With the threat of climate change looming like an unseasonable storm cloud overhead, and a Congress that can barely agree on the time of day let alone a meaningful energy policy, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.  Yet, instead of letting the frustration of politics get in the way of responsible stewardship, communities across the nation are banding together to take steps towards a greener future.  Installing solar panels can be an excellent way to reduce the costs of household electric bills and shift consumption practices away from dirty, non-renewable sources of power.  Individually, going solar can be expensive and inconvenient.  Banded together, co-ops bring down the cost of setting up an array, share their expertise with the entire neighborhood, and develop a model that can be followed by local and national governments.

Want a little help getting your street off the grid?  Allow Mt. Pleasant Solar Cooperative of Washington, D.C. to guide you towards the light!  An association of over 70 households, the Cooperative was founded in 2006 by neighbors concerned about energy independence and global warming.  Advocating conservation and collective action, they provide their members with sponsored energy audits, compact fluorescent bulbs, aggregate neighborhood data on electricity usage, seminars, and the buying power that comes with greater numbers.

With our sunny Mediterranean climate, San Luis Obispo County is perfect for solar technology. The Central Coast is home to several local solar companies, including REC Solar, Pacific Energy Company, and Phat Energy.  As if making a dent in the climate crisis was not enough of a reason to switch to renewables, online calculators allowing you to determine the money you would save make for a compelling argument.  The state even provides incentives and rebates for homeowners and businesses to take the first steps towards set-up.

Need a little help getting people together?  Browse the Center for a New American Dream’s website for advice on how to start a movement in your neck of the woods!

This year, I finally entered the modern era with the purchase of a smartphone.  When searching for applications that could take advantage of the amazing computing power of this little machine, I was overwhelmed with choices.  There are programs that run the gamut from fun to functional, and I was doing my level best not to buy anything that would not keep me too glued to my phone and out of the real world.  Being environmentally and socially conscious, I was pleasantly surprised to see a growing number of applications that not only could keep me informed of my surroundings, but may even help to improve how I care for the earth, make smart purchases, and support my community.

Seafood Watch-  Concerned about the health of the oceans, but still long for a fish dinner?  The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch app, a digital version of their popular laminated card, lets you know which fish are safe to eat, most sustainable, and which to avoid.  The latest version also allows diners to share their favorite restaurants and markets that provide conscious ocean fare.  Sushi guides even give the correct Japanese term for what you order to clear up any cross-cultural confusion.  Best yet, it is free to download for both iPhone and Android.

GoodGuide- Making purchases with the well-being and safety of both your body and the planet in mind can be challenging when staring at the thousands of choices lining the shelves of your local supermarket or drugstore.  Enter GoodGuide, an application that allows you to search over 50,000 toys, personal care, and household products and rates them according to health, environment, and social responsibility.  GoodGuide will let you personalize your app, scan barcodes, and is free to download.

greenMeter- Turn your phone into a vehicle efficiency device with greenMeter, which can help calculate your car’s fuel and power usage, and evaluates your driving habits in order to make the most of your gas money.  Results are displayed in real time, and the software asserts that it will pay for itself in savings within 1-2 trips to the gas station.  Available for about $6, it might be worth a try if you are looking to change your driving habits and stay informed as to when you car needs a tuneup.

Skeptical Science- Arguing with a climate change skeptic, but too flustered to answer in a succinct manner?  Need some help with remembering numbers?  Want a good chart or peer-reviewed paper to back up your claim?  John Cook’s Skeptical Science iPhone App could help you convert a non-believer using cold, hard data.  It also provides responses to the top 10 most used denial phrases.  Climate nerds may also enjoy the Global Warming Prediction app that uses land, sea and air temperatures to create aggregate models and forecast the weather.

Sky Map- Looking at the night sky, it could be a bit of a challenge for those of us modern hominids who have lost much of the knowledge of our forebears.  Luckily, Sky Map uses GPS, compass, and accelerometer data to take a picture of the stars, and tell you the name of the constellation in question.  Moving your phone against the sky, the screen registers a representation of the cosmos where you can search for astronomical curiosities, save searches, turn layers on and off, and track the movement of heavenly bodies.  Free for Android users.

In addition to smoking cigarettes and making toast in the bathtub, you may now put paraffin candles on your “to avoid” list.  Lighting one of these wax candles can release toxins such as toluene and benzene into the atmosphere.  Far from the relaxing or romantic gesture that these flammable favorites are intended to represent, paraffin could in fact cause cancer, dizziness or asthma if used on a regular basis.  In 2009, researchers presented their findings to the annual American Chemical Society’s meeting in Washington, and identified paraffin candles as a previously unrecognized source of indoor air pollution.  The National Candle Association maintains that paraffin is not toxic as it is approved by the FDA, but those with allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivities, or other concerns about the use of petroleum products would do best to purchase beeswax or soy candles.

Soy candles made from hydrogenated soybean oil, and beeswax produced by the bodies of the humble insect, are clean-burning, last longer than paraffin, are environmentally friendly, and do not drip or leave sooty deposits.  Beeswax in particular produces negative ions, which have been shown to increase the production of serotonin in the brain and elevate mood.  As a business that is concerned with the health of the human animal and the spaces they inhabit, Bambu Batu carries a only soy and beeswax candles, including scented and unscented lines from Big Dipper Wax Works, VegePure and Sparx.

Now that you have been enlightened and want to get rid of those old paraffin offenders, there are a few resources that may help you to dispose of them with the minimum of environmental impact.  “Take-back” programs such as the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District in Duluth, MN  or ecycler.com accepts old paraffin candles or crayons via the post and recycles them into campfire starters or new drawing tools.  Earth911 is an excellent site that allows you to find the appropriate resting place for just about anything, or if you are feeling crafty, you can even make your own ski wax with old candles.

Lighten your load and get rid of the old oil-based tea lights and tapers for something a little more natural!