A green blogger from the Windy City is debuting a live web show Monday night called EcoChat to open up dialogue between eco leaders and participants in the green movement worldwide. Alicia Ontiveros, founder of EcoChicago, will host the new show.
“My goal is to make green leaders more accessible to people interested in sustainability. EcoChat emphasizes interaction among participants. I think we’ll see colorful dialogue come out of these exchanges that will help the global green community address hot topics in the industry,” Ontiveros says.
The first show will feature the thrift expertise of popular blogger Amy Hardin Turosak who writes under the pen name Ms. Shopping Golightly for The Thrifty Chicks. Ontiveros was impressed with Turosak’s thrift skills and dedication to making the repurpose industry more visible.
“She can put together designer ensembles from items found at places like Goodwill. It’s astonishing what Amy can do, and if you follow her tips, you can do it too.”
Teaching others how to thrift shop will be just one part of the discussion. The show will also tackle a major barrier in the thrift
market: metrics.
In a consumer-based economy where a vast majority of what we buy is discarded within six months, reusing and repurposing materials can be an important part of our commitment to a green lifestyle. Currently, however, America’s thrift market does not have a reliable method of measuring how much energy and other resources are saved by repurposing or reusing materials, including clothing and furniture.
“It’s an area that needs more attention,” says Turosak. “We all know that buying a used desk is greener than buying a new one, but how do we quantify that purchase in terms of its environmental impact?
During EcoChat we’ll explore the issue and come up with a strategy to move forward.”
The show is powered by a new web event platform called Vokle. Viewers anywhere can chat in real time with other participants and submit video and text questions to guests if they log in with a Twitter or Vokle account. Vokle also offers the option for green content providers to embed the live program on their websites for free.
Viewers can tune-in to EcoChat’s premiere live show TONIGHT at 8PM CST by visiting ecochicago.blogspot.com and keep track of additional shows by following @ecochat on Twitter.
Modern Hippie Mag will be participating in the talks, interact with me via a chat box that will be part of the show! See you there!
