My survey question this week’s simple: Should I switch to Google Reader? I use Bloglines right now, but I’m wondering if it’s time for change….

If you pick “Other,” let me know what other you recommend in the comments. Poll closes at the end of Monday, Oct. 6.

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While most commenters on green LA girl bring interesting perspectives to the blog, once in a while I get really dumb comments. Spammish, self-promotional comments top my pet peeve list, but anonymous derogatory comments take a close second.

The latest: A commenter so oversensitive about living in the valley he called me an ass for not knowing one of its areas. Note that many valley-dwellers seem hypersensitive about their unpopular ‘hood — I tweeted about that a while back and got some funny responses — but that these other commenters weren’t anonymous and so didn’t bug me.

Anyway — A topic as silly as whether the valley’s worth knowing well isn’t much of a concern, but when the discussion’s about more serious stuff, derogatory comments that shield themselves under the cloak of anonymity become a bit of a problem. For example, I have a certain repeat anonymous commenter at an unnamed nonprofit that’ll take pithy jabs at fair trade advocates he/she disagrees with, without ever revealing his/her name or affiliation with said nonprofit.

What do you think — Should I delete those along with the spam, or leave them be?

Poll closes midnight on Monday

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So I got a Eton FR 150 Microlink in my shwag bag from the launch party for the Blade.

Afterwards, I found out this Microlink’s the shit! It’s an AM / FM radio plus LED flashlight plus cell phone charger in one — that can be powered three ways: Solar power, easy-to-spin hand crank, or USB port.

I thought it was too good to be true until I spun the crank for half a minute then listened to the radio for a couple hours while reading an illustrated review on Digital Reviews Network.

Amazingly, the whole thing weighs only 7.5 oz. Dimensions: 5 x 2.4 x 1.75 inches. The thing’s so useful there’s a Red Cross version — though from what I can tell, the only diff for the RC version is that the outside’s colored red.

More upsides: The Microlink’s available at REI, Amazon (where it has rave reviews), and a whole buncha other stores.

The one downside: You likely already have a USB cord, cell phone charger cord, and headphones on hand — but if not, you’ll have to buy ‘em separately.

Now for the survey: Should I put the Microlink in my earthquake emergency bag, or should I give it to a friend who camps and stuff? The thing seems perfect for emergencies — but it’s also so useful that it seems a waste to keep in a bag I hope never to have to use. On the other hand, I could give it to a camper friend — but what if the next big one hits?

What would you do?

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Last Thursday, I went to a launch party at The Stronghold in Venice for the Blade, a $199 tailpipe attachment that’s said to cut down on emissions and fuel consumption.

There were organic wines and beer. There were sushi rolls and asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon. There was The Crystal Method, spinning; apparently they are early adopters of the blade.

And there were these foam can cozies in the shwag bags.

Enviro issues raised by these foamy, non-recyclable things aside, my question is this: Do people actually use these things?

If you do use ‘em, do you want the one I got? Poll closes Monday at midnight.

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Yesterday, I got this v. unexpected request:

Is there any way you can program links so that a new window opens? It’s so frustrating to click on a link and then have to back page to your site again, once I finish at the link site. It would be very helpful! Thanks, Anne

I say unexpected, because I’ve seriously cursed out websites for doing the exact thing Anne is asking me to make green LA girl do.

I hate hate HATE it when a website force-opens another window when I click on a link. To me, that’s akin to pop-up ads.

But clearly, others don’t feel the same way. How do you feel ’bout the new-window / same-window option? Lemme know in the survey –

Poll closes at the end of the day Monday, Aug. 11, 2008.

In the meantime, I suggest that you download Firefox (if you haven’t already), then right click and select “Open Link in New Tab” for any other page you want to open while staying on green LA girl. Prob solved.

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Way back when, I wrote ’bout the fugly “gifts” my mother gives me at birthdays and holidays. The worst offense were these socks:

which I decided to take apart and make something useful out of. Today, while procrastinating, I started doing just that.

Below: Frightened detached doll faces.

So I got knitting and now I have a crucial question: Which flower works best?

Vote on the fate of the blue booties! Poll closes at midnight on Monday, July 28, 2008.

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After the Green Apartment Living workshop on Wednesday, Mia — the Co-opportunity person who organized the event — said she was psyched a good number of guys attended. Apparently, only women attended the previous workshop!

Traci says one dude gasped after Summer said she gardens in bikini so she can get a tan.

I’ve always thought that green LA girl had a pretty even number of male and female readers — but now I’m curious to find out how girl-centric the readership is:

Poll will close midnight on Monday, July 21.

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How flexie a shampooer are you? I ask because in my green care exploration, I found out that organic certified hair products are — different.

From my research, I’ve only found two organic certified hair care lines: Dr. Bronners and Terressentials. However, both those lines don’t offer “normal” shampoos and conditioners.

Dr. Bronners recommends using soap as shampoo — then using a “Hair Rinse” instead of a conditioner. Difference between a hair rinse and a conditioner? The former requires a cup and mixing:

Just stir 1- 2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair until hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds). Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair.

Terressentials also offers a “Hair Rinse” — but as a shampoo substitute. Difference between a hair rinse and a shampoo: The former requires you to put your hair through a lengthy “detox protocol” that recommends two to three washings for the first four days or so. Considering the fact that I don’t even shampoo every day, this “detox” seems rather onerous….

Using a bar soap as shampoo’s not unique to organic certified products. Many fans of Lush, for ex, swear by the soap-as-shampoo dealio. These hair rinses — defined either as a shampoo or conditioner depending on the company — are in a class of their own however. I’m wondering how many of you’ve tried these shampoo / conditioner alternatives — and how many of you would be willing to try them in the future:

If you’ve tried either of those products, please share your experience with the rest of us! I’m also curious about the popularity of bar shampoos (or bar soaps used as bar shampoos):

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So about those cotton tote bags. Own one? Many of you do — cuz I gave ‘em to ya! Tell me this: Is your cotton tote bag 1) organic and 2) made in the US?

Because according newest companies selling tote bags made in the US, getting organic cotton isn’t cheap. Want both US-made AND organic? Then get ready to pay $40+, they say. Want a bag for under $20? Then you gotta pick between US-made OR organic, not both, according to them.

The bag companies I’ve been hearing from, however, are making more design-and-longetivity oriented stylish bags, not just the basic tote.

Take Savior Bags (meaning “save your bags”; above left), for example. This company makes what they call the “most durable natural product” possible — a roomy cotton tote (with what feel like synthetic handles and metal rings) designed to hold its bucket shape without collapsing. Cost: $19.95. According to the owners, an organic version would cost $45 — a price point they don’t think the US market will bear.

Pretty Green (right) says the same thing. This local, Sherman Oaks-based husband-and-wife team company created cute, durable bags with water resistant lining and cushioned handles, made locally and fairly right in L.A. Cost $15, with 1% of sales going to Water Partners International. The owners say that an organic cotton version would cost $40 a bag — but still plan to have an organic bag out by this summer.

Mind you — we’re not even talking about US grown and milled cotton. We’re simply talking about US sewn / assembled. Pretty Green says its lining is made with US-grown cotton, but doesn’t think its outside fabric is. I’m not certain of the details of Savior Bags’ cotton, but my guess is that the stuff wasn’t grown and milled in the US.

I want to point out, though, that you CAN get a no frills, organic cotton tote made in the US for just $9.99 at Amoeba Music. It’s a nice, sturdy bag, though perhaps a bit plain jane. Part of the reason why the bags I’m talking ’bout here are more expensive is because Savior Bags are designed for maximum durability, while Pretty Green bags are more stylish than the regular grocery tote.

Still, I wonder why these tote bag companies think $20’s the max the US market can handle for stylish totes, when American Apparel’s selling conventional cotton tote bags at $34 a pop.

I’m not saying any of these companies are “bad” or are greenwashing. I’m just trying to sort out some of these ideas. Let’s keep in mind that Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” totes — which were neither organic nor fair trade — sold like hotcakes at $10 a pop.

And it’s not as if non-US-made, non-organic totes are much cheaper. Take EarthTotes (right), for example. Started by two SoCal moms, this company’s totes are made with conventional cotton AND made in China — albeit by a company that is part of the International Labor Organization. Cost for “The Jumbo Tote” that’s about the same size as, but not as sturdy as, the Savior Bags: $14.

Lots of eco-initiatives and orgs still have no qualms just buying the cheapest tote bags possible for distribution (especially if it’s for free distribution). Most of the free totes given away at L.A.-area eco-events are synthetic, petroleum based crap. Even the City of L.A.’s Zero Waste Plan people opted for conventional cotton bags made in China.

And of course, I get lots more tote bag emails from companies touting their new “eco-friendly” tote bags. I’ll ask how their bags are eco, and they’ll reply they’re eco cuz they’re reusable. Nevermind the pound of chemical pesticides that goes into growing the cotton for every conventional cotton tote bag and the many labor and trade issues that arise both from taking advantage of cheap international labor to NOT supporting our more local economies. Those concerns are not so important, they say. At least we’re moving in the right direction. We’re reusable and that means we’re eco, they say.

Some will go so far as to say that to get Americans to reuse, we need to make reusable bags as cheaply as possible (I often get the same argument from reusable cotton napkin makers). It’s the typical the ends justifies the means argument.

Is a tote made with US-grown organic cotton that’s milled in the US, sewn by local US workers and printed locally wit non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes delivered to me by bicycle too much to ask for? :P

So here’s a survey for you. Assuming you MUST buy a tote bag, which bag are you most likely to buy — taking style, cost, materials and place of production into consideration?

Lastly, I also want to point out that your organic cotton bag NOT made in the US could still very well be ethically made. Some of you may have organic cotton totes made under fair labor conditions — probably in in India, Pakistan, China, or another country where employing people under fair labor conditions is still cheaper than paying US minimum wage…..

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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Did watching Bambi make you an environmentalist? Or as New Scientist asks, “Did Bambi’s big eyes make you see green?”

According to the New Scientist, “David Whitley of the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education says that we owe our environmental awareness to Disney films.”

How much did Disney influence you to grow up into — the kind of person who reads blogs like green LA girl?

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