No, I’m not quitting blogging but, I did quit smoking 30 years ago!  I never bother anyone who has the habit, because I know first hand, how difficult it is to quit smoking.  It took me three different tries to conquer the habit.  Back in the early 80′s there weren’t near the helpful options that there are today, to help you quit smoking.

Click the picture

I tried the gum, but to me, I may as well have licked the ash tray.  I thought it was horrible! There were NO pills that I recall being on the market at the time. So, what worked for me was Lemon Heads hard candy.  I just wish there would have been e-cigs back then, I think it would have made the process much easier.

You may have noticed that, the use of electronic cigarettes has recently grabbed the attention of countless tobacco users worldwide. But, are they really a healthier and cheaper alternative to traditional cigarettes?

The answer is,Yes!  Creators and product users claim you can enjoy a cheaper, healthier cigarette without the bad smells, second-hand smoke, or cancer causing chemicals, found in regular cigarettes.

In fact, a study by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health in 2010, concluded that electronic cigarettes were safer than real cigarettes, and may aid smokers in breaking the habit of smoking.

“Electronic cigarettes were found to be “much safer” than traditional tobacco ones, and had a level of toxicity similar to existing nicotine replacements.” In the report, the level of carcinogens in electronic cigarettes, was found to be up to 1,000 times lower than regular cigarettes. The report also said, that electronic cigarettes may actually help people to stop smoking by simulating a tobacco cigarette.

Doctors have even suggested, that while utilizing the electronic cigarette, that there is virtually no risk of getting cancer.  These studies also show that the real harm in traditional cigarettes comes from the tobacco smoke, second hand smoke, and the hundreds of additional added chemicals found in each regular cigarette.

“The Electronic Cigarette gives you nicotine, but it doesn’t give you any of the other 4,000 chemicals from a cigarette that can cause cancer, among other problems..” – Dr. Travis Stork from “The Doctors”

If you are a  smoker looking to lead a healthier lifestyle,  then be sure to take advantage of the Memorial Day Sale going on at v2cigs and get 20% off.

Join V2 Cigs in our Memorial Day celebration on Monday, May 28th, 2012 we are slashing prices store wide.  Enjoy 20% OFF all V2 Cigs Starter Kits, Flavor Cartridges, Platinum E-Liquid, V2 Disposables, Accessories and Clearance items.  This is your day to enjoy the sun, relax and stock up on your favorite V2 Cigs goodies. The hard-working customer service team at V2Cigs, will be available Memorial Day, during regular business hours to assist in any questions you may have or help you place an order. V2 Customer Service can be reached via email, live chat, or just pick up the phone!

MEMORIAL DAY HOURS: 10:00AM – 11:00PM EST

You can even get an additional 10% off by adding goalforthegreen or bzgrl in the referral box. Keep in mind, this coupon code is valid for ALL V2 Cigs merchandise, including kits, cartridges, and accessories. That’s a healthy 30% off your total price! So,come back here on May 28th, and kick the habit!

V2cigs offers a non-tobacco product that only contains nicotine. The nicotine is delivered in the cartridges. They are available in full strength, light and non-nicotine. So, you can gradually decrease the nicotine levels, at your own pace, until it’s completely non-nicotine. Non-nicotine E-cigs, are much easier to quit than regular cigarettes, trust me, I know on that one.  Millions of smokers have already successfully quite smoking using Electronic Cigarettes. You can be next.

With the high cost of smoking traditional cigarettes, and the danger that cigarettes cause to your health, give yourself a “thumbs up” and give v2cigs a try, for your health.

Do you love the sense of pride you get from having a beautiful garden, or growing your own veggies? Now, you can grow organic produce, while getting the goodness of gardening naturally, with Whitney Farms® plant foods,soils and organic soil.

Whitney Farms® offers a full line of 100% natural plant foods and soils. Best of all, there are no additives, and nothing artificial in their products, just ingredients from the Earth. Their soils are designed to give you big, beautiful flowers and big beautiful veggies. You can be assured, that your plantings get the nutrients and goodness of gardening naturally, with Whitney Farms® plant foods and soils.

With 25+ years of leading gardening experience, Whitney Farms has now improved their products to have low to no dust, no manure odor, and its easy to apply.  Their products are specially designed with protein-based blends, to provide your plants with both macro and micro nutrients and the beneficial microbes that they need to grow and thrive.

I live near a worm farm, and know that vermi-compost is excellent for all your plants and vegetables.  However, you do need to use it sparingly, along with good soils like those offered by Whitney Farms.

I am getting a late start on gardening this year because the weather here in th Pacific Northwest, has just recently started to warm up. So long as I have my starts planted by the end of the month, it should still be worth the effort.  Here is a picture of what I would like my garden to look like.   Photo courtesy of Photo Bucket.

I know it is possible with Whitney Farms products and plant food.

If you want to grow your own produce or grow all organic vegetables, Whitney Farms has what you need to be able to do that.  Their organic plant food can help you grow beautiful vegetables and increase your yield.

Whatever your gardening style be sure and try out Whitney Farms products with the

$3 coupon available at any of the posted links here! Or enjoy a happy and beautiful bounty with their Tomato and Vegetable Food.

Get your weekend and gardening projects off to a great start with Whitney Farms, and continue to feed, nurture and enhance your love of gardening for you and your family. Together we are working toward a better and healthier tomorrow!

We just celebrated  Earth Day and Earth Month,and that helps bring communities together.  I just wanted to share a story about “getting the (your) neighborhood to go green.”  To do that, I wanted to make sure you knew about Nextdoor.  It’s the free private social networking site for neighborhoods that’s now in 46 of the United States (and growing) rapidly. With the rash of home invasions and burglaries on the rise across the nation, this is a very welcome way to keep neighborhoods safe.

Here are 4 Ways to Go Green in your Neighborhood

It’s the time of year that means people are recycling, focusing more on sustainability and perhaps thinking about “going green.”  It’s not enough for just one person to do it, so have you ever wondered how you could get your entire neighborhood onboard with the idea?  Here are some bright ways to go green, and take your neighbors along with you in the adventure, using the new, free and secure social media service for neighborhoods.  It’s called Nextdoor.

1. Organize an e-cycling event for neighbors. It’s not always easy to properly recycle your old TVs and electronics, but what if your community had a day where a local volunteer stopped by your house and hauled away your unwanted gadgets? Communities using Nextdoor, can create calendar events and and invite their neighbors. Is someone in your community willing to donate an afternoon to drive people’s old gadgets and electronics to an e-cycling center? Let your community know, set up a calendar event and invite your neighbors to add their unwanted gadgets to the drive.

2. Share and share alike. You don’t have to break the bank every spring and buy new gardening gear and tools. Think sustainably and use Nextdoor to borrow a ladder (instead of buy one). Do you have power tools that you only use once a year? Post a notice to your Nextdoor community and let people rent or borrow your equipment. Do you have a service, like landscaping or plumbing, to offer? Let your neighbors know and stay local. Think of all the time and money you can save.

3. Donate your unwanted possessions. Organize bi-annual donation drives, or have a neighborhood sale. Designate a drop-off location for clothes, books, furniture, games and more, and donate it to your favorite charitable organization.

4. Organize a neighborhood cleanup.  Post before and after pictures from the event to Nextdoor when you’re finished.

Why Go Social With Neighborhoods? Data & Insights:
- Over 65% of all online adults use social networking sites. (Pew Research)

- One in three Americans don’t know their neighbors by name. (Pew Research)

- Social networks in a neighborhood lower crime, improve public health and raise test scores. It helps keep neighborhoods safe, like a blockwatch but is conductd on line by those who want to participate. (Robert Putnam, Harvard Professor and Author: Bowling Alone)

About Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a free and secure social network that connects people across the United States with their neighbors. Nextdoor communities are self-started by individuals like you and  me, in communities who want to connect with their neighbors over a verified, secure infrastructure.  Nextdoor is a San Francisco based startup, founded in 2010 by internet veterans with deep experience in creating thriving online communities.

Nextdoor has been featured in publications like USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, AARP, TIME, Forbes, FastCompany and more.

- Learn More About Nextdoor
- Nextdoor in the News
- Like Nextdoor on Facebook!

Here is a little about What People are Saying About Nextdoor:
- We’ve seen lost pets returned in minutes, ping pong tables finding new homes in a matter of posts, and a heightened sense of security in the neighborhood when a recent crime wave hit. – Brent Bamberger, Nextdoor Sleepy Hollow

- We have an elderly neighbor who has cancer and is quite frail. She had a security issue and when other neighbors got wind of it through Nextdoor, they came out of the woodwork to offer assistance. – Bob Thornburg, Nextdoor Sol y Lomas

So check here at Nextdoor to see if it is available in your community.  If it’s not,you can be the one to get Nextdoor started in you community. You’ll be the center of the buzz in your neighborhood, while working toward a safer and better tomorrow for everyone.

This is a press release from Marketwire, and a reminder to you to give thanks anyway you can, to those that serve and have served, to protect our freedom.

Hundreds of volunteers gathered at Arlington to place more than five thousand donated Christmas wreaths on headstones in the cemetery. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You can Pay Tribute to Veterans and Active Military With Free Thank You Cards From Wreaths Across America.

The National Nonprofit Aims to Help Supporters Distribute One Million Thank You Cards During National Military Appreciation Month in May,2012.

COLUMBIA FALLS, ME–(Marketwire – April 10, 2012) – Wreaths Across America (WAA), a nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was begun by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester, in 1992. Today they announced its specially designed military appreciation thank you cards are now available. The organization has been designing and printing the cards since 2010, and is challenging its supporters to distribute one million cards during National Military Appreciation Month in May, this year. The cards are available for the cost of shipping and handling and can be ordered online at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

“There are so many occasions in life where we wish we had the time — and the right heartfelt words — to thank a service man or woman who has put their life on the line to protect our freedoms,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “We created these cards to make it easier to approach veterans when the opportunity arises — they provide the perfect excuse to step forward and express your gratitude. We’re excited to be a part of reaching one million deserving men and women with a special message of thanks this May.”

The business card-sized military appreciation cards feature a scene of wreaths placed at Arlington during the holiday season. On the back of the card, below the organization’s stated mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach, is space for the card-giver to sign their name as a way to personalize the note. Many card-givers present several appreciation cards with each exchange, so the recipient may also share in the experience of giving.

Earlier this year, WAA announced the creation of a virtual Honor Wall on its official Facebook page, creating a place for users to submit personal stories and post photos of veterans or members of the active military, to share with family and friends. The appreciation cards and Honor Wall, are examples of WAA’s year-round mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach about the service and sacrifice of our veterans, a mission that culminates each December with the annual wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington, and more than 700 participating veterans’ cemeteries, and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

Follow Wreaths Across America on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WAAHQ and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WreathsAcross. For more information, or to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit their website above.

Going Green on a Budget

by Amanda Green

Lately, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of small businesses in alternative energy fields. In the past month alone, I’ve received two phone calls regarding the potential adoption of solar technology in my home.

Aside from the obvious, if only minor, annoyance that such in-home solicitations cause, I’m also concerned about another potential problem associated with these types of green offerings. By reaching out to many Americans who are unable to afford the high initial costs of such technologies, they potentially shadow the smaller, much more cost-effective and simple green home solutions,that even folks with poor credit can and should employ.

Going green doesn’t have to be about spending inordinate amounts of money on big alternative energy solutions for the home.

Aside from the obvious financially helpful solutions like finding the right credit card for bad credit, Americans struggling with financial issues should be looking to much simpler green solutions around the house to save them money while also helping the environment.
The following are just three simple tips for saving money while going green at the same time.

Save on Energy Costs

-Set thermostat temperatures just a few degrees warmer in the summer and a few degrees cooler in the winter – you’d be surprised at how much this can save in annual energy costs.

-Install energy-efficient bulbs when your current ones go out – CFLs or LEDs are particularly energy-efficient and can save tons of money over time.

CompactFluorescentLightBulb (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

-Wash clothes in cold water when possible, and dry using a clothes line instead of a dryer.

-Turn all appliances and energy users off and unplug them when not in use, or use smart power strips to reduce energy use and costs.

Smart Checking

-If your account offers paperless checking, sign up – this not only helps reduce your impact on the environment, but can actually save you money by allowing you to check your statements more frequently online, ensuring beneficial spending habits and that you’re not being charged unnecessary fees.

-Read up on your account details and make sure you’re not incurring any usage fees –if you are, use a service to compare checking account fees and find one that better suits your needs that can save you money.

-Don’t pay for checking – there are plenty of free account options out there that can save you money while offering high quality service.

Save on Water Costs

-Take shorter showers – this will lower your water and heating bills considerably over time.

-Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators – these appliances are often relatively inexpensive and will save you tons of money on water and energy costs.

-Don’t buy bottled water – instead, use a water purifier that will save you money as well as eliminate the use of environmentally hazardous plastics.

-Use a reusable water bottle when traveling – aluminum or other non-plastic,non-toxic options are usually best.

While there are certainly a number of other ways to go green for less around the house, these three considerations are some of the easiest to get you started on the path to green savings and solutions. By doing just a bit of research one can find a huge number of green tips to save and use energy efficiently around the house.

Start today: you’ll be doing yourself, your family, the environment, and your bank account, a big favor. We’re working toward a better tomorrow!

The problem with Initiative 937, is the term “appropriately sited,” because it has not been clearly defined, so therefore, it has been grossly ignored.  Due to the poorly defined wording, the door has been opened to developers, planning on taking advantage of huge government subsidies.  Some developers, have NO regard for the voters, or the controversy that will arise, from placing industrial scale wind energy projects in very inappropriately  sited areas.

Indian petroglyphs in Columbia River Gorge near The Dalles Dam. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the heart of this controversy, is the Whistling Ridge Project, that has been proposed along the rim of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This year, marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of this National Scenic area, which has been ranked by National Geographic Traveler, as sixth internationally, and second nationally among sustainable tourist destinations.

The area is one of the crown jewels of the entire Pacific Northwest, and brings in more than a million visitors yearly, from all over the world. The visitors expect to see these world class views, that are unique to our region.

The Whistling Ridge Project, would line the Columbia Gorge with 430 foot wind turbines, that would be visible for miles, taking away much of the scenic views, that people come to see and appreciate.  It would also harm wildlife, unique to the region, by removing hundreds of acres of forested habitat.  To top it off, the Whistling Ridge Project, would cost more money than it would even begin to benefit anyone who lives within the area. The projects average power capacity would only be 25 megawatts of power generated, as compared to 17,000 megawatts, already being generated by existing projects in Washington and Oregon,  and that are located in more wide open appropriate areas.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are not lacking in the area of wind energy production.  Infact, we currently produce so much wind energy here, that a vast majority of it is distributed to California.

In most instances, I am a supporter of renewable energy and laws and policies that support their development.  However, in this case here in Washington, we do not need this particular project.  It implies a high cost to the environment, the economy, and to tourism in the area, and it would greatly harm one of our regions greatest natural assets.

While all states have their own unique beauty and treasures, The Whistling Ridge Project, shows an inappropriate use of funds, resources and land. It should not be allowed to move forward, because it is a prime example of unintended misuse of current energy laws and policies that have gone horribly awry.

As of today, our Governor Christine Gregoire, has approved this wind farm project as a source for jobs in the area.  Currently, area citizens are planning an appeal. Your thoughts and comments on this topic are appreciated, as we work toward a better tomorrow.

Con-way Freight Retrofits Lighting to Reduce Energy Use

ANN ARBOR, MI–(Marketwire – April 10, 2012) – Understanding the energy impact of different types of light bulbs is important, and plays a much larger role in energy efficiency than most people realize. Short of turning the lights off, one way to cut back on this energy consumption is to install T8 linear fluorescent lights in place of older, less efficient technologies like incandescent, metal halide or high-pressure sodium lights.  Another, is to install motion and daylight sensors to ensure lights only illuminate when it’s dark and there is motion.
Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), first piloted a lighting retrofit program before it began implementing the initiative within its network of operating locations across North America. The purpose of the retrofit is to maximize energy savings relative to investment and to capitalize on state- and utility-sponsored rebates by installing more efficient fixtures, lamps, ballasts and sensors while maintaining or improving the quality of light for Con-way Freight employees.

Check out the infographic below, to learn more about the lighting and energy usage at Con-way Freight facilities.

Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a $5.0 billion diversified freight transportation and logistics services company. For more information, visit http://www.con-way.com/en/freight

The surprising thing to me on the information presented here, is the fact that most people don’t do go solar for the sake of helping the environment.  The decision is made primarily to help the wallet of the purchaser.  Most purchasers of solar systems are middle of the road income earners, who are liberal conservatives.  They care more about jobs, than they do about the environment, and regard their decision to purchase a solar system, basically as a wise and sound financial investment.

Solar systems can be paid off  in as little as five years. Depending on the cost of electricity in your area, they give you a good return on your investment, especially after they are paid for.

I hope you find this idea as interesting and informative as I did.  Consider solar in your “green” future, while working toward a better tomorrow!

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