copious amounts of coffee, the addiction stuck. I still do it just for fun, whenever I am at a store I grab a few cups of each size (the difference in space availability affects the length of the quote) to scan for good ones.

If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you (hopefully) notice my use of quotes. I don’t just make those up. I search relentlessly for them. I’m an addict. I told you that already. Well, I found a golden one. I laughed out loud when I read it. People stared. I stared back. Ok, so I didn’t – but it would have made the story a whole bunch better…

The author of this quote founded a website that is definitely worth checking out. It’s called Grist: Environmental News & Commentary. There are articles on how to make backyard weeds into pesto and other edible items, what the greenest shaving cream is, and even a place to prepare yourself against “unbelievers” (Environmental Apologetics?). They are also looking for Development Director, so if you’re looking for a new job…

Enough build-up, already! I’ll see you guys later.

He also took some time out of his day to explain why he feels Earth Hour is so important for Phoenix:

The reason I wanted our city to be one of the lead cities for “Earth Hour” is to help remind every individual that there are small, simple changes each of us can make that will help curb carbon dioxide emissions. Each one of us can make a difference. Emissions equal to taking 48,000 cars off the road will be reduced during that hour.

That’s alot of cars. Here is his full letter posted on the Downtown Phoenix Journal, and here is a list of the other seventy (70) sustainability programs that the City of Phoenix is committed to.

I would love to hear about how you celebrated Earth Hour. Let me know in the comments!

From the website:

Please sign up on the website. They won’t sell your email. Just count you as one of the many who will be participating.

Also, there is a petition that I am asking you to sign if the message strikes a chord with you. There is a group of bicycle riders pleading Google to add a “Bike There” option to Google Maps. My signature was #24,729, and a few more couldn’t hurt. Here is the link to the petition.

Both of these things I borrowed from my new friend, Jonny, over at Zero Per Gallon. He has some really amazing things going over there in San Fran. I talked about his stuff a little on Sunday, but I know not all of you went to check it out. Go buy a belt or a shirt or something. And tell him I sent you.

First, there is this warning from the City of Santa Ana. Parents, make sure you watch out for those backpacks and black books. Those things are scary!

Next is my newest bike-related obsession, Zero Per Gallon. ZPG has a variety of products, including belts made from recycled bike tires, stickers with the clever their clever logo (pictured), and shirts boasting that bikes have the ability to go fifty-three (53) miles per burrito. I wonder how many miles a torta will get you. Those things are amazing. The site is a real fun time. Poke around, you’ll find some good stuff in there. Promise.

Lastly, I have to let you know about yet another opportunity to join the Social Networking world. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present to you, MyPeaceSpace! It would only be cooler if your computer started to smell like Patchouli when you visited the site. I kid, I kid. Seriously, though. This is a really neat project and you should check it out. Speaking of amazing things happening, I wonder if the people working on creating a US Department of Peace have profiles on MyPeaceSpace?

That’s all I have for tonight. Let me know what you think.

Choose three actions from the list on the next page. There are many things each person can do to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but these options were chosen because they are generally active decisions that you make many times a year.

The actions must be quantifiable. It must be something that you can measure the impact of in some way.

Today’s edition of the Grassroots Change Department (get the title now?) comes from the Sustainability Desk here at Deserted After Dark. Thoughts and contributions welcome. Snide remarks are not.

I’m a big fan of the book, Affluenza. If you haven’t read it, put it on your wish list. It’s a great read, I promise. The book was written, made, and produced in association with an organization called Redefining Progress. The people at RP are my heroes. In fact, if they happen to stumble across this, I hope they read this line

Living in a simple way is important to me. This is not confined to issues of global warming, in fact some environmentalists think that the recent barrage of press on the subject might be a little too much. I definitely agree that the pendulum might be a little on the global warming side of things, but regardless, there are three (3) different stories I want to talk about in areas closely related.

From the Bad News Department first. The 10 million diesel trucks in China have recently propelled the country past the United States as the world’s largest emitter of global warming pollutants. The trucks create so much exhaust that it dims the headlights of oncoming vehicles. For fear of rationing, drivers wait hours idling in line to get as little as five (5) gallons of gas (pictured).

After I began reading the article, I was hoping for the answer. The solution to the problem of large amounts of diesel exhaust. But to no avail. China’s economy is so volatile that raising standards – and thus the cost of transporting goods – would crumble entire industries. This would cause incredible inflation among the Chinese economy, and would be sure to ripple across Europe and the Americas. This prognosis provided little hope. Trucks meeting the Euro 4 pollution standard cost upwards of $35,000 US dollars, whereas the Euro 2 standard trucks cost $23,000. In addition to those numbers, let’s take a quick look at these: Sulfur concentrations are limited to 15 parts per million in the US. In China, 2,000 parts per million are allowed. So there you have it: Lower pollution standards with a higher concentration of pollutants. Not a good combination, if you ask me. This New York Times article is part of a comprehensive series on the subject of the Chinese environment. There are some really interesting graphs, maps, and other cool toys on the site. Enjoy.

Let’s move onto some Good News. Researchers from Oregon State University began testing a high-tech buoy to capture wave energy in the Pacific Ocean this fall. Pretty cool. There is a lot of complicated science behind it all (full text), but this graphic should help:

Basically, the extremely-renewable energy of a wave is going to be captured and converted into usable, electric energy. That’s awesome.

And finally, Local News. Super Bowl XLII (42) will be green! AZ Super Bowl’s campaign, Go Green, AZ! is more than just a couple of billboards. Some highlights of the program:

- 100% of the power for the Super Bowl will be renewable. Salt River Project will be donating the renewable-energy credits from wind and solar sources.

- AZ Super Bowl is teaming up with the NFL Environmental Program to plant thousand of trees on more than forty-two (42) acres in the area devastated by the Rodeo Chediski fire.

The website also has a list of forty-two (42) recycling facts. There are some really interesting things on the list. Definitely worth a peek.

That’s all for now. Four finals down, only one to go!