DRESS RIGHT!
Brazilians, bring in the New Year with the color they want to represent the year ahead of them. Usually in new clothing. Don’t think this means that you have to dress like a rainbow. A good tip is to add a couple subtle touches to your accessories!

Branco/White = peace, truth, wisdom, good memory and balance

Amarelo/Yellow = money, wealth and wisdom (to spend it!)

Rosa/Pink = luck in love, beauty and to drive away bad energy

Vermelho/Red = passion, strength and energy

Azul/Blue = harmony, health, and an overall calm year

Verde/Green = hope, balance and new beginnings
Laranja/Orange = financial success, happiness, professional and personal success

Violeta/Purple = inspiration, sensibility, imagination, stability; raises your self esteem and helps to keep you focused.

EAT RIGHT!
South Americans, Italians, and many others are a big fan of lentils, black eyed peas, and grapes!

- Lentilhas, or lentils, are eaten in various forms (soup, sala, with rice & meat) in order for your next year to be financially successful!!

- Carne de Porco – It’s uncommon for anyone to eat any poultry on new year’s eve here because chickens & turkeys kick back their legs to walk and pigs walk forward. This is symbolic of the way the year will be – walking forward or moving backwards!

- Uvas & Romã – Eating grapes or pomegranate right after midnight and keeping 12 seeds and putting them in your wallet. This also attracts more $$!

WHAT TO DO
– Make Noise! This is supposed to scare away the evil spirits!
– A tradition that stems from Candomblé and Umbanda, African inspired religions, if you’re at the beach, many will jump over 7 waves and make a wish on each hop for the year to come. This is supposed to bring good vibrations your way all year long!
– Poem o pé direito no chão – Another superstitions actually quite literal. At midnight, if you lift your left foot, you start the year off on the right foot . This is usually done with a glass of champagne in hand and hopping 3 times. Hopping up a step on just your right foot also gives you a leg up!! (ok, I’ll stop with the cheesiness now)
– Clean your home, your sheets, and give away anything you don’t need for good energy!
– The Midnight Kiss: The reason you are supposedly supposed to kiss someone at midnight, is because otherwise it is believed that the rest of the year means you will face a year of coldness and lack of affection. Even if it’s your mom, dad, kid, or sibling! Share a little peck on the cheek!
– And for those who meet the drinking age, champagne!

The post NEW YEARS: A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE appeared first on Green Jar.

This event has done much to expand the perception of what it means to be truly sustainable without sacrificing style.

CLICK HERE to purchase a ticket and look at the amazing line up of hosts, chefs, and of course musical act the lovely and talented Michelle Branch below.

The post UPCOMING EVENT: GLOBAL GREEN USA SAN FRANCISCO BENEFIT PARTY appeared first on Green Jar.

I hope recycling is not a single-day event! Here are some other ideas to get educated, get involved and keep recycling throughout the year.

Research Your Municipal Recycling

Just like checking the smoke detector batteries on the day the clocks change for daylight savings time, America Recycles Day is a great day to reacquaint yourself with your municipal recycling regulations.  Most people can recycle glass, aluminum, paper, and certain plastics through curbside recycling, but the list of what is and is not accepted varies from town to town. What if you’ve been throwing #5 plastic in your recycling bin but it’s not accepted?  What if your town, like my town, only accepts #1 and #2 plastic bottles of certain shapes?  The neck must be smaller than the widest part of the  bottle, so no tubs or odd-shaped containers are accepted.  Who knew?  I wouldn’t have unless I took the time to do a little research.   Your town should have a list of accepted materials on its municipal website.

Recycle the Traditionally Non-Recyclable with TerraCycle

You recycled those “recyclables,” but what about the rest of your household waste?  TerraCycle is a recycling and upcycling company that specializes in traditionally non-recyclable and hard-to-recycle materials.  You can send in hair care, skin care and cosmetic packaging, soap refill pouches, tortilla and tostada packaging, cereal bags and 40 other kinds of waste through the Brigade programs for free, thanks to sponsors like Garnier, Method, Mission Foods and Malt-O-Meal.  For every piece of waste sent in to TerraCycle, the collector is awarded points, which can be put toward specific charity gifts or converted to cash and sent to any charity.

FINALLY Figure Out What to Do With It

If you’re like me, there’s something in your home that you’re not quite sure how to dispose of safely.  For me, it’s old CFL light bulbs.  Because they contain mercury, I know I can’t just throw them away, so I’ve been keeping them in a basket in my hall closet until I figure out what to do with them.  Trouble is, I never do!  Maybe you have empty paint cans or varnish bottles or batteries or cell phones in closets and drawers in your home.  This America Recycles Day, why not take the time to figure out once and for all how to get rid of the stuff!  Earth911 has a recycling center database that is super helpful and easy to use.

Happy America Recycles Day!

The post TODAY IS AMERICA RECYCLES DAY! SOME TIPS ON HOW TO GET INVOLVED appeared first on Green Jar.

This year, Chicago has stepped up it’s Green Initiative planting over 500,000 new trees throughout the city. New Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made it a goal to promote urban farming by cutting zoning laws and improving accessibility and funding for Chicago’s public transportation system.

We’ll be celebrating alongside local over 70 Chicago vendors and environmental enthusiasts.

The Green Music Festival has worked closely with the Chicago Department of Environment and the Center for Green Technology to create an exceptionally green weekend. They’ve even made sure all vendor’s generators are fueled with biodiesel fuel. Even the cups you’ll be drinking out of are from ethanol, not Styrofoam. Visitors and participants are in for an exciting treat, and, at only $5 a ticket, anyone can join in on the festivities.

The post This Weekend: Chi Town’s Third Annual Green Music Festival appeared first on Green Jar.

SWEETGREEN (www.sweetgreen.com), known for its network of sustainable eateries throughout the northeast, has announced the lineup for its annual Sweetlife Festival, featuring The Strokes as headliner, plus Girl Talk, Lupe Fiasco, Crystal Castles, Cold War Kids, Ra Ra Riot, Theophilus London,Walk the Moon, US Royalty and Modern Man. The festival is scheduled for Sunday, May 1st at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD from 1pm to 11pm. Visit www.Sweetlifefestival.com now for tickets!

SWEETLIFE FESTIVAL is an annual celebration of music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living, hosted by sweetgreen and located directly between Washington DC and Baltimore where fans of music and sustainability can experience the forefront of both cultural movements in one interactive environment. As an extension of the brand’s commitment to sourcing seasonal, local food for each of its locations in Washington and Philadelphia and promoting healthy, sustainable living, sweetgreen is partnering with the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, which was established to fight obesity and promote better dietary health through food education and cooking skills. A portion of the festival’s proceeds will be donated to the celebrity chefʼs foundation.

“This festival is bringing us one step closer to realizing our vision for the ‘sweetlife’,” said Jonathan Neman, co-founder of sweetgreen with Nathaniel Ru and Nicolas Jammet. “We’re excited to bring an event like this to Washington DC, and to bring together two of the most important aspects of the sweetlife: sustainable food and live music. This year’s Sweetlife Festival is a huge leap from last year—from the days DJing block parties in the parking lot of our Dupont Circle sweetgreen location to now being at one of the most legendary venues in the country, not to mention with one of our favorite bands of all time.”

In addition to presenting a day of renowned musical talent, sweetgreen will also work with multiple partners to curate experiences throughout the festival grounds that extend sweetgreen’s hip and eco-conscious ethos from the table to all facets of the Sweetlife. Sweetlife Festival will feature a host of exciting programs for the entire family, including:

• Food. Natural, organic and local concessions will be provided by sweetgreen, Applegate Farms, Honest Tea, Stonyfield Farm and Keany Produce.
• Social. The Sweetlife Festival will push the boundaries of what is possible when you combine interactive digital + social platforms with a large crowd of fans, by joining with partners – such as Hipstamatic and Fast Society- to create innovative activations at the festival.
• Energy. Through a human-energy activation provided by OPOWER, the Sweetlife Festival will calculate its carbon footprint and offset it to create a carbon neutral event.

The post THE SWEETLIFE ECO FESTIVAL appeared first on Green Jar.

For the Green New Yorker:

1. Earth Day at Times Square: Eco-Fashion Parade, Musical Performances, and More

What: A special commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day will be held in Times Square. The public event will run from 11am to 2pm and feature messages from local, national and international environmental activists, business leaders, government officials, and musical guests who are committed to environmental action

2. Aveda Walk for Water

What: The Aveda Walk for Water happens in cities all over the world during the week of Earth Day, April 22–to raise awareness and funding for clean water organizations. Help raise awareness for Clean Water by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge with the New York AVEDA team. All proceeds help Clean Ocean Action protect our waterways.

More: Aveda Walk for Water

3. Eco Expo for Environmental Education (e4-NYC)

What: he Eco Expo for Environmental Education (e4-NYC) is an informative, mobilizing and action-oriented forum for exchange of ideas, information, and resources. The conference will bring together 800 students, teachers, administrators, community members, eco leaders, elected officials, non-profit organizations, and businesses to share and discover ways to reduce their impact on the environment and conserve our limited resources.

Participate in panel discussions, dialogues, interactive workshops, and the Eco Resource Fair featuring a collective of products, services, and environmental initiatives.

When: April 23-24,
Where: Collegiate School, 260 West 78th Street

For the Green DC Kid

1. Earth Day Cleanup at the National Zoo

What: National Zoo staff and volunteers will work together to improve the health of the Zoo’s ecosystem by picking up aluminum cans, food wrappers, and other litter in a wooded area of the Zoo near the Connecticut Avenue entrance. Not only will you get the chance to help the planet, but you’ll also venture to a place in the Zoo not often seen by the public eye.

When: April 24, 8-10am

Where: Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW

More: National Zoo

2. EPA’s 4th Annual eCycling Day for the Washington Metropolitan Area

What: Join us in celebration of Earth Day as we host our 4th annual eCycling event. Bring your unwanted computer and computer-related equipment (computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, etc.) and cell phones for free recycling. This year, EPA and cooperating organizations will collect unwanted computer equipment. Don’t forget you are responsible for removing data from computers before drop-off.

When: April 24, 10am – 3pm

Where: National Harbor Plateau in Prince George’s County, Maryland

More: EPA eCycling

*Want to find more activities for your city go to www.earthday.org and enter in your zipcode!

(via: www.teendiariesonline.com

The post Teen Diaries Online: What You Can Do On Earth Day appeared first on Green Jar.

ith the precarious state of ecosystems throughout the world today, it is difficult to know for certain which threatened species will continue to be around for future generations–and which will have gone the way of the Dodo. But as sobering of a legacy that may be, it is increasingly important to raise awareness of these fading animals early and often to the children of today, whose attitudes and actions as adults may determine the fate of the planet’s biodiversity. So, with that in mind, one zoo is educating its young visitors about the importance of preservation in an imaginative way–with an exhibition of endangered animals constructed out of Legos.

Opened yesterday, the Philadelphia Zoo‘s Lego-made exhibit, called ”Creatures of Habitat: A Gazillion-Piece Animal Adventure,” features the work of world-renowned Lego artist Sean Kenney. According to Kenney, the 34 animals he created for the zoo took him over one year to complete–the largest project he’s undertaken. Included in the exhibit are sculptures of endangered birds, frogs, tamarins, and a polar bear made with 95,000 Lego pieces.

The post LEGO EXHIBITION AT PHILLY ZOO! appeared first on Green Jar.

ut on those galoshes and get ready for some culture! New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) recently welcomed “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront” –  an exhibit showcasing five versions of New York City after sea levels rise.

According to MoMA’s site:

An architects-in-residence program at P.S.1 brings together five interdisciplinary teams, including Architecture Research Office (ARO), to re-envision the coastlines of New York and New Jersey around New York Harbor and to imagine new ways to occupy the harbor itself with adaptive “soft” infrastructures that are sympathetic to the needs of a sound ecology.

While touring the exhibit, you’ll read about new zoning ordinances, measure yourself against projected future tide lines, and explore how the city might look and feel after it’s partially covered in water. Fancy!

To learn more about “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront”, visit MoMA.org!  Make sure you check out the exhibit before it’s sunk.

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Treehugger.com has some green halloween tips so we thought we’d take a hit and share!

Each year Americans spend billions of dollars on Halloween candy, costumes and other Halloween related décor-type items (over $3 billion was spent in 2006 alone). They’re shelling out $20-50 a piece on costumes and $10 and up on bags of candy.

But, this year more-so than in years past, people have enhanced awareness of health issues like cancer, obesity, and diabetes rates, of environmental health, and this year less people have the luxury of spending their hard earned dollars on store-bought costumes so they’re being forced to look elsewhere for their ghost and goblin attire.

All of that brings us to my five tips for throwing a greener Halloween…in ways you may not have thought of.

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