Arrived in San Francisco for the BlogHer conference — Still have a third of a tank of gas left in the Tahoe hybrid!

V. glad GM’s paying for parking, b/c at the Westin St. Francis it’s $49 + tax per night per car — and that’s if you’re a guest.

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[Update: Title changed to say Tahoe, not Malibu. See comments for explanation]

Thanks to GM, I and some fellow BlogHers get a free ride up to San Francisco for the BlogHer conference. GM’s lending us a Chevy Malibu Tahoe — free of charge — along with a full tank of gas and free parking.

Said Chevy Malibu Tahoe’s taking up half my block at the moment.

Yep, the Malibu Tahoe’s a hybrid, but a humongo one — meaning it gets only 22 mpg.

Considering how expensive gas is these days, does anyone know how many miles a full tank of gas will get us?

Don’t worry — I’m carpooling — though now that I have a real sense of how big the the car and how low its mpg is, I’m thinking I really shoulda worked harder on getting more people to ride up with us –

I’m hoping we can scrounge up more people to ride down with us Sunday morning. Lemme know if you’re coming back to LA post-conference!

[crossposted on BlogHer]

Update, 7/17/08: How much does it cost to fill up a Tahoe?

Update, 7/21/08: Cost of fuel for trip back to LA: $100.

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Last time I went shopping in San Francisco was with Elsa of The Greener Side — and eco-fashions were pretty hard to find. That, however, was way back in February 2006 before “An Inconvenient Truth,” you know, changed things.

Now, the eco-conscious town’s dotted with lots of green shops — to the point that BlogHer conference attendees this weekend may find themselves in front of eco boutiques without even looking out specifically for them. Still, I’m happy to see that many of the cute eco-boutiques I visited 2+ years ago are still around! Among them:

>> Otsu, a vegan store where I got a Hempy’s belt made from recycled tires and a bracelet made from recycled spoons.

>> Local Patron, a store where everything’s designed and/or made by local artisans. Here I got a bracelet made from recycled watch bands — directly from the girl who crafted it :)

>> Ladita. I haven’t been to this store myself, but Sara of ecosalon says “Finds at this hot spot range from green fashion and handmade jewelry to all-natural organic beauty products and crafty gifts. The owners guarantee that all picks are environmentally friendly, sweatshop-free, fair trade, or made in the US.”

>> Numerous stores specializing in pre-loved fashions, from Crossroads to Wasteland to many one-of-a-kind vintage boutiques.

For more San Francisco eco-fashions, check out the eco section of SFBayStyle. You can also pick up a copy of Greenopia, a guide dedicated to green shops and services in San Francisco (LA has its own edition).

Got other suggestions for places I should visit / shop while in San Francisco this weekend?

Photo by CRASH-candy

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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Eco-friendly business cards don’t come cheap, I discovered a while back. But just in time for the BlogHer conference later this month, eco-cards have gotten a lot more affordable, with Moo.com entering the eco business card business!

Now, you can get 50 business cards– printed on 100% post-consumer chlorine-free recycled paper — for $21.99. These prices, you’ll note, aren’t actually less expensive than those from eco-friendly business card companies I’ve written about before. However, while those companies require that you commit to at least 500 cards or so — driving up the upfront cost — Moo.com lets anyone with $25 or so get their hands on all-recycled business cards.

Unfortunately, the ink used by Moo.com is not veggie-based; Moo.com says such eco-friendly inks aren’t available yet for digital print. However, Moo.com points out other eco-features of digital printing: No film separations or plates — and the chemicals used with them — are employed in the printing process. Plus, since orders can be for as little as 50 cards, there’s less chance of paper waste created by overordering.

Like Moo’s already-popular minicards, these new business cards let you print a different image on each card. And while Moo also offers a “classic,” virgin paper option, the “green” paper doesn’t cost any more. So opt for the “green” option — and see you at BlogHer!

[crossposted from BlogHer]

Update, 8/8/08: I got my own Moo.com cards!

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Your turn to help me –

Are you going to the BlogHer conference this year? It’s happening July 18 – 20, 2008, in case you’re just learning about it here and want to sign up. Last year the conference took me all the way to Chicago; this year, it’s just upstate in NoCal.

I’ll be driving up — as that’s greener than flying. If you’re also going, lemme know — Maybe we can carpool! My current plan’s to stay at a private room in the SF downtown hostel –

I haven’t decided what panels to go to yet, but I’ll definitely be at the Blogging Birds of a Feather Meet-Up for Green/Social Change, happening from 10:30-11:10 am on Friday, July 18. Join the table and say hello –

Update: So GM’s a big sponsor — and let BlogHer attendees carpool up in Chevy hybrids. Free rental, free tank of gas gas, free parking — in a huge car. It took 2/3 of a tank to get up to San Francisco. It cost us $100 to drive back.

Update: BlogHer has a recycling room for unwanted swag this year.

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