Live Green SLC! Festival May 8th 10am-6pm

Live music, face painting, delicious organic food, a climbing wall, and most of our inventory for $5 and $10!!!

Come visit our booth at the 7th annual Live Green SLC! Festival this Saturday at Downtown Library Square (210 East 400 South) from 10am-6pm. We'll have our "I Heart SLC" tees and handmade women's and children's clothing from cooperatives from around the world.

See you Saturday!

New Song Bazaar & Boutique Dec. 5th

This Saturday, Say it Green! will feature it's "I Heart SLC" t-shirts at New Song's 2nd Annual Bazaar & Boutique.

Buy local and find unique gift ideas. Featuring an eclectic mix of handcrafted and homemade items by 20+ local crafters & Etsy artists.

December 5th, 2009
10 am-3 pm

FREE hot apple cider! New Song Presbyterian Church~ 859 South 800 East ~Salt Lake City
See the New Song Bazaar & Boutique facebook page for more details.

Free CD with purchases over $100

Our holiday designs this season are from San Francisco-based artist Sonya Cotton. These designs were hand drawn by Sonya, and are offered exclusively at Say it Green! We are thrilled to feature Sonya's talented artwork on our site. In addition, we are excited to offer Sonya's new CD Red River as a free "Thank You" gift to our customers with orders totalling over $100.

And if you are looking for your own custom, hand-drawn designs by Sonya, you can contact her at http://www.sonyacotton.com/contact.html.

Our plea to you

Hello,

Let's take a step back from t-shirts for a second. This is a "big picture" sort of post.

Because of my (Andy's) work as an environmental consultant over the past several years, I have read lots of reports about climate change/global warming. One recent report was particularly striking and I felt morally compelled to pass it on and add my summary of the most important points. If you don't understand why some people are all concerned about the effects of "climate change" and "global warming" - or if you would like to understand better - then hopefully the information I have outlined below will help bring some clarity to the situation.

The report linked to below was distributed by the UN Environment Programme, and it details the most recent updates to the scientific community's understanding of climate change and its impacts, collected over the last two years.

Here is my summary of some of the key points laid out in the report:

-- Even if the US commits to 73% GHG reductions from 2005 levels by 2050 (which it hasn't actually committed to) and the EU sticks to its 80% GHG reduction from 1990 levels by 2050 commitment, global average temperature is projected to rise 6.3 degrees F (that is a lot and is very bad).

-- The growth in GHG emissions from energy production and industry has exceeded even the most fossil-fuel intensive (i.e. worst case) estimates developed by the IPCC at the end of the 1990s. Global GHG emissions were growing by 1.1% per year from 1990-1999. This accelerated to 3.5% per year from 2000-2007.

-- Existing GHG emissions have already committed us to the following consequences:

• Global average temperature rise of roughly 4.3 degrees F (that is if all human GHG emissions stopped in 2006, which obviously didn't happen).
• Losses of mountain glaciers that supply fresh drinking water (as well as irrigation water and hydro power) to 20-25% of global population.
• Sea level rise of 1 meter by the end of this century – 100 million people currently live within 1 meter of sea level (significant levels of infrastructure are located there as well - think "big port cities"). Additionally, areas near sea level will be exposed to higher risk of storm surges, flooding, and erosion.
• Sea level rise of 5 to 10 meters during the following centuries – consequences similar to the 1 meter sea level rise, but worse.
• Ocean acidification (from absorption of CO2 by the oceans and formation of carbonic acid) that will certainly damage and possibly destroy our coral reefs and the many species that inhabit or depend on them.
• Shifts in Earth's precipitation cycle, with the basic result of "wet places get wetter" (i.e. more frequent, more intense storm/hurricane activity) and "dry places get drier" (i.e. more intense droughts).
• Shifts in the precipitation cycle that will result in the disappearance of regional climates with associated ecosystem destruction and species extinction as drylands shift poleward.

I know that sounds pretty terrible. But if we don't do anything, the consequences will only be worse. If you are wondering what you can do to help, here are three simple ideas:

1) Call/email your senators and representatives (http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml) and tell them you want strong and swift action on climate change, because the consequences we are already facing are very bad, and the consequences of doing nothing (or too little) are even worse. This is one of the most important things you can do. And don't take any "we're working on it" or "we're worried about the economy" or "we're worried about what other countries will do" or "we don't believe in climate change" types of responses. Be firm. (Don't be surprised if you hear some of those responses from both political parties.) [By the way, about the economy - the ecomomic effects of doing nothing will be *far worse* than the economic effects of acting now.]

2) Use less energy. If you own a home, get an energy audit (many states and/or utilities have rebates so you can get them for free or reduced price - see http://www.dsireusa.org/), then take the auditor's recommendations (you will save money at the same time). If you don't own a home or don't get an energy audit, then consider: increase insulation, set thermostat higher in the summer (wear short sleeves inside and use less A/C) and lower in the winter (wear a sweater inside and use less heating), insulate your hot water heater, install CFLs, turn off lights, drive less (bike/walk more - you will be surprised how helpful it is for staying in shape and hooray for spending less money on gas!).

3) Tell your friends. Tell your friends about the consequences we are facing regarding climate change, and give them some ideas on how they can make a difference. Feel free to forward this as an email or link to it from your blog/facebook page, if you'd like. Tell them what you are doing; not in a "I'm better than you way" but in a "hey this is a great idea and you should give it a try" way.

To those of you who made it through this post, thanks. I appreciate it and I hope it was helpful.

Peace,

Andy

--
Say it Green!
Your clothes. Your voice. Say it Green!
www.sayitgreen.com
801-368-9602

Report: http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=596&ArticleID=6326&l=en

Washington Post article about the report: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092402602.html?hpid=topnews

Reuseable bags

Did you know there is an island of plastic trash twice the size of the state of Texas, floating around in the Pacific Ocean? I don't know about you, but I find that to be astounding.

Eco friendly reusable grocery bags have seen their popularity surge in the past few years. They have a dramatically reduced environmental impact. So far this year over 325 billion disposable paper and plastic bags have been wasted and are piling up in landfills (and our oceans). Many countries across the globe are passing laws to tax or ban plastic bag usage and people are starting to act on the Earth's behalf. Together we can help save this planet with every bag we reuse. Seattle's bill for taxing plastic bags was just voted down, but it is just the beginning and a sign of change. Communities need to continue to strive towards a solution and be proactive about setting an example for others.

Support Bidder 70 Tim DeChristopher

To help support Tim DeChristopher and the organization Peaceful Uprising, Say it Green! is selling a limited edition run of Bidder 70 shirts. We will donate 20% of proceeds to Tim DeChristopher's legal defense fund with the hope that his trial raises awareness to the serious and immediate impacts of global warming.

To order please email us at orders@sayitgreen.com with size (s, m, l, xl) and style (mens or womens) info. We'll email you back a PayPal button for $15 plus shipping. Thanks!

Hosting Shake Your Peace! for Mestizos

Pedal-Powered Benefit Concert for West SLC Youth
7:30 - 9:30pm Friday, May 8th

Mestizo Coffeehouse

631 West North Temple, Suite 700

Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Starting at 6am everyday, when no one else will give them room, Mestizo Coffeehouse opens its doors for the West Salt Lake borderland youth to have a space for expression and inclusion.
Mestizo Coffeehouse which also houses the non-profit public art gallery, Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts (MICA), was started in 2003 by Terry and Ruby Chacon with the goal of building community and advancing cross-cultural dialogue through art. Ruby is the artist-in-resident who also mentors students from age eight to young adult. The gallery houses artwork her students have done as well as communal art projects such as murals that go into public art spaces when finished. Terry does creative and screen writing workshops for the youth that filter into the coffee house. But whether it is through writing or visual arts, both Ruby and Terry believe that each person has a story to tell and its worth being heard.

Friday May 8, 2009 from 7:30-9:30pm, Mestizo can become part of your story. We at Say it Green! are hosting a benefit concert for Mestizo, at Mestizo. There will be coffee, art, ideas, t-shirts, posters, and of course music. Donations will be accepted at the door or go online and give through Mestizo's website: www.mestizoarts.org/donate.html. Get a limited-edition Mestizo poster or t-shirt for $5 and $15 donations. The artwork for these posters and t-shirts was done by MICA youth.

But, lest you think your donation will only be monetary, the music and ideas can only be heard if you provide the power for the song and the word. This benefit concert is one stop that the bicycle touring sustainable rock-n-roll band Shake Your Peace! (http://www.shakeyourpeace.com/) and supporting act Utahpia 2009 will make on their tour through Utah. The band powers their sound equipment by having an audience member pedal their bikes in-place (made stationary with special kickstands) at the shows, creating electricity by harnessing the momentum of the free-spinning back wheel.

So whether you are donating money to Mestizo, riding the bike for Shake Your Peace, dialoging with the various Utah community leaders that make up Utahpia 2009, or getting to know the artistic youth at Mestizo, you will be agitating for a sustainable Salt Lake City, one that includes space for everyone's story.