Ever since the Killer Whale Trainer death at Sea World, my heart keeps pulling me to understand where I stand with Americans frothing over killer whales in a big bathtub and most of all,   are they happy flapping thier fins to thousands of spectators in captivity.

After watching a heated episode of Larry King Live, I’m still seeking truth.  It’s easy to say we know what these Killer Whales feel, think or believe.

Are the trainers complete wackos when we see them love the whales and the whales love back? That can’t be fake and these are smart animals.

Are these myth?

• Killer Whales at Sea World are hungry, they eat spools and spools in the ocean each day.
• Killer Whales in the ocean only travel far for food, not excersize and peace of mind.
• If Astronauts lose thier life for research, then whale trainers ought to be exempt from the risk of the occupation, like Astronauts?
• Killer Whales are happy.  They were born into captivity
• The Circus can be equated to Sea World in terms of abuse to animals.
• Sea World provides the largest amount of research and spending on research than any other park like Sea World.

I am so confused by who’s telling the truth.

Is there a shot in hell we can believe Killer Whales are happy because they were born into captivity?

Perhaps, the latest trainer death explains how pissed off they really are at we human beings, the human race, self centered for the sake of entertainment.

I was repelled that Sea World had the whale that killed the trainer back in the spotlight performing within 4 days of the trainers death. Wow.

Watch the KILLER WHALE FIGHT on Larry King Live. What a show of rock throwing. No resolution but good TV.

Science and Art complement each other like cream cheese on a bagel and a delicious cup of coffee. Look at the Chinese doing everything larger than Americans. Aren’t they just the king country of ”ah…I think we can do that bigger, cheaper, and faster.”  When I first looked at this image I thought of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Do you remember? They used what looked like solar plates in their choreography and it was breathtaking. If you didn’t see it, you’re probably thinking WHO CARES!

Bottom line, I’m always looking for that, “Oh Wow,” and a 25 square mile solar blanket of panels, larger than Manhattan, sea of black, light-absorbing glass, is off the hook!

The plant can pump enough energy to light 3 million homes per hour.

Arizona-based First Solar announced yesterday plans to construct the world’s largest solar plant in Ordos, China. When completed in 2019, the 2,000 megawatt Ordos solar farm will produce enough power to provide for 3 million homes.  It’s a development that makes China, the second largest energy-using country, one of the biggest players in the solar energy game.

It seems like a new “world’s largest solar plant” or “world’s most efficient solar cell” is being announced every day, but the Ordos solar farm is an especially big deal – the 25 square mile, multi-billion dollar plant makes other solar projects look tiny by comparison. Other major projects in the works, such as First Solar’s 550-megawatt project in California and the US Army’s 500 megawatt solar thermal project in the Mojave Desert, don’t even come close to matching Ordos.

Still, renewable energy projects get scrapped or pared down all the time. That means it will be worth keeping an eye on Ordos, which is scheduled to begin the first of its four phases of construction in 2010, to see if it is actually completed. If it is, the country that is now the world’s biggest polluter could easily also become the world’s biggest renewable energy consumer.

Have you noticed big brands becoming green. A new home subdivision down the street is slated as “Solar Homes.” My local gym says, “We are fit for Green and rated best in green for 2009.”  Even Oreck Vaccuum Cleaners released a green gas powered vacuum cleaner and think that’s green. I kid, because I love.

But seriously, how do you and I go green? Sounds expensive and who has time, right? How the heck are you and I supposed to morph our businesses into green?

Many businesses, especially small businesses, do not have the time or resources to find green product manufacturers, set up relationships, and inspect the manufacturers’ eco-friendly policies. So whether you want to purchase a portable solar panel to provide power to your business or reduce your business waste, you may seem adrift at sea. Inspiration from the English Government is leading the green way.

The Brits are spot on! The City of London (England that is) has come to the rescue of London businesses Mayor Boris Johnson, using 3 million pounds from the London Development Agency, has created a green procurement service called Green Procurement Code. This unique service is web based and allows businesses to search for products that have been screened for being eco-friendly.

What is Eco-Friendly?

There seems to be varying definitions of what exactly eco-friendly products and services entail. According to the Green Procurement website, “Green products are made or operate in a way that they:

* use fewer natural resources
* contain fewer hazardous or toxic materials
* have a longer life span
* consume less energy or water in production or use
* can be reused or recycled on disposal
* generate less waste, for example be made from recycled materials, use less packaging or be recycled by the supplier.”

This definition seems reasonable.

OK.. next question, who’s in bed with who here? It would be interesting to know if there is a sweetheart deal between the vendors on the site and the City of London. I’ll find out soon what kind of criteria that city is using when selecting companies.

While the government’s intentions are probably noble with this initiative, the businesses and citizens of London should watch it carefully to make sure the selection of suppliers does not become a source of political patronage.

Private v. Public

This whole green website deal costs three million pounds. While I appreciate the Brit government’s involvement with this process, I wonder if a chamber of commerce or local business association could provide a similar service for less than three million pounds.

Politics aside, the procurement website seems like a great 21st century initiative for London.

Bottom Line: It’s Worth A Try

The City of London is leading the way and America needs to be doing this too. The second I find out about one here in the states, I’ll let you know. [Brits love to call us "The States." I don't hear Americans using that vernacular.]

Since you’re probably not a London business reading Hart of Green, then check out three ways to green your business today.

No time left? Great! Cool book for green biz enthusiasts

1.  Design Process - The problem many companies have is that they throw on eco-friendly options at the end of the design process. With this method, the products aren’t truly green. Also, people who are experienced eco-friendly shoppers can tell the product is not actually environmentally friendly.

2. Outsource as much as possible - Another reason your products may not be green is because you are spending all your time running your business. You should outsource what you don’t like doing. Anything you are not great at should be outsourced. Elance is the best place to get started with outsourcing.

3. Find the expertise you need - If you are a small company, it may not be feasible for you to learn how to green your product line or to hire someone in house to do so.  This is where elance comes to the rescue again. You can post a project on elance for an industrial engineer to take your existing product and green it. So if you don’t have the expertise, go out and get it.

The main point is if you aren’t already an expert on green product, outsource to experts who know how to do it. Doing it half-heartedly will show through when your customers look at your finished product.

HomeGain is proud to support the cause of raising earth preservation awareness and green efforts within the real estate community.

The goal of any movement is the collective result — that small changes will make a huge difference. This campaign will provide ideas and inspire Realtors to make changes in the way they conduct business so they may help their clients make eco-friendly choices.

See their cool website NOW
Louis Cammarosano
General Manager

p 510 594 4121
f 510 655 0848

louis@homegain.com
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Looking for love? Feeling like you have those wrapped around your ankles? Well…in preparation for the weekend, I have some green organic romantic ideas for you.

Hey, you had me at hello. You know you complete me, right? And, yes, the pic is from Ghost not the Tom Cruise Movie.

Pretty green movie for its day, molding pottery at home, and yes, get that on your calendar for you and your honey this year.  Why not?

Society and culture tell us those words are full of love that cures all and that to be truly happy, we need to find the one who “completes us.”

Is there anything that won’t send us to divorce court? The study identified these as non-issues in the success or failure rates of those studied:

* How many kids a couple has
* Whether or not the wife is employed
* Number of years the couple is employed

Researchers from the Australian National University report that love isn’t what will make us live “happily ever after.” The study, “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” followed 2,500 couples (married or living together) for six years to see which couples stayed together and why.

The study revealed that photos of your spouse in his or her high school yearbook can tell you a lot about whether your marriage will survive.

For example, researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm reported on the ‘bonding gene’—a gene modulating the hormone vasopressin, which was strongly tied to how well men fare in marriage. The study suggests that if a man has more vasopressin in the brain, the more likely he’ll want to stick with his partner.

Here’s a rundown of factors that played a significant role in whether those marriages lasted or failed:

• Blending families—20 percent of marriages with kids from prior relationships end in divorce.
• Second/third marriages—90 percent of these couples are likely to separate or divorce.
• Age—If a man is under 25 when he marries or if he’s nine or more years older than his wife, he’s twice as likely to get a divorce than a man who is older than 25 or closer in age to his wife.
• Desire to have children—If the woman has a much stronger desire to have kids than her spouse, the marriage is not likely to succeed.
• Relationship status of parents—If couples come from separated or divorced parents, 17 percent were headed toward the same result, as compared to 10 percent who come from stable homes.
• Smoking—Relationships in which only one person smokes is also a factor toward failure.
• Money—The root of all evil? Well, not exactly, but 16 percent of self-reported “poor” relationships in which the man was unemployed ended in separation or divorce. Only 9 percent of couples who had a healthy bank account went south.

Jump Start Your Relationship GETTING HOT in a green sort of way

Are you feeling kinda sexy now? No? Well, fantasize for a moment. Prepare a sumptuous soak for two with Jillian with a J’s yummy, sexy Pink Sugar Bath Bombs. Made with all natural ingredients, these bath bombs are dessert in a tub.

Contribution from Jon Swartz, USA TODAY