Virgin Forests and their Unique Biodiversity: A Film in the Making
An upcoming film will show the wonder and increasing deforestation of the Romanian virgin forests. A Kickstarter campaign will make it possible.
An upcoming film will show the wonder and increasing deforestation of the Romanian virgin forests. A Kickstarter campaign will make it possible.
Many countries have made initial plans to transition to renewable energy resources. Aruba has set specific goals to make those plans a reality.
Move over, Copenhagen. Hamburg is following you into the 21st century by deemphasizing the role of the car. Almost half of Germany’s second-largest city already consists of green areas, parks, gardens, squares, cemeteries, and sports facilities (see map). Hamburg plans to link two large green areas in the north and south with bicycle routes and pedestrian
New York “rides in” the New Year as Times Square visitors bike to help power the New Year’s Eve Ball (© Charles Sykes, Invision, for Citi, on Treehugger). You heard it right. When the festive ball drops to usher in 2014, renewable energy will contribute to the flashiness of its cascade. For the past three
How come Normal, Illinois–about 150 miles south of Chicago–has ten times as many electric vehicles per capita than the U.S. average? (You’re right; it’s not just coincidence.) A coalition of business, industry, nonprofits, all levels of government, and farsighted individuals has converged to transform Normal into an EV town. And it’s not an exclusive community.
Officials open the 2013 UNFCCC meetings with determination and louder warnings…. (Photo source: http://ow.ly/qL43P) It’s time for the governments of the world to struggle with climate change policy again. Every year, late in November and early in December, representatives of 195 nations gather for two weeks to try to negotiate global responses to the increasingly
Today’s suds are an endangered species, says Willy Blackmore, food editor for TakePart. (Photo: Cafe Bink, Carefree, Arizona.) So are the grapes and wines of the 20th century. Blackmore relates the phenomena to the power of climate change. The geography of earth’s agriculture will shift as global climate alterations disrupt historic weather patterns and raise
Princeton Survey The Streetsblog DC recently published a story on a telephone poll of 1,003 Americans, which was commissioned by the advocacy group America Bikes and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. The results were “unequivocal: 83 percent said that federal bike-ped funding should increase, or at the very least be maintained.” The car is becoming
Biking has become a lifestyle, a way of life. Cyclists who hit their favorite bike paths or bike routes every day are like another cut of the zen surfer who never missed a dawn and a wave. Now, we have the bike-path-gilding travelers that make Kerouac’s On the Road look sedentary. Devotees of biking vary
As we approach the quintessential ‘green’ holiday — April 22, Earth Day — one academic study should provide important perspective on the United States role in the world. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a project of the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy, this year ranked the United States 49th in overall
Seamlessly Integrated Bike Flow “Cycling is part of everyone’s life, because it was made part of everyone’s life.” This film, Cycling for Everyone, is a light, moving record of health and happiness. The film shows Amsterdam as a place where sharing the road is easy and safe. Inhabitants of this city and country value cycling so much that the rich and the
A recent story that celebrates spontaneity, cycling, urban wanderlust, and the wonderful wave of sustainable bike-sharing programs is a welcome happiness to all of us wanting more biking freedoms. From an article found on the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) website: “Bike sharing is like a big advertisement for bicycling,” says Darren Buck, a Virginia Tech (VT) student. “Folks walking by
The holidays are a time for giving. This season, make the eco-friendly choice, and give gifts that will bring joy to your loved ones and to our planet! Need some inspiration? Check out some of the latest green gifts and gadgets that are ringing in the holiday spirit! Water-Powered Clock Image Source: Bedolwhatsnext A water-powered
An Open Letter to My Daughter, Tess (by Don Lieber) Hi Daughter, Please indulge me just once – you are 14 and I realize that you’d rather be getting your teeth pulled at the dentist rather than listen to another rant of mine. Yet I ask you, check this out and keep in mind your
Most people don’t have much money at this point in time but that’s ok, by spending a small amount more or even the same amount, we can all benefit by saving energy and in turn reducing our electric bills. Solar panels are expensive, the majority of people won’t be able to afford them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reduce their electric bill by helping them implement energy saving habits like turning off lights!
I have spent hours researching how to turn my community green. I suppose I’m a little too anxious to create change. I went directly for who I should contact locally for changing laws and such. Again, I was reminded that all things take time. One of the first things pretty much every site said about community change was that you should form a group. And it’s true, there is great strength in numbers, so here’s how to go about it.
First and foremost, I would like to mention September 24, 2011 and Moving Planet! It’s time to get away from dirty energy. Join in on an already organized event or start one of your own! More info can be found including the events nearest you, at the Moving Planet website.
A representative of used clothing recycler USagain shot me these 5 green back-to-school tips via email. I think they’re good tips, so posting them here. Green your back-to-school preparation with these 5 tips (and more)!
Some top green living stories from the past few days:
This is a common belief that because of the numerous environmental problems we’ve created, we need to feel guilty. We don’t need to feel guilty at all, about this or in life in general.
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.
Check out this fun Dutch bicycling federation video I just ran across on Copenhagenize. Nice.
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.
I recently ran across a cool children’s book on environmental issues and action, The Adventures of George Global, via a friend on Facebook. I’m a sucker for these — love them. I know that books like this one and information I received as a kid on environmental topics were a big part of what made me such a green freak as an adult. Additionally, such books are fun!
Who or what is George Global?
Here’s some top green living stories from the past week or so (other than our own). Enjoy!
Top green living stories of the past week or so:
Here’s a cool little infographic on how you can easily make your daily routine a little greener. There are tons of little things we can do every day do live greener that require little to no effort — it’s just a matter of thinking a little and changing our habits. Here are some ideas:
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.
Whether you are just getting your business started or you have been settled for a while, keeping costs down is becoming increasingly important. Besides hiring quality employees, one of the smartest business investments is the efficiency of the appliances used. With hundreds of options on the market, it can be overwhelming to come to a decision on the right efficient systems for your office.
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?
Rather than grabbing a bottle of mystery ingredients, you can pamper your skin naturally inside and out.
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.
Aside from the 73 or so stories we’ve covered in the past week, here are 13 more great green news stories I wanted to highlight (but didn’t have the time to…
E-waste. Big issue. Invisible to most of us,.. but for how long. Check out more via the infographic below.
Borrowing (or directing you over to) another article by bicycle experts over on BikeRadar, in honor of Bike Month (and one of the greenest forms of transport on the planet (if not the greenest), here’s another great one….
BikeRadar highlighted some top tips from bike enthusiasts in its forum recently, tips on bike choice, riding, and gear. Below are a few of my favorites, but if you want to read all of them (recommended) just click on the link above.
I saw the news that the Green Party might win its first seat in Canadian Parliament last week on our sister site, Red, Green, and Blue. I thought, “That’s good news!” but, to be honest, I didn’t think it would happen (call me pessimistic). Turns out it did, though.
While U.S.-born Elizabeth May — an environmentalist, lawyer, writer, activism, leader of the Green Party of Canada, and 17-year executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada — will have more political power than ever, she won’t have a ton of practical influence. She will have to influence through here personality and excellent communication skills, though, Barbara Yaffe of the Vancouver Sun writes….
Lynn University recently interviewed me for one of their Earth Day posts on their web magazine, iPulse. They ended up using part of the interview, not the whole thing (apparently, didn’t want it to be too long — understandable). A bit of the interview was actually about Planetsave, and the rest was about environmental issues and green living (a good fit for our site, of course), so I’m sharing the whole thing here with you all. (You can learn a bit more about me as well through this :D)
Earth Day may be over for some people, but Earth Day is everyday here on Planetsave (of course). This article is focused on a few products that were pitched to me for an Earth Day post — I ended up going a different route for Earth Day, reflecting on Earth Day and green living rather than writing about green products, as I think that’s more what Earth Day is about. But these are some good-looking products that I think deserve a little attention.
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).
This Earth Day, the Sierra Club and underwear company PACT have teamed up to fight coal-powered campuses with college student activism… in underwear, of course.
UC Berkeley Researchers Jones and Kammen, working at the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) have conducted a landmark GHG emission analysis of U.S. households, and which also provides a tool for more effective consumer and governmental policy decision-making. The “tool” here is the “carbon calculator” made available for free on the Cool Climate Network website.
If you haven’t heard the news yet, two huge environmental organizations just decided to merge — 350.org, which organized what was reportedly the biggest day of global action in October (the 10/10/10 day of global action), and 1Sky, a great organization that has inspired many and accomplished much in recent years.
To be honest, they were already using the same colors, so why not merge?…
But, seriously, this is big news and I’m sure a lot of people are wondering if it’s for better or worse…