pElAgUS' 

Free The Mapuche Political Prisoners!

1/29/08 NYC......Protest the Chilean Consulate!!!
Tues. Jan. 29th, 2008 10am!

For 500 years, The Mapuche have resisted the colonial oppressors. Whether,
Spain or Argentina or Chile the history of this proud nation has been one
of resistance and struggle.

Under Pinochet, the Chilean government enacted terrorism laws against some
forms of dissent and protest.

Much like our incarcerated freedom fighters here in the United States, the
Mapuche have fallen victim to these laws, laws similar to the current
"Anti -Terror" initiatives being practiced and implemented here.

Political Prisoner Patricia Troncoso has been on a hunger strike for 105
days in protest of her incarceration and of these "anti-terror" laws.

REMEMBER MATIAS CATRILEO!!!
YOUNG MAPUCHE ACTIVIST MURDERED BY THE CHILEAN POLICE...
SUPPORT PATRICIA TRONCOSO AND FREE THE MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS!!!
JOIN US!
SUPPORT THE MAPUCHE STRUGGLE IN CHILE!!!

Tuesday, January 29th, 2007...10am

CHILEAN CONSULATE: PROTEST @ 10AM TUESDAY , JANUARY 29TH

866 UNITED NATIONS PLAZA, SUITE 601, NEW YORK, NY 10017.
Primera Avenida (1° Avenue) esquina East 48th. Street
(Hay una sucursal del Citibank en el primer piso del edificio).

We will assemble and have a press conference addressing the Chilean
government and the treatment of the Mapuche Nation.
We will deliver letters in support of the Mapuche Nation and in critique
of the Bachelet government.

NO!! TO THE CHARGES OF TERRORISM ON MAPUCHE FREEDOM FIGHTERS!!

FREEDOM FOR THE MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS!!


SUPPORTED BY: ( ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST AND FORWARD!)

Colectivo:Miguel Enriquez

Movimiento la Peña del Bronx

Rebel Diaz

Colectivo:Joaquin Murieta

Pueblo Afroamericano-Latino

Miristas chilenos y Latinoamericanos.



directions:


Estación de SUBWAY más cercanas:
- Estación Lexington/53° Street: Línea E (Azul), Línea 6 (Verde) y Línea V
(Naranja).
- Grand Central Station: Líneas 4, 5 y 6 (Verde); Línea 7 (Violeta) y
Línea S (Gris)

Green Up Your Power

We've discussed a number of ways to reduce your electricity and gas bills through conservation measures. For low costs and shorter payback periods, efficiency enhancements are almost always the way to go.

You can take greening your power consumption up another notch, though, by purchasing, or even generating, clean renewable energy. Depending on where you live, you may have several options.

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are available to anyone, anywhere. Credits can be a little difficult to wrap your head around: essentially, you're purchasing the environmental benefit created by renewable electricity generation. As we note in the Green Life Guide, most buyers of renewable energy credits do so to "offset" the environmental impact of their own power use, which is likely generated from coal or natural gas.

Green Power Programs allow you to buy power generated from renewable sources such as solar power and wind (though many utilities "green" the power by purchasing RECs). The Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division has a list of utilities throughout the US that offer such programs.

Renewable Energy Systems are available for purchase, of course. This represents a major investment for a home or building owner, but with tax incentives offered by the federal and state governments, you may find that your payback period on such a system is shorter than you imagined... and after that point, you're getting virtually free electricity. Renewable systems have to be evaluated on a number of criteria, including your geographic location, and the amount of power your want to generate. You also need to decide if you want to stay connected to the electrical grid. Your choices include solar, wind and geothermal systems.

Your Action for Today:
Examine Your Clean Power Options

If you're in an apartment or other living space without available land, you probably do have a balcony or patio where you can put some pots or other containers. Home owners and house renters generally have more versatility. The main feature needed: lots of sunlight. If your soil's not in the best condition, don't worry - there are ways to fix it.

Examine the options listed above to see if there is a renewable power option that's right for you. You'll probably also want to check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) to find out if you qualify for tax benefits tied to investment in renewable energy or efficiency upgrades. Record what you find in your Green Journal.

Finally, keep an eye on Green Options: coming soon, we'll be providing tools that will help your further investigate your clean energy options.

Tomorrow: Celebrate the "Greener You"

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com

Gardening: The Most Local of Foods

We've discussed a number of ways to green your eating by incorporating more local and organic foods into your diet. If you really want fresh, eco-friendly food, though, it's hard to beat growing it yourself. Whether its vegetables from a backyard garden, or herbs from a kitchen windowsill, serving food that you've grown yourself can't be beat for freshness, taste, and, of course, the pride you feel!

The section of the Green Life Guide devoted to organic gardening lays out the basic practices of growing your own food the natural way: no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. For a genuine wealth of information on how to put these practices to work a t home, check out Journey to Forever's organic gardening site. Whether you want to grow vegetables in the back yard or on an apartment balcony, they've got all the tips you need for square-foot gardening, container gardening, composting (which we 've already discussed), and other practices.

Your Action for Today:
Choose a Spot to Start a Garden

If you're in an apartment or other living space without available land, you probably do have a balcony or patio where you can put some pots or other containers. Home owners and house renters generally have more versatility. The main feature needed: lots of sunlight. If your soil's not in the best condition, don't worry - there are ways to fix it.

Gardening takes time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. Return to your Green Journal as you make progress with your garden, whether in choosing a location, preparing it, planting, or harvesting. And don't forget to share the recipes you use to prepare that great food!

Tomorrow: Buying and/or generating green power

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com

Make Your House a Green Home!

Up to this point, we've focused on the most basic features of your living space: those elements designed to keep you protected from the elements and comfortable. The places where we live, though, are more than shelter: they're also a reflection of ourselves. Now that you're in the process of greening your life, you'll want to choose furnishings, wall coverings, window treatments and other items that mirror your commitment to living well while living green.

You'll want to think about (and ask about) the following elements when choosing home decor:

Materials: Decor items often include a range of materials: wood, cloth, and metal are among the most common, In each case, find out what you can about:

1. The source of these materials (i.e., Is the wood from a sustainably managed forest? Is cloth made from eco-friendly fibers like organic cotton, hemp, or bamboo.
2. The amount of reused recycled materials (reclaimed wood from a variety of sources is very popular), and the amount of material that can be reused or recycled.

Durability: Quite simply, are the items made to last? Are they things that you could resell or give away, rather than throw away, if you decided you wanted to go for a different look?

Chemicals: What kinds of finishes and treatments are used on the materials? Will they offgas toxic fumes into the air in your home?

Your Action for Today:
Go Browsing for Green Furnishings and Decorative Items

You have lots of choices when it comes to greener decor. EcoBusiness Links has a comprehensive listing of green furniture makers, natural paint manufacturers, sustainable flooring retailers, and more. We've got more information in the Green Life Guide. Of course, you don't necessarily have to go online - you may have stores in your area that sell new green decor, or "vintage" items.

Find something you like? Make note of it in your Green Journal.

Tomorrow: We've got to get ourselves back to the garden...

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com

Green Up Your Gadgets

We've discussed one element of the energy consumption created by electronic devices: standby power. As we all own more electronics these days, we also need to think about the energy they consume while in use, as well as the toxins contained in most devices.

According to ENERGY STAR's podcast series on consumer electronics, the percentage of our home energy use that goes to powering home electronics has more than doubled since 1980, from 5% to 13%. The easiest way to know that you're purchasing electronics that rate highly in terms of energy efficiency is to look for the ENERGY STAR label. The government programs rates most common electronics devices, including televisions, DVD players, home audio equipment and computers.

The other time we need to think about the impact of our electronics on the environment is at the end of their useful life. According to Earth911:

Electronic circuit boards, batteries, and color cathode ray tubes (CRTs) can contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium. If improperly handled or disposed, these toxins can be released into the environment through landfill leachate or incinerator ash.

Fortunately, electronics recycling services are widely available; some companies, like Dell computers, for instance, will take back and properly dispose of or reuse old equipment. Standards now exist to evaluate the environmental impact of new products: EPEAT, for instance, is a voluntary certification standard that ranks home computers on their environmental attributes.

Your Action for Today:
Find Greener Electronics Options

If you're in the market for a computer, a television, a cell phone, or another electronic device, make sure to take a look at ENERGY STAR's database of products that qualify for its label. EPEAT standards tell you more about other environmental issues, such as recyclability and reduction of toxins.

Note: The Consumer Electronics Association's My Green Electronics site also contains a products database; unfortunately, the site contains no information on the standards used to label a product as "green" except for EPEAT standards for computers.

Tomorrow: Shopping for Green Home Decor

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com

Baby, You Can Buy a (More Efficient) Car

Really bad Beatles allusion aside, there are more reasons than ever these days to focus on fuel efficiency when shopping for your next car. If gas prices continue moving in the upward direction we've seen over the past few years, "summer driving season" may become a contradiction in terms! By making fuel efficiency a priority when you shop for your next vehicle, you can take a bit of the sting out of gas prices, and also green up your life.

Hybrid-electric vehicles have gotten incredibly popular for their high efficiency (upwards of 60-70 miles/gallon), but they still may be a bit pricey for some buyers (even with the tax credits offered by the federal government). The Green Life Guide points out a variety of more efficient vehicles that are available on today's market, including:

• High-mileage vehicles - conventional cars that achieve higher-than-average fuel economy. These include the Honda Fit, the Toyota Corolla, and the Hyundai Accent (all manual transmissions, though).
• Flex-fuel vehicles - cars that can run on multiple fuels such as unleaded gasoline, gasoline-ethanol blends (or gasohol), and natural gas. The cars themselves are fairly widely available; the fuels, unfortunately, aren't.
• Electric cars - these require no liquid fuel, as they run on rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, they're also not widely available on the market.

Of course, there's another option for some - do you need to own a car? Could you take advantage of carride-sharing services, or public transportation, or your bike, or your feet, and avoid the costs of insurance, gas and maintenance completely? Not owning a car is always an option... and

Your Action for Today:
Look at Greener Car Options

You may not be in the market for a car right now, but it's certainly not too soon to start looking at your greener vehicle options. Some sources you might want to check:

• The Green Life Guide's "Automobiles" section
• The EPA's list of "Highest and Lowest Overall Fuel Economy" vehicles
• FuelEconomy.gov's tool for comparing hybrid and non-hybrid cars and models

Find anything interesting? Write it down in your Green Journal.

Tomorrow: Shopping for (and Disposing of) Electronics

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com

The Last Item on Your Audit: Maintaining Your Furnace/Air Conditioning

Throughout these last few lessons, we've mentioned several times that heating (and cooling) make up the largest part of home energy use on average. After checking for air leaks, and making sure that you've got proper insulation levels, the last thing you want to do is check your heating and cooling equipment to make sure it's running at optimal efficiency.

The Depart of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division suggests the following steps in keeping the furnace and air conditioning running well:

1. If you have a forced air furnace, check the filters monthly, and replace when clogged. Permanent filters are a greener option: instead of throwing them away, rinse out the gunk, and put them back in.
2. Have a professional inspect your equipment annually.
3. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks, and they should be sealed with a duct mastic.
4. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-Value of 6 is the recommended minimum.
5. Finally, if your equipment is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing it. A new unit is certain to be more energy-efficient, especially if your existing furnace or air conditioner is in poor condition.

Your Action for Today:
Schedule Your Heating/Cooling Equipment Maintenance

Maintaining your heating and cooling equipment is largely a matter of making a schedule for routine maintenance, much like with your car. So, plan it out:

• Pick a day of the month to check filters, and check for leaks.
• Pick a month each year to schedule a service call from a professional.
• Periodically, check the shape of the insulation on ducts and pipes.

Record the schedule you create in your Green Journal.

Tomorrow: Car Shopping Made Greener

Sincerely,

The GO Team
GreenOptions.com