A new nonprofit grassroots movement of people, The reGives Network, has hit the streets of America. The online service connects local neighbors to let them give and receive unwanted items that otherwise would have landed in a landfill. All items are required to be free and it’s free to join. Since the launch just 12
I’ve written on PACT a couple times. It’s an organic underwear company for good. It’s helping to fight coal power on U.S. college campuses and it’s giving kudos to our everyday green heroes. Now, it’s also helping out some of the victims of the tremendous Japanese disasters this year with its PACT for Japan line, just released
A big part of being environmentally conscious is knowing when to reuse and when to recycle. Both, along with reducing waste and resource use, are crucial parts of protecting the planet. They are also elements to our lives that will, over time, become second nature as we push forward into a more eco-friendly age. The
In today’s economy, it can be very expensive just to stock up on essential supplies such as sanitary items and food. Food is a necessity, required to live, but in this day and age, the prices are becoming downright outrageous, especially if you choose to buy organic. A good way to avoid breaking your wallet
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 100 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Much of that can be attributed to the increased emissions from cars and trucks, which are also major contributors to climate change.
If driving a car doesn’t sit well with your green ideals, but is a necessity in your daily life, there are things you can do to make your actions more planet-friendly. From changing your driving habits to choosing a new, more environmentally-friendly vehicle, there are several ways to get from place to place while minimizing your impact on the environment.
Forewarning: this may start out dismal, but stick with me!
We’ve found ourselves somehow in mid-October, and whatever your feelings are on that (be it terror that Christmas is approximately only 60 some days away or pure exuberance that Halloween is now just around the corner), when it comes to our planet and food, we’re unfortunately about to see a double amount of waste during the upcoming months.
Let’s start with pumpkins. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), we Americans have created a demand for approximately 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins per year. Pumpkins with which we will, for the most part, use for carving and traditional fall décor, after which point, we will toss them in the trash to be tossed into the local landfill.
Top green living stories of the past couple days:
Check out these top green living stories of the past day or so:
Some top green living stories of the last few days:
Some top green living stories from the past few days:
Here are 7 good green living stories of the last day or so. Check ’em out:
One of the biggest green living stories of the past several days is one of a a 13-year-old, Aidan Dwyer, who reportedly created and filed a patent for a groundbreaking, super energy-efficient solar panel array setup based on the Fibonacci sequence of some tree branches. The system was supposedly 20% more efficient than traditional, flat solar panel arrays, in general, and 50% more efficient in winter.
Just ran across this great infographic on bicycling facts and the future of bicycling on our sister site sustainablog and, of course, wanted to share it on here. It’s the feature green living “story” of the day. The infographic is from our friends over at Well Home Energy Audit. Check it out and enjoy!
Cities around the world have blossoming bike sharing programs. But unlike blossoming flowers, these programs will both make people smile AND reduce their allergies. How, exactly? Well, increasing allergies is one predicted (and I think already occurring) result of global climate change. And bicycling for transportation purposes is one of the best options for combating climate change.
Living a green life isn’t just about going solar, bicycling or using other green transport, or eating vegetarian and local food. It’s not just about getting involved in politics and/or activism. It’s also about contentment.
There’s a long-standing discussion regarding what is more important for our environmental progress – our personal actions or systemic change at the political or institutional level.
Check out this fun Dutch bicycling federation video I just ran across on Copenhagenize. Nice.
Most of us have plenty of old stuff at home we no longer use or need because the household utilities are no longer functional, clothes are old-fashioned and gadgets have just got boring (and you are planning newer and better replacements)
Would you like to unclutter or simplify your lifestyle? So before heading towards the green trash bin, take a look at these websites and find a new life for your old stuff.
Solar power is growing at a super fast pace these days, and despite (or maybe partly because of) the tremendous economic problems the country is facing, that is continuing. Solar PV is projected to double in the US this year, and is expected to grow 47% a year up to 2015.
We all know that properly insulating your home can go a long way towards saving energy and cutting your household bills, but many solutions — loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing — can break the bank to implement. That shouldn’t be an excuse to keep on wasting energy though.
Top green living stories of the past week or so:
I did a post on PACT underwear’s “Beyond Coal” underwear line and activism back in April. Now, the company has a new announcement out that I thought was worth sharing.
While we all want to do our part to save the planet, some changes require more expense and effort than the average homeowner is willing to commit. Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to make major changes in your home in order to green-up. Every little change you make will add up over time. Start with the mantra we’ve all heard: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Beyond that, here are a few more ideas that won’t cost you much. Some will even save you money.
In an effort to be more green, many of us have started toting reusable plastic or aluminum water bottles around with us instead of buying bottled water on the go. Choosing reusable items over products that have to be recycled is one of the best things we can do for our planet. Recycling is good but not having to recycle at all is even better.
Now, following up on my post earlier today on the summer solstice, I’ve been thinking (and writing) a lot more about the matter and have come up with some ideas for how a green-oriented person (or, anyone, really) could enjoy the day.
There is no way to be a casual gardener. Once you begin you become obsessed, and with good reason. The process of gardening is incredibly cathartic and calming. It eases stress, boosts energy, is good for the body and can help clear the mind. The end results are often beneficial, whether in the look of a flower bed and the sweet smell of its blooms, or the use of vegetables and herbs in your daily cooking. Is it any wonder it is such a popular pass time even in the modern age?
This is totally awesome. The ridiculousness of this guy getting a ticket for not riding in the bike lane is made obvious when he decides to then ALWAYS ride in the bike lane, film it, and show the world who should really be getting the tickets.
Here’s a totally awesome new vertical bike storage design I ran across this weekend. Green in more ways than one.
On yesterday’s Oprah show, Tom explained how he was no happier standing in his 17,000 sq ft mansion than when he was paid $1000/week to write jokes for Bob Hope. He explained that North American culture has a very narrow acceptance of what success is, which is heavily dependent on your wealth, job and status. That our whole lives are trapped in this inauthentic competitive nature against each other. And how we should instead be following our natural human nature and cooperating with each other.
We’ve got another chance for you to win a great new book here on Planetsave, but it’s not only a book you could win. The “plastic-free prize pack” (see the image below) includes a starter kit for living green, a tote bag, food containers, a water bottle and more (see the full list, 10 items in total, and how to enter at the bottom of the page).
Here are two great videos I had to share. Translation of the message at the end of the one above is: “It’s smarter to travel in groups. Take the bus.”
Here’s a good reminder to reuse, recycle, upcycle, or donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away. This little infographic was created by USAgain using EPA data.
How green are e-books? Take a look — check out this great infographic.
Following up on my post about the rebound effect & Jevons paradox, someone commenting on that post added a lot of useful information/ideas.
We love to vilify others, don’t we? Especially Big Government, Big Business, Big Oil, and so on. But let’s take a quick look at how we actually compared to CEOs of Big Oil and Big Coal, some of the most infamous or widely disliked “Big Boys” in the world (& certainly in environmental circles). Scale
