What the LOHAS really buy: New german study

A new study from KarmaKonsum (the most popular german sustainability blog) and ACNielsen will finally empirically reveal what LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) really buy. The german study "Was LOHAS wirklich kaufen" (What LOHAS really buy) will be presented at the biggest Sustainable Consumption Conference in Germany "KarmaKonsum 2008".

The findings:

• Main point: Only LOHAS make a point of buying organic produce and setting on quality.
• The LOHAS are not a niche group anymore: Almost every third person belongs to this group. The new study differentiates this group's buying behaviour.
• Basically there are two types of LOHAS, "Mature LOHAS" (die 'reifen LOHAS' in german) "Community LOHAS" (same name in german). The Mature LOHAS show the highest acceptance of LOHAS values; the Community LOHAS also show some acceptance but not as much. Then there're the others (die 'Anderen') - hedonists, ideologists and so on.
• What do LOHAS buy? They buy organic produce overproportionally they look on quality and prefer brand products. And they prefer to buy retail, where they are given more options to choose sustainable products with the organic seal.

There are also some interesting details: Though the study shows the characteristic traits you would expect in LOHASians, e.g. in the case of toilet paper the quality is of more importance and in the case of detergents or ready food/convenience food the brand name will play a bigger role.

More on the big conference http://www.karmakonsum.de/konferenz/
Once the study is available, I will post a link here. If you're interested in getting on the hot information directly, write an email to blog@oliveradria.com and I'll let you know it comes out.

A smarter way to light your home

Here is a really nice video on CFL lamps. It explains why CFL lamps should be preferred.

"The World is your Home" (TV ad)

Hi everyone, here is a nice TV ad created by UITP (International Association of Public Transport) in cooperation with UNEP.

Check out the website to receive more information.

SolarTaxi made it halfway around the world!

Hi everyone,

here is some news from the SolarTaxi!! SustainaBee reported
on it about half a year ago just before they started the journey,
and now they've made it to Australia!
The newsletter is below.

========================================




Dear Solar Taxi fans!

It's time for a new Newsletter! We have now made it half way around
the world!! Exactly 8 months after our start and after 21359 km we
have now reached Perth in Western Australia!

What a journey! We started in Lucerne 8 months ago and up to now we
have traveled across 20 countries and 3 continents, and the vehicle is
still doing well. The only things we had to replace so far were the
chain, one wheel cog, a light bulb and the two tyres of the trailer.

What has happened in the last three months:
The highlight of our journey was definitely the World Climate Change
Conference in Bali last December, where the solar taxi was
transporting around the delegates, ministers and the press. We
received great worldwide media coverage and so we could show to the
world that we can even drive a car around the world with the power of
the sun, without using a single drop of petrol, and that something can
be done against global warming.

After Bali, we hitched a ride on the Greenpeace flag ship Rainbow
Warrior and celebrated Christmas and New Year on board of the ship on
High Sea, with a crew of 14 people from 13 countries. We even
encountered a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, but quite often during
the trip I suffered from Sea sickness, so it was not always really
pleasant. Finally, after four long weeks, we ended up at the end of
the world, on the northern tip of New Zealand. From there we drove all
the way to Christchurch on the Southern island.

This detour via Bali and New Zealand has extended our journey by about
3 months, but this is causing no worries, as the Executive Director of
UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner, has invited us to the next World Climate
Change Conference, which will take place in Poland in December 2009.
If everything goes well, we should be back in Switzerland after tht
conference, just before Christmas, after 18 months all together.

Also with the team everything goes well. In these days of rest now,
while the boat is on its way from Australia to Singapore, we simply
relax. I am doing some office works in Singapore, while Thomas is
still hiking somewhere in the mountains in Western Australia. We have
also found a new almost permanent member in our team, Erik Schmitt
from Berlin. He is filming our journey for a documentary, and some
first cuts you can already see on youtube, see the links below.
Another new member is Frank Loacker from the canton of Zurich. He is
an electrician and specialist for electric cars, and he is going to
travel with us on the next leg all the way up to Korea.

All together, we have another 21000 km or more ahead of us, across the
Far East, North America and Western Europe. Next Monday we are going
to pick up the solar taxi at the port of Singapore, and then we start
the next leg of our journey next Friday. We are meeting the State
Minister in Melaka and I am going to hold many presentations at
different universities. Then we are going to travel across Thailand,
Laos, China and Korea. In the summer we are going to cross Canada and
the USA and in November we should be back in Europe. Our next
challenge is definitely China. This country has requested a 3-months
prior application for a transit permit. For not getting lost in this
jungle of applications and papers, we are receiving great support from
the Swiss Embassies and Consulates along the way, from my main sponsor
Q-Cells and from a Chinese travel agent. Let's see what is going to
happen there ...

For following our expedition, stay tuned on www.solartaxi.com !

Keep in touch and Happy Easter!!

Kind regards from Singapore

Louis Palmer

A miracle might be too much to ask - a textile story

Just recently I was going into a regular mass-market clothing store (for the non-regular readers: I live in Germany) because I heard that it had just re-introduced organic clothing. I was very excited to find out what they had done to put in a new organic textile line. I was pleasantly surprised being welcomed by a giant "Bio-Cotton" poster on my way in. It was impossible to ignore all the "Bio-Cotton" signs hanging around in the first 20 metres (that's about 60 feet for the readers across the atlantic :-) ) of me entering the big store. Even the public announcement system was constantly repeating the "Bio-Cotton" ad. I was quite happy to find that the prices weren't that much above the "normal" cotton clothes and I set out to buy at least one. I thought to myself "organic textile is slowly becoming mainstream" - a nice thought.

Flashback: Just a month earlier I had tried to buy organic cotton shirts in the same store. I couldn't find anything. When I asked one of the salespeople, the first response was a blank look for 2 seconds. Then they thought really hard for another 3 seconds and then guided me to this tiny shirt rack and told me "The organic shirt from the last shipment a few months ago should be somewhere in between these shirts. If you can't find anything, then we probably don't have anything." Just to be sure I asked several other salespeople - with similar responses.

Flashforward: Now when I ask about "Bio-Cotton" shirts they're more than happy to help me find the "Bio-Cotton" shirt of my choice :-). I was really happy - this might be the first small step towards pushing other mass retailers to sell organic clothing.

On my way to the cash register I found an organic bag - woohoo, I don't need to use a plastic bag. Though after I paid, something weird happened - the cashier wanted to put my COTTON BAG into a PLASTIC BAG. Oh, well, maybe it was too soon to hope for miracles :-).

The European Commissioners' blogs!

Hi everyone, I recently discovered that the European Commissioner for Energy (Piebalgs) had just recently launched a blog (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/piebalgs/). I thought to myself, hm, I wish the European Commissioner for Environment (Dimas) had one. To my great delight, he's had one since October of 2007 :-). (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/dimas/feed/)

He probably won't spill any secrets on the blogs, but it does give subjects on european policy a friendlier image and a more personal touch. Well, I've subscribed to both blogs already :-).

To all the cyclists: A really cool ad :-)

Here is a really cool advertisement from the UK. Cyclists will appreciate it!



The original is here
http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

KarmaKonsum 2008: Big LOHAS Conference in Germany

Hi to the german-speaking readers! A blogger friend of mine (who hosts one of the most popular sustainability blogs KarmaKonsum in Germany) is hosting a big conference on LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)/sustainable consumption/sustainable lifestyles!
It sounds really exciting and many cool organisations will attend it. It will take place on May 30th, 2008 in Frankfurt.

http://karmakonsum.de/konferenz/

There's even a GreenCamp where you can present your own ideas (limited seating, so register soon).



If you live in Germany or you are in Germany during this time, be sure to check it out!

Small Actions to Change the World #9 (Blog Carnival)

Welcome to the 9th edition of Small Actions to Change the World! It's been quite a while since I've written the last post and I apologise for that. The reason is that I had exams/studies, my vacation, my work and I am in the process of starting a sustainability organisation (check it out here :-) - in german only though). But without further delay, here are the great posts that I have received since the last edition!

Peter Crump presents 4 Unique Christmas Gifts For The Socially Conscious Male posted at Find That Gift For Him.

poetloverrebelspy presents Travel in Your Own Backyard posted at Less Than a Shoestring, saying, "There are many frugal and ecological benefits of nearby excursions vs. far-flung vacations. If you’re a traveler at heart but can’t pull yourself away from work or family for any number of reasons, consider planning a few days out to feed your travel bug. This post walks you through the planning."

Susan presents A New Generation of Carbon Offset Travel posted at The Innovative Traveler.

Nathan presents One Man’s Trash, Another Man’s Electricity posted at It's Easy Being Green, saying, "Something as simple as using our trash to create energy and keep stuff out of the landfill

Nathan presents The Gift of Green Travel posted at It's Easy Being Green, saying, "The gift of "green" travel".

Stretch Mark Mama presents Trash Talk posted at Stretch Mark Mama.

TheLittlestGuy presents carbon offsetting posted at TheLittlestGuy, saying, "Great new site on global warming, climate change, and what you can do to help stop it."

Holly Ord presents Stop Being Stupid About Green posted at Adventure Sports Weekly, saying, "A letter from the editor of Adventure Sports Weekly, Wina Sturgeon, about green, going green, and what is needed to save our planet from inevitable global warming."

Phil B. presents The Secret to a Well Kept Yard « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "The Secret to a Well Kept Yard

Pelf presents How do you convince your friends to go green? posted at The Giving Hands.

Repeat Revenue presents Solar Power Home » Blog Archive » Parts of a residential Solar System posted at Solar Power Home, saying, "Federal, State and Local incentives are available to use alternative forms of energy on your home. See what's available to you."

Pelf presents Some tips to green your office posted at The Giving Hands.

Marie presents Enlighten Your Apartment in 2008 posted at Green Your Apartment.

Samuel Bryson presents Christmas & Goats: a Time for Giving posted at Total Wellbeing.

Samuel Bryson presents Pedalling Money - Saving Money by Cycling: posted at Total Wellbeing.

Kevin Heath presents Involving Kids in the Fight Against Global Warming posted at More4kids.

Pelf presents 10 things you can do to conserve sea turtles posted at The Turtle Talks..

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Love Light Displays? 6 Ways To Trim Your Energy Costs, Not The Cheer posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Thank you!"

As always at the end of the po st, here is a nice motivational something :-). It's an inspiring talk from Bono on activism in Africa. Have fun!

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
small actions to change the world!
using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:
small actions to change the world!, blog carnival.

Small Actions to Change the World #8 (Blog Carnival)

Bzzzz, welcome to the 8th edition of SustainaBee's Blog Carnival: "Small Actions to Change the World!". We've received a lot of great submissions for this edition, so I hope you enjoy them very much!

isabella mori presents change therapy » Blog Archive » would you like a hug? posted at change therapy, saying, "our experience at free hugs day"

Todd Goldfarb presents 50 Ways You Can Be The Change posted at We The Change, saying, "hi there-- here is a terrific article which describes 50 Ways we can "be the change". Enjoy!"

Adam Zekmueller presents Give Better Glasses: Mission for Vision posted at Get Better Glasses!, saying, "Have old prescription glasses sitting in a drawer? Millions of people throughout the world cannot lead a normal life because they cannot see. This organization is working to change that."

Shannon Bullard presents Eco-Friendly Oahu posted at Go Oahu Card Blog.

FitBuff presents 4 Free Stress Relief Games | FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "Just a few minutes a day can change the way you see the world. Here are 4 games scientifically designed to do just that by
forcing your brain to notice the joys of life, rather than the obstacles."

Aruni Gunasegaram presents entrepreMusings » Rock. Paper. Scissors. How Do We All Win? posted at Entrepremusings, saying, "It doesn't take mountain moving to make a difference. We can all do a little to help a lot.

Louise Manning presents 10 Ways to help the Environment in your garden posted at Green Garden Chat.

Christine presents Being Green in France: The Styrofoam Dilemma posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, "Deciding to go and stay green even when it's not the easiest choice, but rather because its the right choice!"

Edith presents 50 Ways to Change the World posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.
Alex Blackwell presents A Time for Thanksgiving posted at The Next 45 Years

Jeremy Neal presents Thoughts on Quotes: Common Courtesy - Creative Thoughts - Famous Quotes posted at Thoughts on Quotes, saying, "Life is short, but there is always time for common courtesies."

Aisha Zoe presents Bouton de train posted at The Student Socialite.

Alex Blackwell presents There's Some Hero in You posted at The Next 45 Years.

Meredith Mathews presents Trees are among my favorite things posted at Lemonade Stand, saying, "A single tree will absorb 1 ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Inspire Yourself on Purpose – Inspiration from Inside Out posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Here are twelve common sense reminders on how to inspire yourself. The word “inspire” derives from root words that mean “in spirit” or “spirit within.” Although there’s always another step to take, these points are a natural result of recognizing and identifying with this realization of who we really are."

David B. Bohl presents Personal Fulfillment: Why Hobbies Matter posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "In my previous life, before I threw up my hands (and my career as a financial trader), moved to Wisconsin and started living a life I truly enjoyed, I didn’t have time for a hobby. I was like the guy in the recent New Yorker cartoon lying on the beach with his laptop. He says to his wife, “It’s not that I’m a workaholic. I just work to relax.”"

That's it for thizzz edition of Small Actions to Change the World. As always, I will end it with an inspiring story. I won't buzz too much around it, the girl in the video clip will explain who she is in the first few seconds.

carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

small actions to change the world!, blog carnival.

Small Actions to Change the World #7 (Blog Carnival)

Welcome to the November 7, 2007 edition of small actions to change the world! The delay is again due to my full schedule these past 2 weeks (I'm sure many of you have really busy schedules as well); so that I had to take at least half the weekend off to do nothing and re-energise :-). Without further delay, here is the 7th edition of the Blog Carnival "Small Actions to Change the World"!

ISPF presents Get Rid of Unwanted Mail. It's Bad for your Wallet and Bad for the Environment posted at Grad Money Matters.

FitBuff presents 7 Easy Breakfast Recipes: Healthy Breakfast in Less Than 5 Minutes posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "You've heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but the RIGHT breakfast is the key to starting your day with energy, productivity, and alertness. Whether you're rushing off to work or getting the kids out the door, there never seems to be enough time to prepare a healthy morning meal. Until now! Here's 7 easy and healthy recipes that you can prepare in less time than it takes to find your keys."

Riversider presents Preston Council Leaders Get A Sandbagging In Ribble Flood Furore posted at Save The Ribble, saying, "A city councillor uses sandbags creatively to make a serious point about flood risk."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Listen with Your Heart posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "When someone is talking to you, do you hear with your ears, monitor with your mind, or listen with your heart? Invest a few minutes thinking about the importance of listening well – a deliberate conscious act – and watch your relationships grow to a new level of closeness and understanding."

Alex Blackwell presents 10 Things to Say or Do Every Day posted at The Next 45 Years.

poetloverrebelspy presents Road Trip Savings: Fuel Costs posted at Less Than a Shoestring, saying, "Lower consumption = better for the environment + lower costs"

David B. Bohl presents Personal Fulfillment: Why Hobbies Matter posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "In my previous life, before I threw up my hands (and my career as a financial trader), moved to Wisconsin and started living a life I truly enjoyed, I didn’t have time for a hobby. I was like the guy in the recent New Yorker cartoon lying on the beach with his laptop. He says to his wife, “It’s not that I’m a workaholic. I just work to relax.”

sasha presents Washing the washing posted at Tempyra, saying, "A follow-up post to an earlier one about taking stock of the small lifestyle choices that influence one's ecological footprint."

Roger Carr presents How Many People Do You Influence? posted at Everyday Giving Blog.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
small actions to change the world! using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

To conclude this edition I want to show a video clip of Hans Rosling on TED. It is about looking at things differently; at TED he gives a wonderful speech on Africa and aid. But one of his core messages is, you can't look at Africa as one big land with aid needs. With his enthusiasm he shows us that African countries have so much economic diversity and that we should take this into account when looking at this continent with 50+ countries.

Small Actions to Change the World #6 (Blog Carnival)

Hi there, I'm really glad you stopped by to check out SustainaBee's "Small Actions to Change the World" Blog Carnival. This is the 6th edition and it keeps growing and growing! Of course the Blog Action Day on the Environment a couple of weeks ago helped a bit :-).
I am sorry for posting a week late, it was my birthday a week ago, and since then I have had really full days. Especially that I'm starting a new student organisation on technology and sustainability (e.g. asking questions like "what are the social implications of technology?" or "what is the role of engineering in development assistance?") I've been running from one place to another.

I'm thinking about having the carnival posted on a different blog every second time (i.e. SustainaBee once, two weeks later a different sustainability/environmental/social blog and so on). If you are interested in hosting a "Small Actions to Change the World" carnival, let me know by writing me an email!

Without further waiting, I present you the "Small Actions to Change the World" :-).

Summer presents Save Money By Saving Water posted at Your Frugal Family.

FitBuff presents Negativity is Contagious, Are You Immune? posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "This study shows how the smallest actions and ideas can not only change the world, but our own minds!"

Kevin Bedell presents A Simple Step You Can Take: Install a Low Flow Shower Head posted at 21st Century Citizen.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Choose the Companionship of Positive People Who Inspire You posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "If the people you spend the most time with are inspiring, supportive, encouraging, and they demonstrate qualities you want to emulate – great, you are on the right track. If not, it's up to you to do something about it. Life is too short to put up with other people's pity parties, bitch-and-moan marathons, and oh-woe-is-me clubs. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Phil B. presents 3 Reasons to Stop Using Dryers « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Dryers, also known as drying machines or clothes dryers, may be fast and convenient to quickly dry our clothes and linens, however we seldom consider how much they really cost."

WhatWorksForUs presents What Works For Us: Save $$ - Go (Lime) Green posted at What works For Us.

Karen (aka Karooch) presents Shower with a Friend for Blog Action Day 2007 posted at Scraps of Mind.

Edith presents How You are Impacting the World (Blog Action Day) posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Phil B. was quite active , presenting another post: Recycle Christmas Trees « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "It is almost that time of year again when we buy a new Christmas tree. Are you going to just throw it away when done with it?"

Matthew Spears presents Joy at All Times posted at Loving Awareness, saying, "We tend to think of joy as somehow mutually exclusive to other experiences. If we're feeling sad, then of course it's impossible to have joy. Likewise if we're having a fight or our business is having a downturn. This article points out how they're not exclusive, and helps the invitation of joy into your life."

SpiKe presents 20 Tips For Laying The Foundations Of Your Environmentally Friendly Habit posted at Organize IT.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents 10 Simple Ways To Save Money And The Environment posted at The Digerati Life.

That's it again for an edition of "Small Actions to Change the World". If you want to submit a post to this carnival use our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on blog carnival archive.

And as always I will end with something inspiring. This time it's a speech of one of of the Nobel Peace Prize winners this year Al Gore. It's a talk he did on TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), an exclusive gathering of many inspirational people. In the second part of this video he talks about how the individual can help by doing his or her part in averting climate change. Have fun!