plenty Issue 14 Feb/Mar 2007 | Page 24

FAST UPCOMING EVENTS FEBRUARY For a sneak peek at green car design, check out the Chicago Auto Show (February 9 to 18), the oldest one in North America. Visitors will get to feast their eyes on over 1,000 snazzy vehicles and concept cars. Last year, Ford, GM, Toyota, and BMW all unveiled models with eco-friendly features. (chicagoautoshow.com) Bike lovers take notice! Up to 100 vendors will participate in the 2007 Seattle Bike Swap (February 18). With new and used bikes, and all related gear on sale at bargain prices, it will be the Black Friday of bike shopping. (pazzovelo.com) The Chicago Auto Show is the oldest in North America. MARCH Fresh Walking Recycling Robot Low-Carbon Clooney’s Tesla Fading Segway Vacuuming Robot Low-Carb Arnold’s Hummers Fertilizer Razor RoboCop Low-Fat Ken Kesey’s Further What percentage of renewable energy consumed in the U.S. is geothermal? a.15% b.10% c. 6% d. 2% Plenty Tip Junk the Junk Mail Flyers, credit card applications, and coupon books aren’t only annoying, they use trees and add to the waste stream. But stopping them is next to impossible. You’d need to contact the Direct Marketing Association, credit bureaus, and catalog distributors individually. Who has that kind of time? There’s a better way vanquish junk mail. Two new organizations, 41Pounds.org and Greendimes.com, will contact direct marketers and other companies 22 | Feb/Mar/07 plentymag.com on your behalf and have them remove your name from mailing lists. Both companies also take extra steps to preserve the environment: Greendimes plants one tree a month for each of its members, while 41Pounds donates over half its profits to environmental groups, local schools, and youth groups. Membership fees are modest—41Pounds charge