| In This Issue |
| Start Positive |
| Plastics Update |
| Arghand Cooperative |
| UNH Report |
| Recommended Online Viewing |
| RGG Events |
- Real Green Goods is having a Book Drive organized by one of our local Bow high  school seniors for the "Invisible Children" project. Please come by the store to donate your old books. The drive ends Jan. 25th. For details on types of books acceptable go to: Invisible Children
RGG Events |
| New At RGG! |
Anchor Hocking Recycled (25%)Glass mixing bowls, USA made, in a variety of sizes.
Sun Hats, functional and stylish, made from sturdy elephant grass.
More colors and styles of Maggie's Organic Crew socks
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| Green Tip |
Our customers spend time reading and adding to the journal located in the back of our store where "Customer Green Tips" are accumulating.
One customer quoted: "Be sure to clear the iceberg from the roof of your car! Every 100 pounds decreases fuel efficiency by about 1%, and it ruins your vehicle's aerodynamics, further reducing fuel efficiency." (Not to mention the danger in the ice chunk flying off the car into another vehicle.)
Planet Green™ provides a list of the 77 Best and Most Original Green Tips of the Year 2008. It's really on target.
Planet Green
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Dear Reader,
Happy New Year 2009 to you all. In opening, we would like to say a heartfelt thanks to our wonderful customers, new and old (we mean... returning) who asked how we are fairing during these economic uncertainties. We have had so many customers dedicated to shopping "Main Street" and keeping their money local. A special thank you to all of you. And the answer is, we are fine and we met our goal this holiday season (but stop in and ask again soon!).
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Start Positive
See The Good
Let's start the New Year on a positive note. As the calendar turned, it was perhaps the most turbulent time in recent history, including at the environmental level. So let's see what good (mostly) environmental topics are on the radar:
1 - Peregrine Falcons numbers are up 50% up over the last decade. The eggs that did not hatch had high levels of flame retardants. New Hampshire Audubon.
2 - Freecycle.com - the ultimate in "reuse" and "reduce" - has a surge in membership and users. Haven't been to Freecycle yet? It's cool, check it out.
3 - Locally Grown Food not only takes off, but Grow Your Own Food can be found deep in urban locations. Read More
4 - Lead levels in blood has dropped significantly since lead has been phased out of gasoline and paint. Read More
5 - Green Cleaning becomes more main stream and improves indoor air quality. Vinegar Tips
6 - Recycling rates increase as "Pay as You Throw" programs expand. Read More
Happy Green New Year, and may 2009 be the greenest yet!
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Plastics Update and Reminder: Reduce Your Exposure
Everyone needs to reduce their exposure to the toxic chemicals BPA and phthalates contained in plastics, both being synthetic estrogen causing endocrine disruption. Phthalates are added to "just about anything" for various reasons, to soften plastics or to help carry the chemical fragrance of a perfume. This article lists 10 places to start reducing our vast exposure to these toxic chemicals. |
Arghand Cooperative
Updates from Afghanistan
 The Taliban are regaining strength in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan where the Arghand luxury soaps, sold here at Real Green Goods, are made. Founder Sarah Chayes, former NPR reporter and author of "The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban", writes of the continuing corruption and violence in this Washington Post article. For more field notes posted by Sarah Chayes updating the situation in this volatile region, go to Arghand.org
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UNH Report
Snow Lovers Beware
University of New Hampshire researchers conclude that our classic winter conditions are disappearing at an ever-increasing rate. They state,"Just because we had a snowy winter doesn't mean that winters aren't warming....The 11 warmest years in the global instrumental temperature record (since 1850) have occurred since 1995." For more information
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Recommended Online Viewing
A hopeful and visionary sneak-peek at the cars in our future
 - Take a look at the new cars being developed for the not-too- distant future, explained by one of the world's top physicists, Amory Lovins of the renowned Rocky Mountain Institute, a "think-and-do tank" in Colorado. Please watch YouTube.com to see a re-design of cars in ways you never imagined.
- Learn lots more about energy conservation by reading from the vast archives of the Rocky Mountain Institute at RMI.org
Also
- You've heard about the number 350 before. Now we need your help to spread the word. By watching the video, the YOUTUBE ratings will increase. And beside, it's cleverly done. YouTube.com
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A PLEA TO OUR CUSTOMERS!
We need your plastic bags! Have you accumulated plastic bags over the years from BEFORE you started using your reusable bags? If you have extra, we'll be glad to have them to reuse for our customers.
WINTER HOURS REMINDER
- Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday hours remain the same, Noon to 5 p.m.
Thursdays Open til 7 pm. For Downtown Shopping
Thank you for reading and for caring about the environment. And, as we say at Real Green Goods, Have a Green Day!™
Sincerely,
All of us from Real Green Goods
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