Toyota is donating 5 hybrid cars and $500,000 to help support Grand Canyon National Park’s educational programs and safety efforts. The donation is part of a larger initiative that the company is sponsoring to help support the National Park Service. In total, Toyota will donate $5 million and 21 hybrid vehicles to help support five different parks. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s something that’s been made increasingly apparent to me living in an ecovillage for the past year: environmental sustainability requires a change in culture. Society cannot achieve this sustainability through simplified living alone. Growing organic food, using renewable energy, and decreasing one’s ecological footprint are all positive things, no doubt, but true, holistic sustainability comes along with a culture that values cooperation and community.
At Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, there exists a unique culture distinct from that of mainstream society. Of course, this is to be expected: every group develops its own culture over time. (Think of something as ordinary as a college dorm or office: these places too have their own special microcultures.) Although it would be hard to define Dancing Rabbit’s culture and exactly what makes it what it is, there are certain shared values that certainly help to shape it.
Ecological sustainability is the core value of Dancing Rabbit’s culture. Beyond that, cooperation and a sense of community are highly esteemed values, too, and these are achieved in many ways.
High-fructose corn syrup: is it hemlock, or the nectar of the gods? The Corn Refiner’s Association (CRA) believes the latter—that the dreaded syrup is really Aphrodite’s bathwater.
Sure, they claim that high fructose corn syrup has the same amount of calories as sugar and has no artificial ingredients. You have probably seen the commercials combating the urban myth; Eve offers Adam a cherry-colored popsicle and he initially denies it out of unbridled piety to the American Heart Association and its pyramid of truth. She reassures him that it’s ok—American, even—and he takes it from her with an impish grin.
But the CRA hasn’t told you everything. Not only is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) good for you, it also boosts romance. Dr. Ben Dofa of the National Institutes of Health reports:
“HFCS binds to the endorphin receptors in your brain, making you undeniably randy. That’s why everyone drinks soda at parties. The lone wolf hanging out by the punch bowl isn’t a loser—he knows what he is doing.”
HFCS also doubles as sensual massage oil. If you want to get in the mood, just head to your pantry and break out this disaccharide treat and flip on some Barry White. You will soon be reliving the summer of ’69, rolling through the Kansas cornfields without a care.
So next time, show up at your date’s door with a bottle of Karo and a bouquet of free-labor roses. She will be thankful you did.
A federal judge has banned snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park. He said that a plan approved by the Bush Administration to allow 500 snowmobiles to travel daily through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the winter months would cause damaging noise pollution, air pollution, and would also stress wildlife. Read the rest of this entry »
Change, it is what we are all promoting in this field.
We identified that we are on a crash course in life, the life of future generations, others, all of the species that are suffering due to our inconsiderate and consumptive ways, and the natural environment as we know it and as it has come to be after a slow, lengthy process of evolution. Now, we are trying to change course, we are trying to change.
What is this change we are seeking, and how do we achieve it?
We are seeking a fundamental change in the larger effect we (as a society and as a species) are having on the earth. We are seeking this in many ways, but one great opportunity in seeking this broader change is to change our own needs, our own desires, our own habits and lifestyles. When is this a greater possibility than when we are going through tremendous life changes anyway. With change comes the opportunity for greater change. We decide to go into the basement to get something out of a box, and we end up finding all kinds of things we can toss forever or use or give away.
Read the rest of this entry »
Hurricane Ike has been harshly degraded to a “tropical depression” after his failure to deliver to the greater southern area. Colleagues say that they could see it coming.
“I think that he just felt a lot of pressure in this system” says Katrina. “This is a dog-eat-dog business and only the great are remembered. He had all the makings of an epic storm, but just didn’t have that, what we like to call, ‘Storm Sparkle.’ Sure, 29 counties were declared ‘disaster areas,’ but a Category Two? He just wasn’t living up to standard.”
Friends report that Ike has TIVO-d every episode of Project Runway and refuses to change his sweatpants.
“I think he was just trying to impress Josephine, who is next up,” says Gustav. “That just made the situation sadder. This is even worse than the time he found Hanna going down on that guy in the elevator. Poor guy has lost all hope in women.”
There are reports that things have gotten so out of hand that Ike has actually befriended Lindsay Lohan. He is also trying to start a reality TV show just to pay the bills. It’s going to be called ‘Guy of the Storm’ and delve into Ike’s “normal” home life.
Although things are looking bad, Fay thinks that the clouds will break soon. “He has already started taking antidepressants and seeing a therapist. He told me that that he and Lindsay might even check into the Le Cirque Lodge together for some TLC. I just hope he doesn’t become a Scientologist.”
On Wednesday a 5 acre marijuana farm located in Redwood National Park was raided by over 60 park rangers and other cooperating law enforcement officials. The farm was located less than six miles away from the world’s tallest tree. It is the first major marijuana growing operation to have been found in the well-known park. Read the rest of this entry »
Hi. I’m Brian, a new writer here at Planetsave. For the past eighteen months, I have been living off-the-grid at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a rural intentional community located in northeastern Missouri.
Dancing Rabbit is a community composed of 45 individuals dedicated to sustainable living and creating cultural change. Renewable energy from solar panels and wind turbines powers the entire village, which is made up of green buildings constructed using earthen (such as straw bale and cob) and reclaimed materials. All drinking and cleaning water is collected using rain catchment systems, and three biodiesel-fueled vehicles provide the entire group with transportation needs. Much of our food is grown in our organic gardens.
It’s about time!
California’s historic Fairfax Theatre claims that it will be the first major movie theater in the United States to install a solar power system to help cover its energy costs. *
In addition to supplying clean energy, it will save the theater’s owner about $627,000 over the estimated thirty year life of the 42 unit system. Over that time it will also eliminate the production of an estimated 1,000 tons of greenhouse gases. Read the rest of this entry »
Now wasn’t that lovely? Suspended in post-coital bliss like a fly in amber, you might forgo all you have learned to just relax. However, it’s just as important to exercise environmentalism after sex.
Don’t light up a cigarette. Don’t even think about it.
Break out your soy-based massage oil and give your partner a light massage. Choose a soothing scent, like white tea or lavender, to help him or her relax. When you are ready to get out of bed, jump in the shower for some sudsy fun. Have an organic shampoo and conditioner ready, like Nature’s Shampoo and Conditioner (available at Beeswork.com). Wash each other with an organic cleanser like Nature’s Cleanser or Tom’s of Maine Nature Moisturizing Body Bar. As always, make sure that your shower is under five minutes! Wash up with Tom’s of Maine deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss. Slip into organic pajamas, like Kushtushs’ two-piece silk charmeuse set for men and women. Then, snuggle together and get ready for the best, guiltless sleep of your life.
Share the love! Give this affordable gift basket with everything needed for truly organic sex to some newlyweds! You are sure to give the best present at the wedding.
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