photo: still from Planit video

GOforChange invites you to participate in a fun new project.

What is the best thing are you doing to lower your carbon footprint or have a lighter impact on the planet? -- OR -- What would you do if you could do anything?

Drop us a postcard that illustrates your answer. Include a brief note (if you wish) on the reverse, and mail your postcard to:

GOforChange
2002 Clipper Park Rd
4th floor
Baltimore, MD 21211

We will post these on the website, starting in March.

We are planning a gallery show for Apri, so watch this space for details as they develop.

And, please help us get the word out about this project. Share with your networks!

photo: arranged by Julie

Brad Heavner at Environment Maryland just sent us this email:

This is not the type of "green job" I want to create through President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. The big coal companies want to build factories -- factories that can cook coal at nearly 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, producing black, gunky coal tars that they can process into liquid fuels for war planes.

During the process, they'd release far more climate-changing greenhouse emissions than an oil company would to drill, refine and transport an equivalent amount of petroleum.

And they want you and me to pay for it.

That's right, industry lobbyists have conspired with a few key members of the U.S. Senate to tack on $50 billion in loan guarantees to the president's recovery plan -- $50 billion that, instead of creating green jobs building wind turbines, or installing solar roofs , or weatherizing homes and other buildings, would subsidize things like coal liquefaction and nuclear power plant construction.

What am I missing? Didn't we just work like crazy to elect a pro-environment majority to set a course for the cleaner, greener energy economy of the future? Why on earth would we want to subsidize not-so-clean coal , especially if doing so accelerates global warming?

That's not the green recovery we've been fighting for. And that's why I'm hoping you'll join me and thousands of our friends and supporters in calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to keep President Obama's recovery bill clean and green.

As you might have already guessed, this $50 billion giveaway is buried in the fine print of the Senate's version of the recovery plan, the better to avoid public scrutiny.

Fortunately, our friends on Capitol Hill tipped us off, and now you can help us scrub the recovery bill clean of this dirty provision.

Click here to tell Sen. Reid to take action today.

photo: unknown

WhollyTerra , located in Baltimore uses recycled glass to create visually engaging works with a play on light. Steve, the owner of WhollyTerra, isn't limited to a window transom or picture frames but makes bowls, candle-holders and other outdoor ornaments, including bird houses. I recently found a happy customer and Baltimore resident here.

A sampling of sources for reclaimed, repurposed, and recycled glass items:

Maryland Mosaic is a full service supply company offering everything for mosaic tile work to the beginner and the experienced artist. They offer the Organiks line, which is a 100% recycled glass mosaic tile. This is great news for the East Coast! Until recently, the only source for this was out of]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:15:11 -0800 http://virb.com/httpwwwgoforchangecom/posts/text/1058769 http://virb.com/httpwwwgoforchangecom/posts/text/1055034

drawings by Alyssa Dennis

One of my favorite clients sent out long list of energy-saving tips after spending close to a year shaving her family's energy use. Violaine Melancon is a musician who cares deeply about the environment and she got bitten by the energy efficiency bug. A good list is very satisfying, even if they have things you're already doing, because that just makes you feel a bit smug. (Already doing! So in-the-know!)

A while back we wrote about this topic , aimed at reducing heating bills in winter. Here we present Violaine's more comprehensive list, with links added by us for your convenience. Let us know what your experiences are with saving energy around your house.

1. Turn off lights! Use as little as you really need.

2. Change all the incandescent light bulbs you can to those funny-looking fluorescent ones.

3. Unplug appliances (washer, dryer, kitchen things like blender, toaster, hairdryer etc...) when not in use. This includes your cell-phone charger and any low-voltage lights that have those boxy AC adaptors on the plug end.

4. Turn off your computer when not in use and purchase a "smart strip" at SmartHomeUSA , which cuts the leaking current at the source. While you're at it, purchase smart strips for the TV/DVD center and the sound system. All electronics still use a lot of power even when off.

5. Install motion sensor lights for outside. Retrofit any fixture with screw-in sensors available at Home Depot

6. Buy programmable thermostats and set them to off for times you're not in the house (or on a floor of the house like bedrooms during the day), programming the comfortable temperature to kick in half an hour before your return to the house. During cold months, set it to no more than 68 when you're home during the day and 64 at night. For the summer months, 78 during the day at home and 80 at night.

7. Go passive . When the outside temperature is between 65 and 85, try not to use any cooling or heating. If you use passive solar and cross-ventilation, you can keep the house full of fresh air and amazingly comfortable. Keep the sun out when it's hot (hot daytime or cold nighttime) or keep the warmth inside when it's cold by closing windows and lowering shades. Open windows and lift shades to cool or warm house depending on outside temperature and the need.

8. Switch to wind or solar energy through your utility company to stop contributing to the release of CO2 gases.

9. Purchase Energy-Star rated (energy efficient) appliances when you buy a new one (dishwasher, washer and dryer, computer, printer, refrigerator, water heater, furnace, etc...).

10. Laptops use about 5% to 10% of the amount of energy desktops do.

11. Weather-strip your doors (and windows if necessary) to make them more airtight.

12. Put an insulating blanket on your water heater and set it to a lower temperature. 120 degrees F (48.9 degrees C) is plenty hot.

13. When you go away for a few days, turn down your water heater to the lowest setting and unplug everything. If it's for a longer trip, empty the fridge, unplug it and and leave the door open.

14. Run the dishwasher and washing machine only with full loads. Don't use the drying mode on the dishwasher; most of the energy is used by that setting. Use cold water for laundry and air dry clothes. They'll last longer, won't shrink and fade, and you'll save energy.

15. Check if your energy company has time-of-use savings : here it's cheaper to run the big appliances between 9pm and 7am, and power is at its most expensive 7-11am and 5-9pm.

16. When you've saved up enough money, install energy-efficient windows that capture the warmth of the sun in winter and repel it in summer (it has to do with the angle with which the sun hits the window, higher in summer, and lower in winter).

The egg has been an important part of our diet for centuries. Hens have been domesticated in Europe since 600 B.C. and were probably first brought to the New World by Columbus in 1493. Offering 13 essential nutrients, it's no wonder the egg has remained a staple for this long. According to Mother Earth News, hens raised in a pasture and on a plant-based diet produce eggs that have:
o 1/3 less cholesterol
o 1/4 less saturated fat
o 2/3 more vitamin A
o 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
o 3 times more vitamin E
o 7 times more beta carotene

If you're finding that free range organic eggs from the store just aren't the right price, consider owning a few hens. The city allows up to three, as long as they are at least 20-25ft from any one resident. That's perfect for any row home in Baltimore. I'll be helping a neighbor build a chicken coop come spring, next to the Remington Village Green Community Garden . Check back in the next couple weeks for more hen info, progress on the coop design and other experiments!

photo courtesy Parks & People Foundation

In honor of Martin Luther King Day and the upcoming Inauguration , the Baltimore Shambhala Center sent out some quotes as a contemplative conversation. I have chosen my five favorites and offer them to visitors of GOforChange. Each one reflects themes we have presented here and will continue to bring to you.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Van Jones takes up this theme so eloquently.

Our power comes not from suppressing others but uplifting them.
-Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Musicians celebrate the power of music to uplift us.

So peace and war start in the human heart. Whether that heart is open or whether that heart is closed has global implications.
-Pema Ch]]> Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:16:22 -0800 http://virb.com/httpwwwgoforchangecom/posts/text/1039745 http://virb.com/httpwwwgoforchangecom/posts/text/1029061

photo by: alyssa

The Poster Restoration Company has been specializing in archival canvas mounting and paper restoration of vintage, prints, posters and lobby cards for over 20 years. Owner Sei Peterson, a musician and artist in his own right, is a master of his craft and employs a talented team of graduates from the Maryland Institute College of Art . Located just blocks from Penn Station and the Charles Theater .

photo by Kristina McDanolds

On New Year's Day, we received an email from our good friend, Michael Furbish, who owns the Furbish Company , a green builder whose work we have profiled recently . They are clear about their mission on their website: "Furbish Company designs, sells, installs, and maintains plant-based building systems. We view plants as living machines. Set up properly, they enhance building performance while providing aesthetic beauty." In other words, they are change agents.

In our first post for the New Year, I wanted to welcome our new visitors, and remind our regulars about our purpose here. Since Michael says it so well, I'll just use his words:

"Your site is absolutely wonderful. Every time I visit, it is deeper and richer. My one regret is that I spend too little time enjoying this space. As you articulate so well, appreciating the empty space . In many ways, your site is just that. It is the space that invites thinking about what can be."

I love that - we not only create space to think about what can be, we highlight what is, already. There are so many businesses and organizations that are doing wonderful, thoughtful, meaningful work around here. We intend to continue presenting their great work. We are the go-to resource for change agents to learn about each other and to refuel on inspiration when they are feeling drained by the challenges of being on the cutting edge of change.

We will also post more often about general, universal themes. Julie's work as a green design and sustainability consultant, as well as her involvement in the community, provides much material. Alyssa will write more about her urban gardening and DIY projects. As an artist, her hands-on creative urges are boundless!

So, sit back and enjoy. Subscribe to our RSS. Tell your friends, especially your change-agent friends. Find us on Facebook , Twitter , Flickr , and Virb .

photo by Julie: Lucky's Warehouse by Furbish Co.

We started GOforChange in early 2008 to help spread the word about the growing sustainability , local food , social justice, and greening movement in the Baltimore area. A blog was the right format to share information about upcoming events, volunteers opportunities, advice, and all the organizations and businesses in our area that are working for a better world. We are always learning about new things -- community gardens, energy auditors, local artisans, schools -- and the list of topics keeps growing. We continue to believe that reliable information about local resources is valuable to people who want to know how they can make a difference in their daily lives and communities.

As of Day 5 of the course, we have already learned much about social networks, Technorati rankings , Google Analytics, and reaching out to like-minded blogs. We are shifting our posts to offer more advice, musings, and stories from Julie's work as a green architect and sustainability consultant, and Alyssa's hands-on artistry in urban gardening, composting, and other DIY projects. Interspersed with posts about Baltimore-area topics, these will have a broad appeal beyond our geographic region. The Upstart Blogger course is something we probably should have taken six months ago, but back then we just didn't realize how much we don't know! Stay tuned for updates on our progress.

photo by: alyssa

A couple of years ago, I worked for a Poster Restoration Company and walked passed this impressive fence design every day. I knew nothing of its creator, but could tell that the posts are made from chunks of salvaged concrete. Natural builders have coined the name "urbanite" for this repurposed concrete material. (Yes -- that's "urbanite" -- same name as our beloved local magazine !) I was particularly impressed with the detailed wood cuts that form so nicely around the posts.

Read on to see other uses for urbanite.

photo by: alyssa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Take 5 minutes in your day to watch this. It is one of the most beautiful and hopeful things I've seen in a while. What an amazing group of people. As their website says, Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to connect, inspire, and bring peace to the world through music. One listen and you will be hooked! This world needs our artists and musicians!

photos courtesy of: Springfield Farms

Written by: Baltimore resident Erin Fostel
My first time at Springfield Farm was everything that I hoped it would be. I went in search of happy farm animals who lived a nice life up until the moment they made it onto my plate. What I found was an amazing place that was welcoming for both animal and human. I saw over 200 hundred turkeys hanging out in the fresh air listening to, none other then, Beyonce on the radio. Having been told that if I talk to the turkeys they will respond, I said the only thing I thought a turkey would understand, "gobble, gobble." Sure enough in response, all 200 turkeys stopped moving and gobbled back in unison! I nearly collapsed with glee. Next to the turkeys was a wooded lot that I mistook for the edge of the farmland. Inside the woods were pigs. Huge, beastly, muscular pigs that came barreling up to say hello. I was upset to have left my camera at home.
The store where they sell their meat and eggs is right inside their garage, a pure Ma and Pa operation. Every question is welcomed and their prices are on target with anything of quality from Super Fresh or Whole Foods. I recommend calling ahead if you are shopping for something specific. Having made the decision that I would only eat meat that came from a farm where they respected and cared for their animals, I feel that I have hit the jackpot with Springfield Farm.

Chris Moline, a Residential Group Manager of Carpet One Flooring of Alexandria Virginia ate a piece of Marmoleum yesterday afternoon to prove its truly green properties. Lets just hope its durability doesn't complicate his digestive system, hmm....let me know how that goes Chris.

Alexandra Carpet One offers several kinds of eco-flooring including Marmoleum, a non-toxic alternative to most other post-industrial flooring options. It's made with 100% natural ingredients: linseed oil, cork, limestone, tree resin and natural pigments. According to the Green Building Supply website, "The natural bactericidal properties of marmoleum prevent micro-organisms including Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus Aureus from multiplying themselves. It is the continual oxidation of the linseed oil that enables this phenomenon."

Well, Chris perhaps you could advertise it as an antioxidant too!

Check out more from Chris Moline and what he put in his mouth here .