Technorati Came Through!

I am pleased to report that Technorati obliged my request for a section in their directory, specifically devoted to ‘Green’. Here is the link: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/

Now, green blog searches will be a breeze. . .

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Technorati’s Green Blog Search Soon To Be Much Easier

Technorati just responded to my earlier plea for a better search tool for Green Blogs. Here is their response. I hope you find it helpful:

Hi Marguerite,

I saw your post a few days ago and looked into your request. Technorati does indeed have a “Green” sub-channel already where readers can find posts covering sustainability and other environmental issues at http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/.

Turns out the reason this may have been missed is because the “Directory” page isn’t quite synched up yet with all the channels Technorati tracks, so I apologize that the “Green” section is harder to find than it ought to be! The engineering team assures me it’s on their agenda.

And in the meantime, in addition to checking out the sub-channel, another really good way to find like-minded blogs on “green” topics is simply to search for a “green” topic, and click on “blogs.” Here’s an example search I ran on the term “sustainability“: http://technorati.com/blogs/tag/sustainability. I think it gives some good results on well-ranked blogs focusing on “green” topics, including some I didn’t expect like http://triplepundit.com, which focuses on sustainable business, and http://hippyshopper.com, which covers environmentally-friendly consumerism.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Doreen Bloch
Technorati marketing/PR intern

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Greendropping on Mommy Blogs

First day of greendropping in all the mommy sites. ok, there was also one dad site. I was surprised how easy it was to relate to the different posts. It helped that I was amongst my peers, and I could totally empathize, regardless of the content. A mom is a mom, is a mom.

Here are some of the comments I made, with a bit of context:

on emomsathome‘s post on ‘Monday motivation, mom gets it done‘, about fitting in a day’s work:

Your post raises the question of, what does being efficient means as a mom?

There are many ways to evaluate, from how much work you are able to accomplish, to how much happiness you are able to create for your family. Both are important.

My own bias as a mom and green blogger is to emphasize the need for moms to come to terms with the biggest challenge facing our children’s not so distant future. I am referring to global warming. No, I am not paranoid, just realistic.

The good news is there is a lot we can do to make a difference. Most important is to set the example and inspire our kids to become responsible green citizens. By driving less, and walking and biking more for instance.

on Parenthacks‘s post on ‘Reduce mess by putting ketchup under the hot dog’:

Love your link for recycling old mustard and ketchup bottles!

I wish you had a category for green hacking. I see global warming as the main threat to our children’s future. The more I read about it, the scarier and more urgent the problem seems to become.

Here is my green hack for the day: walk and bike with your kids, whenever possible. It’s good for them, for you, and the planet. Plus, it will save you gas money.

on 5 minutes for mom‘s post on ‘Project Runway Winner’:

I too am a huge Project Runway fan. And I won’t tell who won . . .

As a mom and green blogger, I just wish green things got as much attention as Project Runway. Not as exciting, but so critical for the future or our children. Not a day goes by without more news about the urgency of taking action. The health and future of our children is at risk. As moms, there is so much we can do to. First, by setting the example and greening our lives as much as possible. Walking, biking, using public transportation instead of driving. Just as an example.

We are stewards of the Earth.

on Scribbit‘s post on ‘Sprouting Egg Heads’, featuring creative way to turn Easter Eggs into miniature gardening pots for herbs:

Love the idea. Nothing wasted, plus you are teaching the kids about gardening, healthy eating, and also indirectly about green living.

As a mom, and green blogger, I feel we have so much responsibility towards our children, to prepare them for the environmental challenges ahead.

Thank you!

on bitch PhD‘s post on ‘Consumer Sunday’, about her urges to buy a car and get a new appartment in Chicago:

Boy, can I relate to you! I lived in Chicago for ten years while my daughters were little, and I do remember those times of standing on the L Platform, freezing winds piercing through my never warm enough clothes. I did not own a car either and often wished I did.

This being said, times have changed and with the planet heating up faster by the day, I could never get myself to buy a car if I lived again in a big city like Chicago. My green conscience won’t let me. Months of blogging away about all that global warming shit have killed all my consuming urges. Actually, I have nearly stopped driving my car.

I am glad you are mentioning the environment. As moms, there is so much we can do to help prepare our children for the environmental challenges ahead. What scares me most is how close we are to hitting the wall. We do have the power though to set the example, and make choices for our family that will make a difference.

If you get a car, at least, try to get one of those fuel efficient ones, and limit your outings to those days when it is minus thirty with windshield . . .

on Fussy‘s post on ‘Six Things I am All About This Week‘, about trivial things she liked:

Loved the Pepsi Commercial, and the Band-Aid touch . . .

May I add a #7?

How about something green, like taking a long walk with family for some CO2 free action?

Sorry, but I am a green mommy blogger, and I can’t help but drop green stuff whenever I can.

on Design Mom‘s post on ‘Baileys‘, a supplier of household items:

Wow! I loved the Eco-Household stuff. It reminded me of my grandmother’s farm back in France.

Lately though, I am on a no buy kick, and find great joy in making do with whatever I already have around the house. As a ‘born again green mom’ I find it incredibly satisfying to create aesthetically pleasing solutions out of ‘nothing’.

Small drops . . . Day after day, from me, from some of you. Let’s see what happens.

PS- I made up a icon for the project. Please feel free to use it on your site, or anytime you greendrop.

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The Green Drop Project

First, was Nadine‘s comment a few weeks ago:

‘oh, and blog away especially outside of the green media, seep slowly into the reticent consumer driven world.‘

followed by my discovery of Ryan Watkins-Hughes, and his ‘shopdropping‘ practice:

‘SHOPDROP: To covertly place merchandise on display in a store. A form of “culture jamming” s. reverse shoplift, droplift.

and then Kyle‘s powerful image:

‘The cup of change is being filled drop by drop in the dark. We hear each drop, and we are impatient because we hear the drops but don’t see how full the cup is. At some point it will overflow.’

Three seeds that did not go to waste. Some recent discussions on La Marguerite, have convinced me of the value of a blogging initiative aimed at strategically chosen populations outside of the green blogosphere. The three seeds have germinated and given rise to ‘The Green Drop Project‘.

‘To ‘greendrop’: to ‘drop’ relevant ‘green’ comments in mainstream, non green blogs, from a predetermined list of targeted blogs. The blogs will be highly trafficked blogs in areas determined to be most amenable to climate fight conversion. The initial focus will be on parenting, religious, and business blogs.’

Tomorrow, I will start greendropping in parenting blogs, and reporting daily on my blogging expeditions. The following is a list of all the parenting blogs with a Technorati authority of 500 or higher, that I will be visiting:

http://www.5minutesformom.com/
http://scribbit.blogspot.com/
http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/
http://www.parenthacks.com/
http://fussy.org/
http://www.designmom.com/
http://www.emomsathome.com/blog/
http://eddiejohn66.blogspot.com/

I invite you to join me and report on your expeditions. When you do, may I suggest that you mention the Green Drop Project, in addition to your name and blog URL? This way, we will be able to track the project as it spreads.

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‘More is Better’

Just went on Technorati, to check on my blog. The first thing I see, is this head banner from Discover Card, flashing, ‘More is Better‘. I will leave it at that . . .

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Greed

Every five minutes I click on Technorati and the stats page on my blog to check on my progress. All my work is starting to pay off, and I love looking at the steady upward climb on my starts chart. I am also getting caught in the trap of wanting even more. More hits, higher ranking. No Impact Man and Marc Andreessen both admitted to similar behaviors in some of their earlier posts. That I am in such respectable company does not make it any better. I am struggling with wanting more, again. This time, it is not material things, but success instead. Deep down, at the bottom, is greed. For now, I will just notice, and let it sit.

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Scary!!!

In search of other blogs to comment on, I browsed through Technorati’s list of most recent posts in the Al Gore Global Warming category. Interesting, how many of the posts with the highest authority are messages from the conservative right, in support of the ‘global warming is a hoax’ theory. These guys really know how to get their message across . . . Scary!!!

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No Impact Man

On our way out to the grocery store, I mentioned No Impact Man to Green Guru. “Can you believe this guy in New York, he has decided to go 100% carbon neutral for a whole year, and his blog is now ranked #1,400 something on Technorati!” I knew to expect some kind of cynical response from Green Guru. “The people in Africa and all the poor countries have been doing the same thing for hundred of years, and nobody is talking about them. All it takes, is going back to the way our grandparents lived. What’s the big deal?” Green Guru had a point of course, although I could argue, if it was that easy, we would not be in the predicament we are in. I agree with Green Guru, the solution to the climate crisis problem is simple. Getting humans to cooperate, that’s the problem. We are like children, who have been given all these great toys, and now we don’t want to give them up.

“How about taking the green bags sitting on the door knob?” If if had not been for Green Guru reminding me, I was about to leave for Whole Foods, without the precious bags. Case in point.

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Popular Vote

Ever since I mentioned my Target addiction, I have seen a new bump in the number of hits on my site. Half of the folks visiting now, come not with green intentions but the desire to find out about Target’s new designer, Dominique Cohen. The Target magic is working, even in my blog! I find that hilarious, and also indicative of the popular culture. Green related issues may get a lot of press coverage, but still have a long way to go in terms of the popular vote. If Technorati‘s list of ten most popular blogs is any indication, what tickles the public’s interest most is, in that order: gadget and technology (four out of top ten blogs), politics (two), secrets and gossips (two). The most popular green blogging site, TreeHugger only gets the #18 spot.

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