Who Knew Voting Could Be So Much Fun?

What were you all doing last year at this time? It's probably easy to conjure up images of election parties past, since presidential elections (especially the most recent one) tend to be pretty memorable.

However, every election is important, especially since many local policies eventually filter up to the state and even the national level.

Granted, it's hard to get fired up about some of the measures on the ballot like whether or not to amend the King County Charter, which apparently was so poorly written that it gets amended every year. Lucky for me and my fellow voters, the funny folks at The Stranger in Seattle have done the admittedly dull legwork and condensed all of the info into an easy-to-follow (and laugh at) voting guide. I discovered the guide during my last voting stint in the summer primary, when I was unfamiliar with many of the candidates and the county brochure containing the candidate statements didn't offer enough info to help me make a decision. The Stranger's guide is so good that I'd read it for fun even if I didn't live in Seattle.

Your town or city will offer voting guides too, and even if they aren't as entertaining as The Stranger's, they are worth a read. Certain organizations, such as The Sierra Club, also publish voting guides by region.

So before you start filling out your ballot, take a few minutes to read the opinions of others, especially about issues you may not be familiar with. That way, you won't end up with a power-mad comptroller or a parking lot where your paradise is supposed to be.

Yellow Books and Halloween - I can tell you how to get rid of one.

Ah, the yellow pages. No matter how many times I move, those hefty tomes seem to follow me everywhere I go. I moved into a new place last month, and I was rejoicing over the fact that the previous owner hadn't left stacks of old ones hidden in a drawer somewhere. But just when I thought I was safe, it happened. A Yellow Book. On my doorstep. In a plastic bag.

The funny thing is that I don't even have a landline, but apparently that doesn't make a difference.

However, with a bit of effort, it turns out that I can rid myself of them forever. You can go to YellowPagesGoesGreen and enter your mailing info to opt out of delivery. I also found this blog that lists all of the numbers needed to call to opt out of receiving unsolicited phone books.

Depending on where you live, here are the numbers:

AT&T/YellowPages (formerly SBC and Bell South):

1.800.792.2665

Verizon (Idearc):

1.800.888.8448

Dex:

1.877.243.8339

Yellow Book:

1.800.373.3280 or 1.800.373.2324

This left me with the problem of what to do with the yellow book I already have. I went to the Yellow Book Recycling Directory and entered in my zip code to find a place to recycle it. In Seattle, the phone books can go in the regular commingled recycling, so check with your municipality first to see if the same rules apply where you live.

Here's to only finding trick-or-treaters on our doorstep next Halloween!

What Are You Doing Tomorrow?

No matter your whereabouts or plans, chances are you can find an International Day of Climate Action sponsored by 350.org near you. I've written about 350 before, and one of the founders is featured in my book. They are doing incredible work to raise awareness about climate change, and tomorrow's day of action is one that you can easily be involved in.

4500 events will be held in 181 countries to "call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis." You can locate an event near you by visiting the 350 website.

Remember, the Barcelona Climate Change talks are the first week of November, and the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is less than two months away. Now is the time to make sure your voice is heard on an issue that matters to us all.

Visit a National Park (For Free!) Next Weekend

Time spent in National Parks allows us to experience nature's majesty by ourselves or with family and friends. Last July, I was visiting Glacier National Park for the first time and having my first encounter with a Grizzly Bear. Just to back up my assertion, The Huffington Post recently published a post by Barbara Fenig titled "Top Ten Best National Parks You Don't Know About," and Glacier was #1 on the list.

In case you need any additional incentive, next weekend, August 15th and 16th, entry to many of the parks is free! Here is a list by state of all of the parks that will be fee-free next weekend - Enjoy!

Vote Yes on Referendum 1

Seattle residents will soon be receiving their August ballots in the mail, and one of the most closely watched votes is Referendum 1, which decides whether or not to place a fee on plastic and paper bags.

As I wrote in my previous post on this topic, the fee was already passed by the city council, but then it was forced to a referendum. Keep in mind that a large portion of the funding to oppose the fee is coming from The American Chemistry Council (which lobbies for companies like Exxon and Dow Chemical and makes money from the sale of disposable plastics). The lobby has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into defeating the referendum.

There are many reasons why the fee is a good idea:

• It will greatly reduce the use of both paper and plastic bags and therefore the resources used to make and transport them, as well as the litter generated after the bags are used.
  
• Part of the revenue from the bag fee will go towards an educational campaign and towards purchasing reusable bags for low-income families.
• Many cities and countries have instituted or are considering instituting a similar initiative, and many eyes will be on Seattle to see what our city does.

But perhaps the most compelling visual reminder of why the fee is a good idea came this afternoon, when I saw a homemade sign on Westlake Avenue asking voters to support the bag fee. Fifty yards down the road (and less than a hundred yards from Lake Union), I saw a plastic bag clinging to brush, hanging on until another gust of wind blew it elsewhere to live on as non-biodegradable trash, maybe even joining up with fellow plastic garbage on the infamous litter island known as the Pacific Garbage Patch.

If you live in Seattle, please vote yes on Referendum 1 by August 18th, and urge everyone you know to do the same.

Living on Earth...and a Budget

No matter where you turn, it seems that budgetary constraints are on people's minds, but as we've seen with the push for "green jobs" and a new "green economy", eco-conscious and economical are not mutually exclusive terms.

One of the benefits of living on a budget is that it helps us take a hard look at what we choose to spend our money on. Is it something that will last? Is it something that we need? Is it something that was created in an environmentally and socially conscious manner? How much waste will this product leave behind? How much energy will it require to operate?

A recent story on the NPR series "Living on Earth" profiled a house in California, which has received the highest level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification - platinum. One of the most interesting points made was that the best modifications made (like making the home more airtight) were also the cheapest. Listen to the full story here.

This is the house. Sadly, they won no awards for Leadership in Tasteful Color Choices.

In order to help you budget your own and your planet's precious resources, check out the user friendly (and free!) money managing software at Mint. With great sections like paying off student debt and creating a budget, Mint is perfect for users of all ages and needs.

Okay, okay. I'm doing it!

I'm kind of enjoying my recent foray into Twitter-land. Between Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter, I'm not sure what to update first, but as a pretty verbose person, I like the fact that I am limited to 140 characters per entry - can't quite bring myself to say "tweet" yet, but stay tuned...

Want to follow me? I'm @tenwaysLB.

I thought it would be really clever to write a post about Twitter with only 140 characters - you know, good practice and all, but this post is well over 400 characters. Looks like I have my work cut out for me on the pithy front !

Oh, and while we're on the subject of technology, check out Grist's Guide to Green Iphone Apps.