It is time, however, to focus on the business, and as such I have gotten myself a mentor. Ethan Jewett, a good friend and wonderful talent has agreed to take me under his wing. This will definitely keep me busy for a while. I think I’m already booked solid for the week! I’m very excited and grateful for the tutelage.

My own website is woefully overdue for an overhaul, but in the meantime, I have updated the testimonials page to include some more recent raves, and have uploaded a few more pics to my Flickr page.

Well, in my effort to think up new ways to make my business effort greener, it occurred to me today to look into finding a green web host. Much to my delight there were several to choose from, each offering various incentives like free software, access to sustainable marketing guides/libraries, planting trees for new customers, multiple/unlimited domains, etc. My favorite after reading through all the options is ThinkHost and I will now be referring anyone who asks to them. I will likewise be moving my own sites to ThinkHost as they come up for renewal. And better still, I can put them all on the same hosting account. Yay!

A massive chunk of ice calves from the face of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia. One of the few advancing glaciers in the world, the Perito Moreno creeps forward at a pace of around 2-3 meters per day.

There is also a mini feature of products that are “low impact”, but with the exception of a solar panel, rechargeable batteries and recycled photo paper, they are products that would inspire “upgrade” behavior that would likely lead to more stuff ending up in a landfill somewhere. It is a slippery slope to recommend buying new products to become more “green”–sustainability is a mind set, not a product line. That said, there are times when it is simply necessary to purchase new products, and at those times, it’s nice to see the market being populated with more responsible choices.

One product I’ve been experimenting with that didn’t make the list is ViaStone. This is a tree-less paper made out of limestone. I first read about it on TreeHugger, and managed to get my hands on some earlier this year. I’ve only been able to try the matte finish papers, but the print quality is very nice. The finish limits its useful application, but it works well for brochures, letterhead, and the like. I’m hoping to find a more artful use for it as well, like b+w prints, for example.

The double sided business cards are microperfed, but do not separate as cleanly as some other similar products. Tiny ridges are unavoidable, and unfortunately lend a less than professional presentation.