Our mission at Working for Green is to share the word about the many different ecofriendly actions there are that can help you save or make money. Whether it's with everyday lifestyle choices or a career, we're here to show examples of how easy and accessible opportunities are to bridge environmental and economic sustainability.

In a world where global warming emissions, pollution and habitat destruction are posing great threats to us and to the world we're leaving behind for our grandchildren, it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel powerless. Add financial stress and lack of visible action strategies to this equation and it's no wonder that most of us can't be bothered to consider the environment in our daily lives.

So for today's blog, I'd like to share three of our eco-warrior stories to demonstrate how we can all begin to shift our focus to the financial gains of going green so that it doesn't seem like such a selfless sacrifice! If any of these videos relate to you, then check out the green tips and resources on each video page. Otherwise, search our online video library for other topics that relate to your interests and everyday lifestyle needs.

Video #1: Have Wind, Will Prosper-- Unemployment couldn't keep these warriors down!

Video #2: Pedaling Beans-- A coffee roasting and biking enthusiast builds a business on two wheels!

Video #3: K-9 Korral-- Dog lovers find that a green dog park is less expensive than a traditional one!

Why did Don Draper leave the suburbs after his divorce from Betty? Perhaps he was onto something.

As seen in the first season of Mad Men, couples with growing families have striven to live in large homes and "safer" neighborhoods, often retreating to the suburbs to fulfill this dream. And this hasn't just been an American trend. Across the world and over time, the suburbs have been where people with means have retreated: In Ancient Rome, wealthy and important people tended to live on the hills of the city, while poorer citizens lived at lower elevations – hence [suburb means] "under the city" (Wikipedia, April 2012.)

Since there is less space to expand around city or town centers, moving away from these town centers has always meant gaining square footage. And when there's the opportunity choose bigger, we do. Until now.

According to a new survey, more than three quarters of [Americans] consider having sidewalks and places to take a walk one of our top priorities when deciding where to live. Six in 10 people also said they would sacrifice a bigger house to live in a neighborhood that featured a mix of houses, stores, and businesses within an easy walk. (via Good.is)

Brad & Angelina, Jennifer Lopez and Martin Scorsese were among some of the hottest Hollywood A-listers who attended the 2012 Oscars last night.

As much as we all like to escape our everyday lives and take in the glamor and fantasy that surrounds such events, I think it's interesting to note something less glamorous: Practically everyone who arrived on the red carpet of the Oscars had one thing in common-- they arrived in a limousine or town car.

In addition to the emissions that were spewed to arrive at the event, there is something more troubling and definitely avoidable about the vehicles even before the A-list stars have boarded them. Prior arriving curbside, these cars spent a period of time parked in front of their client's hotel room or private home with the car engine running, aka idling.

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.

As an Angeleno, I often come across town car drivers waiting patiently outside their client's home. Unfortunately, these cars are always idling. No matter how conducive their parking spot is to turning the vehicle off and no matter what the outside temperature is-- which in Los Angeles is usually a comfortable 70-something degrees-- town car companies ask drivers to leave cars running in order to provide a cab environment that's "comfortable" for the arriving client. No matter what the temperature is.

The exhaust from motor vehicles spews carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other toxic air pollutants that have been linked to asthma, strokes, heart attacks and other illnesses.

Town car companies are not the only culprits. Drivers of all vehicles pull over to use cell phones or wait for someone curbside. As someone who knows a bit more than she wants to about the health effects of air pollution, I will kindly ask anyone I see idling for more than ~10 minutes to please turn their engine off.

While town car drivers say it's their company's policy to keep their cab at a certain temperature (and my phone calls to these companies have always been met with the same response: We'll let our manager know), everyday drivers have mixed reactions: Some are thankful for the reminders, others get irritated with the request. No one likes to be told what to do.

The rule of thumb is if you're going to idle for more than 30 seconds, turn it off.

In the U.S., most states have anti-idling regulations to help reduce air pollution and in the case of diesel trucks, pollution and noise levels. In California, the limit is 5 minutes and exceptions exist-- none of seem to apply to idlers that prompted me to blog today.

Although $300 fines exist, let's just hope we can create positive social norms against such polluting behaviors and skip the ticketing!

The next time you find yourself idling for more than 30 seconds, turn it off. And if you find is appropriate to voice your opinion to others (if you're eating at a curbside restaurant or see cars idling outside of a school where kids are present), kindly ask the driver to shut it off.


And if you're reading this Billy Crystal, Meryl Streep, Alexander Payne or anyone else employing a town car...please be sure to take a minute during your reservation to ask that the driver turns the car off while waiting for you. With today's technology, your cabin air can be reached at the desirable temperature within minutes once you board the vehicle.

Are you involved in an anti-idling campaign? Got suggestions on how others can do the same in their community? Please join us on Facebook!

Ever reach for a new product on the market-shelf based on the appeal of its packaging? I know I have. And when stuck between two seemingly identical products with similar prices, I know that packaging helps drive my attention prior to checking the label contents.

Branding is what drives most of our consumer choices, don't you think? No matter how much we like to deny it, when presented with options we're more likely to go with the product that "speaks" to us. Pictures and colors bring about consumer emotions that drive decision-making patterns...and branding companies are well-aware of this.

As an employee for a small company, I can assure you that getting the right logo and branding did not come cheap. When we started Working for Green, we hunted for branding bids and ended up with a company whose budget and artistic vision seemed in-line with ours. Unfortunately, after spending a handful of time and money, it soon became apparent to us that their artistic vision wasn't quite what we were hoping for so we took our losses and moved onto another round of interviews. In the end, we received a good product but the branding process was expensive and tiresome.

Many start-ups or small businesses deal with the same issue: A lot of money goes into branding and you just hope you've selected the right company for the job because a second-go-around is often too costly to consider.

That's why this week's Stand out, Shout-out Tuesdays goes to: BRANDING FOR THE PEOPLE, a specialty firm that provides brand consulting services, educational events and brand-building products for entrepreneurs (including social and eco-preneurs) and small-to-medium businesses. In a time when so many people and companies are setting out to "do good," it's inspiring to learn about businesses looking past their bottom line to lend a hand to promote this "good". Thanks Branding for the People!

Feedback? Please share with us on Facebook!

It's been a rainy day here in Los Angeles and I have no doubt that my fellow Angelenos are enjoying the clean air. In 2011, L.A. was rated the second most polluted city in the U.S.. Overall, roughly half of the population of the United States (a whopping 50.3% or 154.4 million individuals) live in counties with unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution.

Air pollution linked to asthma, heart attacks, strokes, cancer...

If you search the Science Daily's index for "air pollution" you'll find over one-thousand articles reporting on the links between air pollution and a host of health problems-- everything from asthma to strokes and breast cancer.

The two leading sources of air pollution in the United States are transportation and coal fired energy plants. While these sources can appear to be mainstays in our country's infrastructure and daunting to change, they also provide a clear view of what needs to be done to tackle a growing problem.

It's tough to feel empowered when reading an article that starts with: Short-term exposure (for up to 7 days) to all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, is significantly associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

Quick n' easy solutions:

However, there is reason to feel empowered. Many reasons, actually. If you research "alternative energy" on Science Daily, you'll find twice as many articles about research, development and policy-making revolving around finding solutions to air pollution: Finding clean, alternative energy sources. Although finding the right energy source involves scientific and political integrity-- e.g. cellulosic ethanol produces fewer global emissions while corn ethanol has been shown to have a very large eco-footprint and a system mostly favored by interest groups-- the overall trend is that cleaner energy systems are the way of the future.

So while researchers and analysts find ways to transition our country away from existing and soon-to-be archaic transportation and energy systems, we as individuals can do our part to reduce air pollution by making better choices that reduce the footprints of these systems.

Here are a few ways to reduce sources of air pollution and save money:

TRANSPORTATION:
For every gallon of gasoline that's burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced. And that's just carbon dioxide. Other vehicular-exhaust air pollutants include mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide.

• BUY LOCAL CONSUMER GOODS- Sounds simple, but every little bit does add up. Buying from local businesses also helps support the local economy in your own community.
• EAT LOCAL- You breathe what you eat: The average food item on your plate travels a whopping 1500 miles from farm-to-plate! Here's a list of 10 ways on how to eat local, from Eat Local.
  
• WALK, BIKE, SKIP- Leave the exhaust behind by walking, biking and even choosing public transportation when possible. 
• TRIP LINK- If you use a car to run errands, group tasks together so that you can group them together.
• DITCH AAA FOR BW- Consider joining the Better World Club, which provides roadside service, insurance, and other products and services that the American Automobile Association (AAA) does...while taking it farther supporting a smarter and more eco-friendly transportation system in the U.S.
  
• WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS- The next time you're looking to move, consider this: Real estate prices and trends show that more and more people consider the "walkable score" or "walkability index" when looking for a new home.
• DON'T IDLE- If you plan to pull over in your car and sit for longer than a minute, shut your engine off.
  

ENERGY:
No matter which of the 50 states you live in, approximately 54% of your electricity comes from a coal-powered plant. Burning coal is a leading cause of air pollution, smog, acid rain and other global warming emissions.

• UNPLUG, TURN OFF, WALK AWAY- Turn off your computer and any electronics with an LCD screen to reduce standby power. Also turn off your room lights when you walk out. Unless you return in ~3 seconds or less, you'll save money by turning it off. Remember, 50% of your energy comes from dirty coal.
• DIAL IT DOWN- In the winter, set your thermostat to 68 at daytime and 55 at night. During spring and summer, set thermostat to 78 degrees or more. 
• FAN IT- Install a fan to circulate warm air in the winter and cold air in the spring and summer.
• APPLIANCES-
  
• Upgrade to Energy Star appliances to increase efficiencies by about fifty-percent!!
  
• Clean the filter on your fridge every 2-3 months and more often if you have pets.
  
• Set fridge thermostat between 38-42 F, and your freezer to 0-5 F.
• LINE DRY- Get hip with line drying! You'll save a bundle on your electricity bill...and here are 9 more benefits why you should line dry.
  
• WEATHERIZE IT- Weatherize your home!
  
• WASH IN COLD- Washing your clothes in cold water will reduce the cost by 90%! You should also opt to wash full loads.
• Visit the U.S. Dept. of Energy's comprehensive list of energy saving tips.

If you think that the problem is too large to face,

that individuals cannot make a difference,

that you needn't bother taking steps to reduce air pollution (and global warming gases),

I leave you with these words from Michael Pollan:

If you do bother, you will set an example for other people.

If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for hybrid cars.)

Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even changed. (Pollan, 2008)