Hoboken

Come out to Carpe Diem this weekend and have a drink. Have breakfast. Catch up with friends or meet new people. With your patronage, you will be helping a bar go green. It is easy to do – just do what you would normally do at a bar. It is fun – you will be around people who care about the same things you do.  It is simple – 70% of sales are being spent on energy efficient upgrades.

If the weather holds, and as of 11pm it looks like it won’t rain on Saturday and Sunday is looking better too, then sit outside at the outside patio.

I just emailed Josh at The Lazy Environmentalist and basically said to him that people aren’t going to be made to feel guilty about having to green their lifestyles. Carrotmob uses zero guilt – it uses an awesome community event, which I find much more enjoyable. I am pretty sure anyone shares that stance with me too.

Last but not least, check out the great writeup on Hoboken 411 here.

Wow. Just still impressed by the amazing flyer that was made by Christian Clothier. He did a great job and it looks great.

As a rule of thumb if you are coming from New York, you want to take the PATH to Hoboken and take a taxi to the bar. You should not try to take the NY Waterway – the ferry does not run from Midtown to Hoboken on the weekends.  Another option is taking the Light Rail from the PATH. It goes behind Hoboken and leaves you three blocks away from Carpe Diem. You can also walk 20 minutes from the PATH.

If you are driving, there is parking around Carpe Diem, but public transportation is encouraged!  If you do not have a Hoboken parking permit, you can park where the sign has a white background with green letters. If you do not have a permit, do not park where there is a green background with white letters sign.

Well the only other main social media outlet that was missing through this entire initiative was MySpace. No longer! Check out Carpe Diem’s myspace and join their page! Myspace!!!!

I am also reinserting the Facebook page link here http://tiny.cc/TXp4c

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Carrotmob leverages consumer power to make the most socially responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. A big mob of consumers buys products to reward a business that makes the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott. Carrotmobs have happened all over the country, and have been featured in such news sources as the Economist and the New York times. On May 2nd and 3rd, a Carrotmob is coming to Hoboken. Carpe Diem, an Irish bar and restaurant, has committed to investing 70% of all sales to energy efficiency upgrades. The more people show up, the smaller Carpe Diem’s carbon footprint becomes. Eat, drink, and be merry – and make the world a better place while you are at it!

You can show support in three ways. 1) RSVP on Facebook 2) Tell your friends (spread the message through word of mouth or invitations on Facebook) 3) Join the Mob on May 2nd and May 3rd!

Where: Carpe Diem bar/restaurant located at 1405 Grand Street, Hoboken, NJ http://www.carpediemhoboken.com/

When: Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3; 11am – 4pm

RSVP: On Facebook: http://tiny.cc/TXp4c | Blog: hoboken.carrotmob.org | Twitter: NJCarrotmob

Thoughts?  What are the strengths?  Where could it be improved?

News 12 is filming a Carrotmob spot tomorrow at Carpe Diem. I along with the owner will be interviewed. Make sure to watch!!!

The New York Times ran a great piece about why energy conservation is important. And why dontcha visit the company that the writer works for – The National Trust for Historic Preservation:

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NEVER before has America had so many compelling reasons to preserve the homes in its older residential neighborhoods. We need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We want to create jobs, and revitalize the neighborhoods where millions of Americans live. All of this could be accomplished by making older homes more energy-efficient.

Let’s begin with energy consumption and emissions. Forty-three percent of America’s carbon emissions come from heating, cooling, lighting and operating our buildings. Older homes are particularly wasteful: Homes built in 1939 or before use around 50 percent more energy per square foot than those constructed in 2000. But with significant improvements and retrofits, these structures could perform on a par with newer homes.

So how does a homeowner go green? The first step is an energy audit by a local utility. These audits can be obtained in many communities at little or no cost. They help identify the sources of heat loss, allowing homeowners to make informed decisions about how to reduce energy use in the most cost-effective way.

Experience has shown that virtually any older or historic house can become more energy-efficient without losing its character. Restoring the original features of older houses — like porches, awnings and shutters — can maximize shade and insulation. Older wooden windows perform very well when properly weatherized — this includes caulking, insulation and weather stripping — and assisted by the addition of a good storm window. Weatherizing leaky windows in most cases is much cheaper than installing replacements.

The good news is that the administration is taking steps to help homes save energy with a program that will invest almost $8 billion in state and local weatherization and energy-efficiency efforts. The Weatherization Assistance Program, aimed at low-income families, will allow an average investment of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency upgrades.

Charleston, South Carolina is having their own Carrotmob April 11th. The Green Drinks network caught on to this and using their network to hold an event…here’s is the article.

Yknow, it just might make a ton of sense to have a Green Drinks in Hoboken…

Hi Everyone:

There have been additions to the blog. On the right hand side you will see a Share This button. That let’s you share this blog on Facebook, digg, linkedin, myspace, etc. The list goes on and on. You can even email your friends, family, and neighbors.

Also, a few pictures were recently snapped at Carpe Diem. Here are some. There will be a little something about the owner, Joe, once the event draws nearer.

Now I know this is bragging but I am just too excited. Carpe Diem was named “The Official St. Patrick’s Day Headquarters”.   I know they were in deep competition with McSorley’s but, I guess the fact they opened in 1854 made to difference to the Guiness St. Patrick’s Day Headquarters Selection Committee.  The banner makes it official. Kudos to Carpe Diem!

I don’t know how the next Carrotmob can top this – even the Gates Corporation, who boasts itself as the world’s most trusted name in belts, hoses, & hydraulics, doesn’t compare to the grandeur of St. Patrick’s Day. Unless if those belts are used to hold up a leprechaun’s belt. That’s a good mashup combo. But anyway, this just goes to show the caliber of establishments Carrotmob works with – I am very pleased to be working with such an esteemed bar.

 A lot of people have asked me about the Economist article that mentions Carrotmob and the company that owns it, Virgance. Here is that article. The article draws parallels on the similarities between Virgance and the Obama campaign. Both use grassroots tools to spur community activism, one just does it to affect how business operates, the other propelled political strategy to new heights.

Remeber to check out the First Carrotmob