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By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

9780811868013.IN02 Action #43: BE RESOURCEFUL from Change the World for Ten Bucks

9780811868013 Eugene Harvey, the author of Change the World for Ten Bucks was in town today speaking at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco. Her book is one of those goodies that you want to buy in bulk and ship to every one of your activist friends—or ones that need a little "do something" nudge.

Some of the tips may seem obvious to those of us with good green sense (Action #12: UNPLUG APPLIANCES WHEN NOT IN USE), but are accompanied by good facts to set you in action: "A TV that's plugged in is still using half the electricity of a TV that's tuned on."

Action #47 is "BUY A COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR A FRIEND"—admittedly a little self-serving, but action is contagious, so it's also very fitting. AND today through Wednesday, Chronicle is backing this action-item with a buy-on-get-one-free promo on their website. So, for $10 you get two copies. Might be the best five dollar book ever.

Go to the Chronicle Books website and enter the promo code CHANGE2.

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by Allison Arieff, Sunset editor-at-large


Tired of high energy bills? Interested in saving the planet? Most people walk more, take shorter showers or commit to bringing reusable bags to the market. But not homeowner Jerry Block.

Working with Rain Harvesting Systems  and Gutterglove, Block recently constructed a 20,000 gallon rain harvesting system for his roof. Collecting this much rainwater significantly reduces storm water runoff and helps assure that water will be available for growing home gardens during the hot summer months. (The diagram below shows how the system works.)

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The Monte Serreno, CA resident is not alone in his DIY approach to energy savings. Olive oil maven Nan McEvoy just unveiled a 140-foot windmill on her 550-acre McEvoy Ranch  in Petaluma, CA. Set amidst the estate's 18,000 olive trees, the mill's turbine will generate 225 kilowatts of electricity-enough to run the olive processing plant and other operations. 

And throughout California, 1BOG (One Block Off the Grid) helps organize large groups of people together who want to get solar energy, and gets them a discount. The more people that sign up, the better the terms from installers and manufacturers. Programs have begun across the West in such places as Sonoma County, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Portland, LA, and Phoenix. 

Got an inspiring energy story of your own? Write to us at letters@sunset.com.

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by Allison Arieff Sunset editor-at-large


A few years ago, IKEA  had a hilarious if ill-advised ad campaign in which viewers were encouraged to get rid of old lamps, dressers, and the like and replace them with new versions from IKEA. A torchere lamp was put out on the curb in the midst of a rainstorm while the voiceover reassured that, "Furniture doesn't have feelings."

No furniture company would openly encourage the trashing of a torchere these day. In fact, it's the companies that understand the importance of holding on things that stand the best chance for success in this troubled economy. One such company is Semigood whose gorgeous hardwood furniture pieces are destined to become instant heirlooms.


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For Semigood, longevity translates into sustainability. As co-founder Brendan Callahan explains, "Heirloom quality products with multi-generational lifespans are the best way to save resources and reduce environmental footprints." On their site you'll also find collectable ceramic pieces, info on their graphic design and illustration endeavors (including the amazing BLDG BLOG book featuring illustrations by Callahan), not to mention the coolest mailbox ever.

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by Miranda Jones, Sunset style editor

While trolling my favorite blogs the other day, I came across this beautiful photo of a room divider made from discarded plaster shutters.


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It is so inspiring, don't you think? More photos from Kulla HERE.

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Rakshabella

by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer


Carrie Peters, founder and owner of Raksha Bella Organic Textiles recently shared some images of her mother's bedroom (adorned with her products) with us. I love the soft colored prints against the detailed wood headboard with the mini roses lingering bed-side. So sweet.

Below is a little preview of some of the new loungewear (and textile prints) Raksha Bella has due out next month. The designs are a collaboration between Carrie and designer Erica Tanov and these gorgeous pics instill my belief that pjs are perfectly acceptable daytime attire.

Warning: Images may induce urge to nap. More info here.

(Photos below by
Erica Shires)

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by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

Two of my favorite shops joined forces this month: Eco Citizen and Branch. Both San Francisco-based (Eco Citizen is a shop on Vallejo at Polk; Branch is an online store), the two brands teamed together for Earth Month, building a store within a store—Branch's eco-homewares mingling with Eco Citizen's eco-fashion.

Eco Citizen's owner Joslin Van Arsdale was responsible for the amazing eco-fashion show we put on at Sunset's annual Celebration Weekend last June. She dressed some Sunset editors up in sustainable and recycled eco-fabulousness as the they strutted the runway (it was both beautiful and hilarious for those of us other Sunseters watching—especially when they "models" decided to bring out props from the employee gym). See our facebook page for some pics.

Also, check out my interview with Branch's Paul Donald over at Design*Sponge (where i had so much fun guest blogging last week). 

Some pics of the store-in-a-store:

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By Amy McKay, Sunset editorial intern

I promise, after perusing the entries in the Spring Greening DIY Design Contest over at Inhabitat, you’ll never look at old egg cartons and phone books the same.

Participants in the contest were asked to repurpose everyday, household items into functional examples of DIY design … something we should all think about, especially during Earth Week.


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Photo courtesy of inhabitat.com


The winner of the Spring Greening Contest—Rodrigo Jaroseski—fashioned a trendy coffee table out of a bunch of old phone books.

One ingenious entrant repurposed the cardboard box her MacBook arrived in. By covering the box with strips of brightly patterned fabric, this innovator turned what was once a blah box into a fabulous briefcase.

Two do-it-yourself phenoms chose old egg crates as their mediums. One designer broke apart the cartons and hand-stitched them back together in the form of a tall chic vase. And Federico Otero, an industrial designer, created the beautiful Origen chandelier by interlocking several 30-pack egg crates around a light bulb.

Finally, this post wouldn’t be complete without suggesting how to reuse those old pieces of colorful Tupperware that are collecting dust in the back of your kitchen cabinets. Flip them upside down and refashion them into hanging lamps—just like Frank Criscione, whose Tupp-a-lamps can be found online at Apartment Therapy.

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by Miranda Jones, Sunset style editor

I would love to be better about conserving water but despite knowing about what I should do to save I am still woefully delinquent about it all. (example - turning off the water while I shave my legs? I am TERRIBLE about that one, as in, I don't do it, don't even consider it, have never done except when forced to in Europe and only then because the shower head was something I had to HOLD during the entire shower, making it impossible to keep the shower running AND shave my legs at the same time).

In my water saving dreams, a product comes along that makes it EASY for me to conserve. Enter the hughie sink from Australia. This nifty plastic sink sits inside your actual sink to catch the water you use to wash your veggies or brush your teeth. After it is full of grey water you can take it out of your sink and water your plants! or wash your dog! No wonder it was a finalist for Australian International Design Awards this year.

Here it is, covertly tucked into a sink, just waiting to be filled with water.......

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And here it is, out of the sink, being used to water plants outside! So easy right?!

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In case it weren't terrific enough, it also comes in 5 colors!  And if you don't mind paying shipping ($15 to the US), one can be yours! My guess is that it will start showing up on super eco chic wedding registries very soon......

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By Amy Anderson, Sunset editorial intern

It’s that time of the year where we dig in and plant new gardens, clean up creeks, and pick up trash. So what better way to celebrate Earth Day than going straight to the source of the idea?

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Denis Hayes was a 24-year-old Harvard graduate student in 1969 when Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin chose him to be national coordinator for the first Earth Day. Twenty million people participated in that first day of activism in 1970.

“Earth Day went for breadth. We invited everybody: Labor leaders, civil rights leaders, corporate tycoons, politicians,” Hayes said. “And it was the first time it felt comfortable to get schools involved. Across the country, 25,000 schools participated. That gave us a leg up—everyone wants to be a hero to kids.”

Since then, Hayes has taken the helm at the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation, giving grants to environmental initiatives and promoting sustainability in the Pacific Northwest. He continues to chair the board of the international Earth Day as well. But he says today’s progress can be credited to that initial push in the 1970s. 

“None of this would have happened without a movement. There was a change in public attitudes,” Hayes said. “In the late 1960s, most people couldn’t explain what the word environment meant. But after Earth Day, there was a widespread perception that we have an inherent right to a healthy, safe, clean environment.”

Hayes returned to his alma mater, Stanford University, to speak about youth participation in environmentalism. I caught him before to find out his top tips for what we can do this Earth Day and beyond--read what he has to say after the jump.

You can also watch his April 14 speech at Stanford here. And find more ways to celebrate the day with Sunset's Real-world Earth Day ideas!

Read More "The sustainable homeowner: Advice from Earth Day founder Denis Hayes" »

by Allison Arieff, Sunset  editor-at-large

Earlier this month, I attended an inspiring conference at the Institute at the Golden Gate in Sausalito, CA called Turning the Tide. An amazing assortment of activists, writers, scientists, physicians, artists, students, and more, were there from environmentalist/explorer David de Rothschild, who is sailing Plastiki , a boat made of plastic bottles and recycled products in an effort to highlight environmental problems around the world, including the The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a patch of accumulated plastic garbage in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of Texas), to Alec Loorz, a 14-year old environmental activist who founded Kids vs. Global Warming  ("empowering youth to cool the earth") when he was all of 12 and is the youngest trained presenter for Al Gore's Climate Project. Oh, and a feisty representative from the group called Unreasonable women for the Earth. Love that!

As Turning the Tide was held at Fort Baker (part of Golden Gate National Park), stewardship of our national parks was very much at the forefront of the conversation. In his opening remarks, Pulitzer-Prize winning historian David M. Kennedy spoke of a different way of thinking about that stewardship, namely, that we shouldn't necessarily be distinguishing what we do in the parks from what we do outside them. Our world, all of it, deserves the respect and care we tend to reserve for nature's wonders. So I guess on Earth Day, I am thinking about how to apply this on a personal level. How can I be a steward of not just the planet (an awfully big job) but of my backyard, my house, my neighborhood, my city? 

What was most inspiring about that day at the conference was meeting all these people who were working hard to make the world a better place--and were clearly inspired and happy in doing that work. This shows how we can all celebrate Earth Day daily in our own individual small and/or world-changing ways. One day, you may only be able to muster up the energy to remember your canvas tote bag at the market or to turn off your computer at night, but the next day, you may end up weatherizing your home, planting a community garden, riding your bike to work, rounding up a group of your neighbors to go solar or...who knows? As the Turning the Tide group showed me, the possibilities are endless! Let us know how you celebrate at readerletters@sunset.com

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