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ASK
ECOGIRL'S THEME:
Greening Our Money, Jobs, and Economy (to meet our
ecological and economic needs
simultaneously)
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For your convenience, I've gathered
my Ask EcoGirl print columns into themes, often with additional
information.
NOTE: This COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL is
AVAILABLE FOR SYNDICATION, CUSTOMIZATION &
REPRINT!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
ECOGIRL, including how she can appear in your publication,
see the main EcoGirl
page.
- Pursuing
Your Green Job Dreams (February 2009)
- Green jobs are increasingly being discussed in books,
magazines, even President Obama's economic stimulus plan. And,
yes, by bringing together economic, ecological, and employment
objectives, we can address multiple problems at once -- if we pay
attention to the details. So, how can a job-seeker skillfully
align with these trends, while avoiding the pitfalls?
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- Can I
Afford to Go Solar? (January 2008)
- Most people think solar is just for those with up-front
capital. But what if you could take out a loan with payments equal
to your current utility bill? Then you'd be converting an expense
into an investment! (We love to do that!) And reduce your
vulnerability to energy price increases. Oh, and help the planet
by supporting our transition to earth-friendly energy sources.
Here are the key notions to consider, and the steps and resources
for you to determine if this approach is right for your situation.
"Solar financing is a complex topic and you nailed it."
Chris Cone, Writer, Coordinator Green Energy Loan
Program
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- Greening
Your Holidays, On a Budget (November 2008)
- Yes, you can create greener winter holidays while treading
lightly on both the earth and your budget. In fact, one of the
silver linings of this economic downturn is that it can help us
reduce the consumerism rates that are more than the planet can
bear. Here's some ideas for how to do that while still having
loving fun with friends and family!
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- Holiday
Donations: Your Magic Wand for Planetary Change! (December
2007)
- You can empower change in the world through your holiday
donations (and perhaps even get a tax deduction!). Here are
inspiring ideas for finding your own passionate issues, and
suggestions for wonderful local groups you can support.
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- Happy
Traveling on Public Transit (January 2009)
- We've heard that using public transit can be great for both
the planet's well-being and our convenience. But how do we get
started? This column makes it easy, offering both resources and
encouraging stories. By including public transit among our
transportation modes, we can reduce our car pollution's
contribution to climate change, reduce our shared wealth transfer
to oil-rich nations, turn stressful travel time into useful time,
and connect more with our community.
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- Eco-Remedies
for Our Health Care Crisis (March 2010)
- The health care crisis is such a timely topic right now. Yet,
amidst all the passionate debates, the environmental dimension is
still largely being ignored, even with the clear evidence linking
our high illness rates and exposure to environmental pollutants
and everyday toxics. However, by turning and seeing how our
actions in the world are harming our own health, we can find true
solutions that significantly reduce both illness and costs,
lightening the load on us all.
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- Eco-Organizing
Your Stuff (August 2012)
- One of my life's personal pleasures and challenges has
been that I tend to collect a variety of cool things. It's not
that I bring so many items home (well, except paper information),
but that I tend to keep them longer to get full use out of them.
It's been helpful for me to understand that this keeper side of me
comes from some beautiful qualities in me, including curiosity,
passion, caring, respect, remembering -- and my eco-values! And I
notice that other eco-allies are often savers too. But how can we
manage these valued treasures skillfully so that we're not
mistaken for hoarders? Eek! I offer here the key tips I've
developed for myself over the years, presented in an empowering
and compassionate eco-perspective. (The website has more tips and
resources beyond the print column.)
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- Being a
Smart Organic Consumer (August 2009)
- Despite areas of controversy, organics are still a convenient
way for consumers to choose food and agriculture that's healthier
for themselves, their families, and the planet. But how do you
know if something is really organic? And how do you sort out the
organic issues and labels? Find out more in this column!
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- Affording
Organic (May 2008)
- With today's economic uncertainties, a reader wonders, how can
I still include organic in my budget? EcoGirl offers tips for
saving money, and a reminder that our true survival depends on our
health and the well-being of the earth.
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- Seeing
Through Green Eyes: Remodeling Green on the Cheap
( October
2007)
- Yes, being cheap can be good for the planet - when you see
through green eyes! Here are great ways to remodel green and save
money, including local resources that most folks don't even know
about!
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- Greening
Our Money (July 2008)
- Our current economic woes make it increasingly urgent that we
shift to more earth-honoring ways, because our economy depends on
functioning ecosystems. But how can we take care of the earth when
everyone's budgets are so challenged? EcoGirl explores tangible
ways that we all can nurture our economy's transition to wiser
ways.
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- Can We
Afford to Care About the Environment? (June 2008)
- I'm anxious about the economy, writes a reader, with rising
gas and food prices, medical costs, even food riots. How can we
worry about the environment when real survival issues are at
stake? EcoGirl responds by describing how our survival depends
first on the earth, both physically and economically. Therefore,
our current economic disruptions actually offer us an opportunity
to redesign our economic systems to better align with nature and
thus better ensure the survival of us all!
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- Affording
Organic (May 2008)
- With today's economic uncertainties, a reader wonders, how can
I still include organic in my budget? EcoGirl offers tips for
saving money, and a reminder that our true survival depends on our
health and the well-being of the earth.
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Return to EcoGirl's
Theme Page Index.
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OTHER PRINT ARTICLES I'VE
WRITTEN ON THIS THEME
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- * "Profitable
Green" (NorthBay biz
magazine, February 2011). "Is it still possible for
businesses to be both profitable and green? Regular biz
contributor Patricia Dines talks with local business leaders to
find out how green is weathering today's economic storms."
* "Navigating
Nonprofit Technology"
(NorthBay biz magazine, January 2011). With budgets and
workloads already stretched thin, keeping up with technological
innovations can seem like just another task added to the overflowing
plates of local nonprofits. But NorthBay biz has found good
news about how nonprofits can unlock technology's potential to help
them be more effective in their missions.
- Reader feedback
"Great Article! Hi Patricia, I really enjoyed the North Bay
Biz article -- great job on covering all that territory. I
think it will really help out a lot of nonprofit folks. I
wanted to share with you that around the time we were
exchanging emails about this article, I was going through some
paperwork and ran across a stack of clippings that I had put
aside, some dating back years (!) and they were "EcoGirl"
columns -- I saw your name and thought, "Hey, that girl leads a
double life!!". Very cool. Keep up the good work. :-)
Ruth Persselin, Programs and Outreach Director, Petaluma
Bounty
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- * "True
Green: Moving beyond greenwashing to authentic
eco-success" (NorthBay biz
magazine, Aug. 2010). In this cover story, "EcoGirl Patricia
Dines helps NorthBay biz readers see beyond enticing green
façades to uncover the products and approaches that support
true environmental change." This article offers useful information
that cheerfully nurtures meaningful and effective eco-action by
both individuals and businesses!
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- * "Green
Pinstripes: Bringing sustainability to the executive
suite" (NorthBay biz
magazine, Feb. 2010, Green Issue). This feature story
explores the work of three local pioneering "sustainability
officers" -- to find out what such a job entails and how they're
helping North Bay companies reduce costs and save the
environment.
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- * "Financing
a Greener World," NorthBay biz magazine,
August 2009. Feature story. Learn more about Sonoma County's
innovative SCEIP program, which offers government financing for
increasing the energy or water efficiency of a home or business.
It'll also finance solar and other alternative energy projects!
These projects can save us money, improve our property's value,
offer work to local green contractors - and are vital to reducing
our impact on the planet. Click here
to view the article in a webpage, with the option to download it
in the original layout, in PDF format.
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- * "Greening
Your Home - With No Money
Down," West County
Gazette, April 2009. Cover story. On the surface,
Sonoma County's new $100 million Energy Independence Program
(SCEIP) seems simple enough, offering property owners government
financing to install solar equipment and improve energy and water
efficiency. Yet, hiding beneath this mild-mannered exterior, lies
a powerful tool to help us solve some of our most urgent shared
problems. I've been watching this program emerge for a while, so
I'm delighted to finally be able to tell you about its special
features. Click here
to view the article in a webpage, with the option to download it
in the original layout, in PDF format.
* "Earth-friendly
Economics: Remodeling our
economic system to better harmonize with the planet,"
North Bay Bohemian, Nov. 19, 2008.
The current economic crisis has brought to our collective
awareness the need to modify our economic system. However, instead of
just returning to the old unsustainable game, why not take advantage
of the current disruption to make the deeper changes so
vitally-needed for the survival of ourselves and the planet? Here's
some thoughts about how we might approach this and what we might
request. This column features a discussion with long-time local
professor of ecological economics Bruce Macpherson. (My web page also
includes web bonus info!)
MORE OF MY PRINT ARTICLES
- * My Next
STEP newsletter, which has lots of information on
toxics and alternatives, plus government and community-level
actions. "It's your handy guide to less-toxic living."
Look up topics of interest in the The Next STEP
index
of articles.
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- * North Bay Bohemian. I also wrote several articles on
these topics for the Bohemian's Green
Zone column.
* I also cover these topics on my Facebook
page and blog.
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STAYING
CONNECTED
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- Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of
The Organic Guides, and Editor and Lead Writer for The
Next STEP newsletter, which gently educates readers about
toxics and alternatives. For more information about my work for
the planet, see www.patriciadines.info.
-
Sign up for my low-volume writing announcement list (1-3
emails a month), to get emails when my new print articles are
published, at www.patriciadines.info/EList.
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- Connect via Facebook, to show your support for my work,
and get inspiring and useful eco-info in your Newsfeed www.facebook.com/AskEcoGirl.
Explore and sign up for my blog at www.patriciadines.info/LTEblog.
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- I hope that you find this information useful. I welcome
your throughts and feedback! (You can email me at info
[at] askecogirl.info.)
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- Editors: Please contact me if you'd like to publish any of
these articles in your periodical, or discuss an article that
I might write for you.
This entire website is (c)
Patricia Dines, 1998-2012. All rights reserved.
Page last updated 12/12/12
www.AskEcoGirl.info/AEThemeMoneyJobsEconomy.html