We've Moved!!

Don't fret, Modern Hippie Mag has moved! Find all kinds of "eco" this and that at our new digs, http://www.modernhippiemag.com.

Stop by, give a shout, sign-up for updates and definitely tell a friend...or two!

See you there!

Our little family is growing...

Modern Hippie Mag welcomes Steve McAllister acclaimed author, filmmaker, and musician. Steve will be featuring articles focused on “feel good” principles and how to stay positive and motivated. His endeavors include InkenSoul Press, a publishing company focused on delivering literature and information that promotes commerce, charity, creativity, spirituality, and environmental sustainability. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is being released via serial email…very innovative and eco-friendly!

Are "Greener" Fireworks Better?

Image via Wikipedia

This weekend thousands of people will gaze up into the skies to watch firework spectacles, but some researchers report that "traditional" fireworks can present health and environmental risks. So what about eco-friendly alternatives? Are they better, and do they achieve the same mouth gaping, awe-inspiring, colorful explosions?

Traditional fireworks are made up of fuel and an oxidizer, (usually perchlorate salt - an oxygen-rich chemical made up of chlorine and oxygen), both of which are toxic compounds. Put it all together, add some serious heat, and the heavy metals in the fireworks produce color. Ooo, ahhh. The entire concoction is fired into the sky using a propellant, generally gunpowder, you know...the stuff in bullets. However exciting this may sound, what goes up must also come down...into the air, nearby water and ultimately into our soil.

Scientists now know perchlorate can interfere with the way the body takes iodide into the thyroid and can disrupt the gland's regulation of metabolism. In developing fetuses and newborns, iodine (the body reduces iodide to iodine) deficiency can cause mental retardation.

Also, some of the heavy metals that make fireworks colorful may also be poisonous when heated. For example, antimony, which is sometimes used to produce the color white, can harm the lungs, heart, stomach and other organs. Barium, which provides a green hue can also be toxic to the heart and "does something really nasty to your insides and gastrointestinal tract," said Michael Hiskey, an explosive chemist and co-founder of DMD Systems, a pyrotechnic research and development company.

DMD Systems currently produces a line of fireworks that are perchlorate-free and contain about one-tenth the amount of barium used by traditional fireworks. Hiskey's formulation uses nitrocellulose as fuel and nitrates as oxidizer, thus avoiding perchlorates altogether. This reaction produces only stable gases like carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, cutting down considerably on the metal oxides and potassium chloride that are released from more traditional fireworks as smoke.

Because eco-friendly fireworks produce less smoke they are more visible and the colors more vibrant. Presently many theme parks and concert venues use the eco-friendly fireworks produced by DMD Systems. Whether you can expect to see them explode at a local 4th of July celebration comes down to cost and demand. Voice concerns to your local officials, and perhaps you can make a difference in your town.

Zumbox delivers paperless mail online!

Image via CrunchBase

Approximately 700 million pieces of paper mail are delivered daily in the U.S. – that includes letters, cards, advertisements, and bills.

If all U.S. households received and paid their bills electronically, the country would save 16.5 million trees annually. That’s the amount of lumber needed for 216,054 single-family homes. Wow, that’s a lot!

Introducing Zumbox! Zumbox enables people to go paperless with all their postal mail - bills, statements, catalogs and more - thereby reducing their environmental impact. What used to only be sent as paper mail can now be sent without the paper. With Zumbox, any person or business can send mail electronically to your street address. Zumbox users can even request exclusive paperless delivery, which notifies the individual mail sender of their preference. How’d they do that? They’ve created a nationwide paperless postal system with a Zumbox for every street address in the United States, including yours! Pretty cool, huh? Zumbox users can send mail as well!

The alternative Postal System-no paper, no scanning, no delays. Save trees, help the environment, go paperless with Zumbox!

How can Investing in Green Companies Grow the Green Economy?

Image by artbymags via Flickr

One of the most dynamic ways you can grow the green economy is by investing your savings and retirement assets in green companies, companies that are working to preserve the planet and create a world that works for everyone with no one and nothing left out.

It is obvious how buying directly from a green company makes a big difference in growing the green economy. You are directly supporting that company. Then how does investing in green companies grow the green economy? Since when we buy stock it is usually in the secondary market, which means it does not go directly to the company. However, when more people buy stock from a green company, the share price is pushed up and creates more value for the company.

Another reason to buy from green, progressive and proactive companies, is to avoid profiting from the evils of greed, violating the planet and people, etc. If enough people stop buying stock in companies with “questionable” practices, their stock value will go down. This directly hurts the corporate officers, which usually hold a large amount of the stock. When they are affected in this way, they have a strong incentive to look at their business practices and possibly improve their corporate citizenship.