I own a 2002 BMW X5, it is almost seven years old and has about 124,000 miles on it.  It is a great car and I love it, so when my “green” friends say, “How can you still be driving that thing and think you are green”?  I get a little upset.  I am green!  Really!  I recycle, use green bulbs in my house, walk or carpool when I can, eat organic and local, take short showers, have my sprinklers on a drip timer and the rest of the yard planted with indigenous water friendly plants, etc. etc.  I’m really trying to do all the right things.  I’m not perfect, but clearly I’m better than most, but that aside, I take a lot of flack for owning an SUV.  

This weekend was no different, in fact it seemed worse.  My attempts to logically tell them that it is a nearly seven years old and I have no intention of buying a new car fell on deaf years, as did my argument of the total environmental cost of owning a Prius being higher than even a Hummer. [reference: The Belmont Club: Which is Greener: the Prius or the Hummer?, the Recorder, and Samizdata].

So here is what I’ve done…  I found a site called ClimateCare which allows you to estimate your carbon footprint for your home, travel, gifts, and yes, your car. 

ClimateCare helps people like you make a difference to this unique planet, lowering business  and individual carbon emissions because we all want to make the biggest impact we can in tackling climate change.  We do this by helping you reduce your CO₂ emissions, giving you the advice you need to reduce your carbon footprint or calculate and buy carbon offsets through transparent projects in renewables and energy efficiency.

Once estimated, the site gives you suggestions as to how you can offset those carbon emissions or purchase credits.  I have completely offset the entire life of my car to date, all 125,000 miles that have been driven and I have a certificate to prove it!  For comparison purposes, my car costs about $100.00 per year to offset, a Prius costs about $50.00 for similar mileage (that doesn’t sound that much better to me).  Ironically, I spent $100.00 filling up my tank today at $4.33 per gallon, so over all the cost of offsetting the carbon footprint of my car seems totally worth it.  And the bonus of being able to end the constant discussion is even better.  My SUV is now greener than the vast majority of cars on the road. 

My car is greener than yours!

My son and I just returned from a tip with his 7th grade class to Rancho De Sus Niños, and orphanage near Tacate, Mexico.  The trip was really amazing, the kids wored really hard digging trenches and laying a new cement foundation for a daycare center.  I wa really pround of how the kids all came together and did not complain about not having running water or access to their cel. phones all week.  They really put in 110% on everything and came away with a wonderful experience.

  Rancho De Sus Niños

If anyone is interested the orphanage offers accomidations for workgroups throughout the year, see their website fo more details. http://www.ranchodesusninos.org 

Wow, what a year!

It has been a bit crazy, 3 full marathons in one year is not something I can really recommend, and clearly not for beginners.  But I did it, and it has been a great experience!  I’ve posted some picutres to Flickr, enjoy!

• Rome Marathon - March 2007
• Big Sur Marathon 2007 - April 2007
• Portland Marathon - October 2007

Thank you to everyone who has supported me during these runs and donated to the Team-in-Training.  It’s has been an honor to run to support those with cancer and to raise fund to help more and more people survive.

My son and I had the opportunity to visit Boston in June for a conference I was speaking at, and got to tack on a vacation at the same time.  He had never really been to the East Coast and had just studies the American Revolution at school so the trip was timely.  Highlights for him included eating crab, oysters, and shrimp, seeing Bunker Hill and an old fashion saling ship, and walking the Freedom Trail.

 Boston June 2007

It was a pleasure to participate at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference last week in Boston, thanks to TechWeb for putting it on, great job!

There were six tracks to choose from the Enterprise 2.0 Conference which were focused on the topics critical to business as they evolve using Web 2.0 technology and methodologies. From infrastructure and applications to techniques and cultural changes.

• Enterprise 2.0 In Action
• Evolving Enterprise Collaboration Platforms
• Foundations for Enterprise 2.0
• Leadership
• New Ways to Work: Organization 2.0
• Social Tools for the Enterprise

All the sessions were very well attanded and it was difficult to decide which session to attend as they were all very topical and relevent to my work.  I spent most of my time in Enterprise 2.0 In Action and Foundations for Enterprise 2.0.

As I previously posted, I also spoke on the Skype: The Communications Platform for Web 2.0 panel.  It was a great session and I think we all had fun brining our experiences and perspectives to the topic.  There have been a few posts and summaries which I thought were good for review.

• Skype Journal: Skype and The Enterprise
• Skype and the Enterprise
• Alec Saunders’ Enterprise 2.0 Reflections
• Getting Small Apps into Large Companies
• On Being a Skype Software Business Solution Partner

Great conference, hope you all enjoyed it as well.

I will be speaking on a panel next week at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston.
Skype: The Communications Platform for Web 2.0 - Skype has rapidly become the most popular communications application in the world, with hundreds of millions of downloads and over 9 million users on-line at any given time. Skype usage presents opportunities, but also challenges. During this session we’ll look at the enterprise implications of Skype, we’ll talk about the opportunities and threats that Skype provides, and we’ll look at value added applications bringing business-grade services to Skype users.

Still running and still having fun…

I’m back at it, again! After completing six marathons in 2005-2007, and raising over $10,000 for cancer research, I’ve decided to keep on running! I am training to participate in a couple more race events as a Mentor (with a team of 12) of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training. All of us on the team are raising funds to help stop leukemia and lymphoma from taking more lives. We completing these events in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line – a cure!

I’m in my 6th season with the Leukemia & Lymphoma’s Society’s Team-in-Training, and have already run quite a number of events. I have run the San Francisco Half Marathon 2005, the Napa Marathon 2005, the Santa Cruz Half Marathon, the Reykjavik Marathon (20K), the Portland Marathon 2005, the Nike San Francisco Marathon, the Napa Marathon 2006, and most recently the Rome Marathon and the Big Sur Marathon in 2007.

I’ve included a few links for those of you who are interested in finding out more about the disease and our progress to a cure.

- Leukemia Facts & Statistics
- Gleevec’s Potency Against Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Shown By 5-Year Study
- More on research being funded by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- How is Leukemia and Lymphoma research benefiting other forms of cancer and AIDS?

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the passing of Louie Bonpua, one of the most well known TNT honorees and participants ever. If you have a couple minutes, the video tribute at this link is very inspirational, http://www.rome262.com/video/louie.mov

An estimated 106,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with either leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, all cancers of the blood-forming cells. Another 57,500 people will die of one of these diseases. Leukemia and lymphoma patients have a much better chance of survival thanks to care and research funded by generous donations from people like you. Please join me in helping to find a cure for cancer in our lifetime.

If you know someone with cancer, please give me the pleasure of running in their honor or memory. Help me to fund research to find a cure so that no other families will have to suffer. Simply send me their name so I may add them to my bracelet that I wear during my event.

I hope you will make a donation to support cancer research and help advance the Society’s mission.

Thanks for your support!

Rebecca (http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/rrc)

Many of you know I ran the Rome Marathon recently for Team-in-training.  It was a great experience as well as an amazing excuse to go to Italy!  I’ve posted a few pictures…ok more than a few…

  Italy – March 2007

Enjoy!

Running to Save Lives!

I’m working on my second year with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, but I have already completed more than six events. I have run the San Francisco Half Marathon, the Napa Marathon, the Santa Cruz Half Marathon, a 10K with the Reykjavik Marathon, the Portland Marathon (with my brother!) , the Nike San Francisco Marathon and a few other shorter races.

Initially I joined the team for the challenge of and support for completing my first marathon, and for the opportunity to make a difference and give back to the community. But now I have met so many wonderful people that I’m back because I want to help find a cure and support the cause.

I’ve included a few links for those of you who are interested in finding out more about the disease and our progress to a cure.
- Leukemia Facts & Statistics
- Where does the money go and who does it help?
- How is Leukemia and Lymphoma research benefiting other forms of cancer and AIDS?

Last year at this time I didn’t know very many people who had had cancer, but through my involvement and fundraising I have come to know many of you have a personal connection with someone who has. Some are winning their fight, some have lost their battle. I am also dedicating my efforts to a group of very special and courageous people – our honorees. The honorees for our team include Jack Aiello, Vanessa Salazar De Ingardia, and Kristen Laidlaw, who are all still fighting. In fact, Kristen, Peter and Vanessa are running with us this season! Kristen and Peter just finished their first marathons in Maui in September!

And for those of you who don’t know his amazing story, Louie Bonpua, one of the most well known TNT honorees and participants ever.

An estimated 106,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with either leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, all cancers of the blood-forming cells. Another 57,500 people will die of one of these diseases. Leukemia and lymphoma patients have a much better chance of survival thanks to care and research funded by generous donations from people like you. Please join me in helping to find a cure for cancer in our lifetime.

If you know someone with cancer, please give me the pleasure of running in their honor or memory. Help me to fund research to find a cure so that no other families will have to suffer. Simply send me their name so I may add them to my bracelet that I wear during my event.

I hope you will make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society’s mission. Team in Training raised over $14 million dollars for cancer research in conjuntion with the Nike Woman’s Marathon in San Francisco in October! It is so rewarding to be a part of this effort and see that the work we do goes to a great cause.

All donations via my page between now and the end of the year go directly, 100%, to fund research!

Thanks for your support!

Rebecca (http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/rcavagnari)