Lets face it, trying to determine which products really are safe, healthy, green and socially responsible is a drag. Even when we’re confident that products do, in fact, match our personal values, we’re not really interested in going that far out of our way to get them.

But what if there were another way?

Imagine, for a moment, if you had the power when shopping online to instantly reorganize any shopping website around your personal values. You could elect to only see products that avoid animal testing, are made by companies that respect human rights, or avoid controversial ingredients. Shopping would be based not on what retailers and brands want you to see, but rather on what you want to know.

That moment has arrived. It’s called the Transparency Toolbar developed by the team at GoodGuide. We’ve been working for the past few months to make it possible.

Once installed in your web browser, the Transparency Toolbar instantly reveals whether products you’re shopping for are safe, healthy, green and socially responsible. You can personalize your shopping experience by telling the toolbar which issues you care about – like nutrition, energy efficiency, organic, recycled materials, etc.

The Transparency Toolbar will then display whether products pass or fail on your key criteria, recommend alternative products that match your values, let you compare prices, and show you what other users think of those products.

It literally does all the informational gathering work for you and presents it in a clear, concise format at the bottom of your browser when you’re shopping. When you’re not shopping, it doesn’t appear at all. It’s the laziest and most convenient way I can think of to confidently shop for products online that match my personal values about my health, the health of my little boy, and the health of the planet.

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We environmentalists tend to take ourselves so seriously. But just because our cause is serious doesn’t mean that being serious about it is a good way to attract others to it. Actually, in my experience it’s almost a surefire way to turn others off from becoming more environmentally minded. Humor is a great tool for opening up space for dialog. It’s hard to be uptight and defensive when you’re belly laughing. Remember that the next time you want to fight with a non-believer about global warming. Instead, try making them laugh first and see how it goes. Show them videos like these two.

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To understand the 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI you have to understand where it comes from: Just outside Chattanooga, TN there is a brand new, state-of-the-art, billion-dollar automotive production facility. The Passat is the only car they make in the new factory.

VW designed the new Passat at their headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. Better still, they designed the new Passat specifically for the American market. It’s noticeably bigger than the old Passat; in fact, it’s noticeably roomier inside than the Camry and the Accord.

The torque-tastic TDI gets 43 miles per gallon on the highway which makes it the new industry class leader beating out the Camry, Fusion, and Sonata hybrids – yes you read that correctly, the TDI clean diesel technology outperforms hybrids when it comes to fuel efficiency. And there’s no fuzzy hybrid technology to be concerned about later. Officially, the TDI has a range of 795 miles per tank.

Because they designed the new Passat for Americans, they chose to include an impressive list of standard features: Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control, SiriusXM satellite radio, a sound system designed by Fender, and keyless remote entry and ignition in addition to the newfound legroom. The cockpit is both sleek and functionally convenient.

A Little More About Chattanooga

VW has created nearly 12,000 new jobs in Tennessee since opening the facility some months ago, on top of which they’ve taken some commendable strides toward green production.

They benefit from a number of environmental efficiencies including reflective white roofs on all buildings, a rainwater capture system that repurposes as much as 350,000 gallons of water every month for use in the plant’s cooling system and restrooms, high-efficiency lighting inside and out, and a high-efficiency paint application system.

When the cars are completed 80% of them are shipped by rail. When you consider that 85% of the 2,300 parts that make up the new Passat originate in North America, it makes for an impressive economic and environmental  strategy. It’s safe to say that Volkswagen has invested wisely in the great state of Tennessee. It was nothing short of uplifting touring the factory with twenty-plus automotive reporters who were noticeably taken by the sight of thousands of Americans working away proudly in quality manufacturing jobs.

TDI Means Clean Diesel

To be clear, we’re big fans of Volkswagen’s TDI clean diesel vehicles here at the Lazy E. To start, VW designs and produces excellent quality cars that are fun to drive. The TDI relies on a very advanced transmission that results in peppy yet smooth, high torque acceleration. Josh has owned his TDI wagon for more than a year now (yes, he paid retail, no hookups involved).

Diesel is very popular throughout the rest of the world, including much of Europe. As the price of gasoline continues to rise steadily, we’re predicting you’ll see more diesel cars here in the States, especially when you consider the superior fuel efficiency to the hybrids without the price premium typically associated with those models. Good for the planet, good for your wallet, and good for your leggy friends in the backseat.

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From David de Rothschild’s plastic pollution awareness-raising journey on the Plastiki to Terracycle’s nationwide Recycling Brigades, innovators on the front lines of the environmental movement are devising new ways to inform and empower us how to either diminish our dependence upon one-use plastic items or turn that plastic to our advantage. Enter Loll, a modern design furniture company that has figured out how to take used milk jugs and transform them into colorful, magnificent and comfortable furniture. Give me a thousand more companies like Loll, and I’ll show you a path to cleaning up our environment, reducing our dependence on oil (almost all plastic is derived from oil), and creating a happier, more innovative, and well-designed world.

To view more visit: Loll Designs

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I came across this product yesterday at the Sustainable Brands conference here in Monterey, CA and was immediately thrilled. Replenish is not just good design, it’s brilliant design. It’s a high-concentrated cleaning product that’s about as green as it gets: non-toxic, biodegradable, and pH neutral. it’s also one of the few consumer products to be Cradle To Cradle certified. To me, the real beauty of the aesthetically appealing design is how convenient the design makes using a concentrated cleaner. One of the major hurdles that’s caused resistance amongst consumers for adopting high-concentrated cleaners is the inconvenience of having to add water to concentrated solution. We like it pre-mixed.

Replenish’s design is so clever that it overcomes this obstacle. While many companies and people tracking green consumer behavior bemoan the fact that consumers are allegedly too lazy to use high concentrated products that require extra steps to use, Replenish just went ahead and designed a cool, real-world solution that dispenses with the issue. That’s green thinking at its finest.

See More: Replenish

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I’m constantly searching for modern design products made with environmentally responsible materials. TRTL BOT fits the bill with its plastic cell phone cases made from recycled soda bottles and manufactured in Southern California. Not only are they sleek, they’re functional too – exactly what’s required of green products in order for most consumers to seriously consider purchasing them. With prices hovering between $25 and $30, TRTL BOT’s products defy the notion that well-designed, functional green products cost too much.

For More Visit: TRTL BOT

Via: Cool Hunting

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Brooklyn has been a hotbed of sustainable furniture design for years. In fact, the presence of so many sustainable designers is what led me to relocate Vivavi (my former furniture retail company) to Brooklyn in 2005. Uhuru is a design firm committed to sustainable principles. Making furniture pieces suited to every room of the home, Uhuru demonstrates the possibilities for living modern while treading lightly.

Below is the Cycle Chaise which utilizes wood reclaimed from the once iconic boardwalk of Coney Island.

For More Visit: Uhuru

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We’re often so mired in negative news that we fail to realize the megatrends propelling civilization, albeit kicking and screaming sometimes, toward an increasingly healthy and prosperous future. Hans Rosling is a marvelous teacher. Over 3 million people have watched this video on YouTube. My personal feeling is that the more we strive to bring our economy into balance with nature, the faster the trends that Hans identifies will accelerate for all humanity.

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We all know there are lots of ways to talk about green.  Some cajole and prod. Others moralize. As the Lazy Environmentalist, I prefer to entice. I believe that if you frame green choices in ways that are appealing and satisfy people’s self interests, then you minimize resistance and stand a better chance of driving long-term behavior change.

Some perceive embracing a green lifestyle as sacrifice. Others perceive living a green lifestyle as an elitist enterprise. It’s here where are a brand new site has arisen to promote a dialogue that counters eco-elitism and seeks to make environmentalism accessible. It’s called Eco-Snobbery Sucks. I laugh every time I think about the name. Check it out. I think you’ll like what you find.

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Great ideas are often born of necessity. In Bora Bora, high fuel costs combined with warm temperatures forced the owners of the Intercontinental Hotel there to search for an alternative way to prove air conditioning to its remote, luxury, oceanfront hotel.

They hit upon an idea. Rather, they borrowed an idea from Marlon Brando. Yes, you read that correctly. Marlon Brando once conceived the idea of air conditioning buildings using deep sea water (the video attests to it).

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, in 2007 the Tahiti Beachcomber Corporation put the idea to the test when building the new hotel. Instead of relying upon fossil fuels for energy, air conditioning to the hotel rooms, spa and restaurants is powered by deep sea water. So is all refrigeration in the hotel’s kitchen.

It’s an awesome green idea, and it’s the kind of idea that if replicated in many parts of the world could have profound implications for cutting carbon emissions while staying cool and comfortable.

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Host of “Healthy Planet, Healthy Me” Sherry Beal did a live show from the Go Green Expo in Los Angeles a couple of years back. Here she talks with me about what it means to be a lazy environmentalist, how my books came about, and shooting the television show.

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Great ideas are often born of necessity. In Bora Bora, high fuel costs combined with warm temperatures forced the owners of the Intercontinental Hotel there to search for an alternative way to prove air conditioning to its remote, luxury, oceanfront hotel.

They hit upon an idea. Rather, they borrowed an idea from Marlon Brando. Yes, you read that correctly. Marlon Brando once conceived the idea of air conditioning buildings using deep sea water (the video attests to it).

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, in 2007 the Tahiti Beachcomber Corporation put the idea to the test when building the new hotel. Instead of relying upon fossil fuels for energy, air conditioning to the hotel rooms, spa and restaurants is powered by deep sea water. So is all refrigeration in the hotel’s kitchen.

It’s an awesome green idea, and it’s the kind of idea that if replicated in many parts of the world could have profound implications for cutting carbon emissions while staying cool and comfortable.

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In 2008, I teamed up with Walmart to demonstrate how green choices are becoming more affordable, accessible, and appealing. The more quality green choices are available on the shelves of the stores where we already shop, the more likely we are to make them part of our lives.

My experience tells me that people will go green when the choices are easy, convenient, priced appropriately, and actually work. It’s so important to get this right because when a consumer has a good experience with a green product, he or she is much more likely to want to repeat it.

That kind of momentum accelerates the green economy. As the biggest retailer on the planet, Walmart has a huge opportunity to put this momentum to work toward its own bottom line and toward the planet’s benefit too.

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Farmers Markets continue to rapidly expand across the U.S. despite the down economy. Locally grown food not only helps build thriving local economies by supporting local farmers and artisans, but also provides Americans with access to fresher, healthier food. As the above chart indicates, there are now over 6,000 Farmers Markets nationwide, up 16% in 2010.

Here in Crested Butte, my newly adopted home, a Farmers Market has been in place for four years. Crested Butte is pretty isolated. That means that even though we live in town and walk everywhere, food typically travels a very long way to get here, which means high prices, less-than-fresh produce, beef, fish and poultry and a large carbon footprint resulting from all those shipping miles. Bringing a thriving Farmers Market to the Crested Butte valley turns that paradigm on its head. Now there’s access to fresh food that travels significantly fewer miles to get to my fork. Gotta love it.

To find a Farmers Market near you, search this database provided by the USDA.

via: The Red, White and Green

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I just came across this video taken when P.O.P. came down to Asheville earlier in the summer to film me and my family. Shep is totally digging the jumper made from recycled materials that I talk about it in the video.

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I stayed at the Greenhouse in Boulder, CO this past summer for a few days. It was an opportunity to see the newest green innovations from many companies. I’ve been following Ecovative ever since the co-founders (fresh out of college) appeared as guests on my Sirius radio show in 2007. The company grows walls, packaging and now car parts from mushroom spores.

At the Greenhouse, I learned from a technician at Ford that the car company is introducing Ecovative materials into some of its new car models. Makes sense. After all, it’s a high-performance, lightweight material that has minimal environmental impact. You don’t manufacture it; you grow it.

This kind of green innovation delivers real benefits to Americans right now. Ecovative is a growing, hiring company that’s putting people back to work. In this instance, its forward-thinking product also enables Ford to manufacture lighter weight cars which enables them to achieve better fuel economy.

Good for the economy. Good for you. Good for the planet. That’s what I call revitalizing the American Dream.

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Men don’t have it easy when it comes to finding stylish, eco-friendly clothing at an affordable – or at least reasonable -price. That’s why I’m particularly psyched to see Timberland’s latest forays into men’s green fashion.

During season one of my television show I had Howie Mandell’s stylist working with me to create “my look.” I kept telling her I wanted to go for Urbiana Jones – a stylish, rugged look that works as well in the urban jungle as it might in the real jungle. As much as she tried to oblige me, the look  alluded us. I also told her that I wanted everything I wore to be made of eco-friendly materials. Sadly, I knew that was a pipe dream.

But now, I’m pleased to report that Timberland is making some seriously cool forays into eco-Urbiana Jones territory. The company also happens to have the coolest home page I think I’ve ever seen and has also launched an innovative marketing campaign called “Nature Needs Heroes“ to spread the word about its environmental commitment and green initiatives.

Here are three of of my favorite Timberland picks:

Men’s Earthkeepers Military Solid – $59.50 (made of 50% organic cotton)

Men’s Earthkeepers Fleece Lined Jacket – $198 (outer made of 65% organic cotton)

Men’s Earthkeepers Boot Icon Jacket – $160 (canvas made of 60% organic cotton, 40% recycled polyester)

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What’s fascinating and sometimes frustrating about green is that it’s both a movement and a marketplace. Understandably, those within the movement who can’t afford to fully participate in the marketplace get frustrated by the high price tags of many green products since it inhibits them from fully living in alignment with their environmental values. I fully empathize with this perspective. Much of my adult life has been spent living in either semi-starving writer mode or semi-starving CEO startup mode which means that I haven’t always had as much latitude as I wanted to shop green and fully embrace my environmental values while still aspiring to a great quality of life.

Fortunately, the price competitiveness of green is an emerging trend that promises to make green choices available to a much wider audience. Enter Capstone Development Group and its groundbreaking development of 32 affordable single-family green homes in St. Louis, Missouri.  Currently under construction, the housing development will feature solar panels and wind turbines, along with plenty of energy-efficient, water-saving and low-toxicity features. So many, in fact, that the development will achieve LEED Platinum certification (the highest level possible) by the U.S. Green Building Council once completed later this year.

Each of the 1230 square foot homes will have three bedrooms, two full bedrooms and an attached two-car garage. They will be rented for just $590 per month. Even more spectacularly, the tenants living in them will pay no energy bills. That’s right, no utility bills. That’s because the renewable energy and energy efficiency features of these homes team up to make dependence upon the energy grid obsolete. How’s that for affordable housing!

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In June, I bought a totally righteous Volkwsagen Jetta TDI. It’s fast, gets great gas mileage, handles extremely well on windy mountain roads, has ample storage capacity and cost me just over 25K, making it pretty reasonable for a family car. I love this car. To me, it represents the best kind of lazy environmentalist choice – one that requires absolutely no sacrifice and actually improves my life while minimizing my environmental impact.

Yet, as much as I love this car, I am ridiculously lazy about caring for it. And though it’s the summer months when car washes are in vogue, I went all summer without giving my beloved TDI a cleaning.

That is, until today. I’ve just finished washing my car without using any water thanks to an awesome product from Lucky Earth. The company’s non-toxic Waterless Car Wash product is fabulous. You just spray the liquid on, wipe it off using a bit of elbow grease and you’re done. No endless amounts of water running from the hose. No toxic soapy stuff seeping into the ground water. This product is easy to use, works well, and is good for the planet.

I’d kick myself for not trying it earlier except that even experiencing how good the product is, I still probably won’t wash my car again until next spring, so any self-administered kicks won’t do me much good.

Lucky Earth Car Wash is available at Amazon.com.

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A few days ago, I posted an article on Huffington Post (see It’s a Communication Challenge, Not a Scientific Challenge). In it, I make two points: 1) arguing with global warming skeptics is counterproductive and actually unnecessary and 2) we have much better communication tactics at our disposal to get skeptics on board with solutions.

Some have accused me of trying to create a marketing campaign to generate support for solving global warming. They’re correct. That’s exactly what I want to do. I want to rebrand environmentalism to make the green solutions so utterly appealing and attractive that people will be enticed to participate in the solutions.

Unless we get serious about our communication (and by serious I actually mean less serious), we will fail to attract a broad enough spectrum of Americans to move change forward in this country.

So, yes, let’s implement some savvy marketing. Let’s rebrand environmentalism.

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I recently spent a few days in Boulder living in a net-zero energy house. The Green House showcased numerous fabulous products. On Day 2, another journalist invited to stay in the house asked me whether my entire wardrobe is made of T-shirts. I couldn’t tell whether she thought I was consistently underdressed or she liked the ones I was wearing.

One of my favorites is the Saddle Up ($39) T-shirt from Topo Ranch. Made of 100% organic jersey cotton, this shirt just gets better with time. I like so many of Topo Ranch’s t-shirts because they’re understated in their messages.

I like to wear environmentally conscious clothing but I don’t like eco-clothing that screams “eco.” Subtlety and style are always appreciated.

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Esquire Magazine recently asked me to write an article about what Lazy Environmentalists can do to help expedite the oil cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. 

After researching and reflecting upon the crisis, here’s an excerpt of what I wrote:

“No one enjoys this feeling of helplessness, especially someone like me whose mission is finding eco-friendly solutions. On my show, The Lazy Environmentalist, I have greened an exterminator with nontoxic bug-killers, and I have greened a Taekwondo champion with an organic diet that increased his stamina and decreased recovery time, but I cannot green the oil spill. And neither can you.”

“What we can do, though, is prevent the next oil spill by transforming our culture.” Read how

I welcome your feedback about this vital topic. Unless we transform our culture by fostering a more proactive environmental dialogue, we will remain stuck in place, bickering about solutions and armchair prophesying about the future.

Yet, the situation demands so much more of us, even those of us who are Lazy Environmentalists.

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Even though I was arguably the worst player in the country in Division One college football during my sophomore year season at the University of Pennsylvania, I still think of myself as an athlete.

I’m not making this up. In the early 90s, the New York Times ranked every team in D-1 college football by computer. Midway through the season, Florida State I think was ranked #1 and Penn I’m sure was ranked #216. Dead last. The only thing our head coach ever asked of me was to cut down signs before games that were hung by the fans of opposing teams. Yes, it was humiliating – I mean character-building – to jog in uniform with scissors in hand up to the bleachers only minutes before kick-off to cut down a “Go Bears” sign hung by college kids from Brown.

I was the third string wide receiver on a ridiculously terrible team that was 0-6 at the time of the Brown sign incident. Worst player on worst team equals worst player in D-1. A small claim to fame.

However, as an athlete, I enjoy pushing myself to accomplish new feats. Doing so in the name of protecting the planet is even more rewarding. Doing that with 150 other amazing people and a group of truly inspiring organizers is a life-changing experience and precisely what makes the Brita Climate Ride so unique and rewarding.

As spokesperson for Brita’s FilterForGood campaign, I participated in the first two years of the 5-Day, 300 mile Brita Climate Ride which went from New York City to Washington DC. Last year, I got to bunk one night with No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, who also participated in the ride. Neither one of us came close to being fastest cyclist in the group. I’m pretty sure that honor went to Denmark’s Ambassador to the U.S., Friis Arne Petersen.

Now the Brita Climate Ride is headed to the West Coast. On September 21st, 150 riders will depart San Francisco on a five-day adventure to raise both awareness and funds for protecting the planet. You could be one of them. Visit ClimateRide.org to learn how.

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In 2008, I teamed up with Walmart to demonstrate how green choices are becoming more affordable, accessible, and appealing. The more quality green choices are available on the shelves of the stores where we already shop, the more likely we are to make them part of our lives.

My experience tells me that people will go green when the choices are easy, convenient, priced appropriately, and actually work. It’s so important to get this right because when a consumer has a good experience with a green product, he or she is much more likely to want to repeat it.

That kind of momentum accelerates the green economy. As the biggest retailer on the planet, Walmart has a huge opportunity to put this momentum to work toward its own bottom line and toward the planet’s benefit too.

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