Photo Credit: Denise Chan
Ever wonder what to do with old electronics? Don’t want to throw them out (with good reason since they add pressure to increasingly full landfills and can pollute ground and water with lead, mercury, and other heavy metals…plus it just feels like a huge waste!) but don’t know how to recycle them? Well, now recycling your old electronics is easy, and you can actually get paid for doing it and you probably won’t even have to worry about any shipping costs! Read more…
It’s always refreshing to hear about new environmental objectives that aim to make our world a better place. It’s even better to fall upon one that seeks to make an economic, social, and environmental impact. Well, that is exactly what Better World Books has sought to do- and they’ve succeeded in doing so. Beginning with three motivated friends from the University of Notre Dame, a single book drive turned into a movement across our entire continent, and has made an impact worldwide. Read more…
Photo Credit: Chuck Coker
The search for sustainable energy has inspired several innovations in green technologies that look to become the next major source of our planet’s energy. Among these is wind energy. As I have returned to Iowa for holidays and extended breaks over the last few years, I have seen firsthand a rise in wind technology. The flat farm fields that decorate the state’s landscape have increasingly been populated with the large turbines that are necessary for producing electric energy from the wind. According the Iowa Energy Center, Iowa is the second largest producer of wind energy after Texas. The state’s topography and existing electric transmission lines make the environment conducive to wind energy. Read more…
Photo via Woodley Wonderworks
Two weeks of climate change negotiations between 193 countries at Copenhagen and what was accomplished? Well, to be honest, only time will tell, but what we can say for certain is that a concrete resolution binding all parties was not established. Was the overall approach taken by the Conference at fault? Are 193 countries just too many to organize? Read more…
Photo Credit: Feliciano Guimaraes
As we bid farewell to 2009, it’s time to look forward and think about how we want to bring in the New Year. As January 1st is closely approaching, let’s reflect on the environmental changes we want (or most likely need) to see in our near future with these Green New Year’s resolutions for 2010. Here are just a few resolutions and useful tips on “being green” all year round. Do your part this year to help our environment, and commit to making these changes a part of your life. Read more…
photo credit: Abhimanyu
Recently in Oregon a bipartisan agreement of epic proportions has taken place. The heavily contested battle over old growth forests in Eastern Oregon has finally ended. The most recent saga of the argument has taken eight months and has produced a solution that both sides agree on. Environmental groups have argued for decades for the protection of old growth forests because of their ecological benefits. The timber industry, obviously, has been a thorn in the side of conservation. This argument has lasted for over three decades and with the help of Senator Ron Wyden an agreement has been made to ban the cutting of trees with a diameter of more than 21 inches, which protects watershed areas in eastern Oregon. Read more…
Photo Via ASEC Green Room Retailers
Surf shops dedicated to sustainability? That’s right! With the support of ASEC (Action Sports Environmental Coalition) surf shops throughout California are opening up ‘Green Rooms’, rooms that are filled with all the essential surf products and apparel made from strictly environmentally friendly companies. Bio-foam surfboards, surf board fins made from recycled carpets, non-toxic surf wax, organic cotton, hemp and bamboo tee shirts, surf shorts made from recycled water bottles, and skate shoes made from recycled car tires are just some of the great items to choose from in these new ‘Green Rooms’. Read more…
Photo credit: Steve Winton
We’re all well aware that Christmas is full of red and green- but this year green is all the more prevalent. And what better way to be green than with the greenest aspect of Christmas- the tree! In previous years the common belief has been that purchasing an artificial tree is more eco-friendly than taking a live one away from our natural environment. In recent years it is quite the opposite. The National Christmas Tree Association announced that Americans purchased 33 percent fewer artificial trees in 2008 than in 2007- quite a large decrease. But what are the reasons behind the decline? Read more…
Photo Credit: Nate Grigg
In early November CVS and Target implemented policy reforms that suggest the corporations are putting forth an effort to go green. CVS is now rewarding customers who make purchases and choose not to take a plastic bag to carry their items. Every four times a person declines to use a plastic bag, CVS will give him or her one dollar on their CVS card. For anyone who regularly shops at the popular pharmacy and general store, helping out the environment will be a convenient and lucrative option. Read more…
Photo Credit: Topyti
Perhaps a silver lining can be found in the political tensions between the United States and Cuba. Due to travel and research restrictions, a fragile and ancient ecosystem has been preserved. An underwater landscape has remained intact and many native species, extinct in all other areas, exist and flourish in their natural and historical state. American scientists and travelers have been denied access to this wide-ranging coral reef system, which is one of the largest in its hemisphere. Hundreds of islands, bordered by small beaches and extensive stands of red mangrove, lay off of central Cuba’s southern coast. This area was first named Los Jardines de la Reina (“The Queen’s Gardens”) by Chirstopher Columbus, and five centuries later it still remains relatively untouched or altered. There are no towns, roads, or any permanent human habitation on any island. Read more…
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