VACATION TIME!
While a vacation may not be as environmentally friendly as sitting at home in the dark, there are easy steps you can take that make a positive impact. RezHub.com is a site that takes a practical approach to green travel. According to the site:
Greening up your travel has never been easier than it is with
RezHub.com. We know that there aren’t always green options where you're
going, and you might not have the time (or extra cash) to offset your
carbon footprint; so we simplified everything! Any travel you book here
will make a difference.
If you have ideas about how to travel with less impact, we would love to have you share them.
|
Hypermiling - The Car Becomes A Video Game
Are Hypermilers going for the green or are they acting reckless? As we all look to reduce our impact on the planet, some drivers are maximizing their fuel efficiency by altering their driving habits. Some are straightforward and straight - no jackrabbit starts, turnt the air conditioning off. Others are illegal or dangerous - don't stop for red lights. Here is a balanced video that shows you some basic tips.
|
Being Green isn't a fad . . .
Being Green isn't a fad ... it's timelessly chic. So says, Christie Matheson in her book, Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style. Christie offers simple advice that is easy to step up and accomplish. Her tips include:
- Ditch bottled water: refill a sassy thermos.
- Pop little purchases in your purse, not a shopping bag.
- Sip biodynamic wine.
- Choose cashmere, not acrylic.
- Let your hair air dry for a while before you blow dry: less frizz, less energy consumed.
- Unplug (and put away) unsightly cell phone chargers.
In giving out small, easy to follow tips, Christie helps give everyone the chance to make a difference. You can purchase her book on Amazon.
|
36% of Copenhagen Population Commutes on Bicycle
Addis Ababa, Athens, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Bogotá,
Buenos Aires, Cairo, Caracas, Chicago, Delhi, NCT, Dhaka, Hanoi, Houston, Hong
Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lagos, Lima London, Los Angeles,
Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Philadelphia,
Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto,
Warsaw
What do these cities share in common? In 2005, they became part of the C40 Cities:
C40 is a group of the world's largest cities committed to tackling climate change. On this website you will find news and updates on current C40 programmes, information about each of the cities involved, and links to useful documents.
While progress is slow, there are some bright spots. In Copenhagen, 36% of the population rides a bicycle to work. Way to go!
Read more about Copenhagen's commitment to keep cycling as a viable alternative here.
|
LED Street Lights Being Tested
Governments in Ann Arbor Michigan and Germany are testing the application of LED for use in street lamps. The City of Ann Arbor has an overview on its site here. Below is a quick summary of their progress.
The City of Ann Arbor paid $1.39 million—25 percent of our energy
budget—on traffic signals and streetlights last year. The cost would
have been higher had the City not begun replacing incandescent traffic
signals and pedestrian crossing signals with LEDs back in 2000. The
replacements made so far are saving the city $49,000 annually, but the
bigger savings opportunities are in street lighting, which accounts for
92 percent of that $1.39 million annual cost. Ann Arbor is currently
investigating LED street lighting in the hopes of cutting our street
lighting bill in half.
TreeHugger has a story about the German effort here.
|
 |
| LED Stree Lamp from LEDtronics |
|
|
|
We Love Straw Bale
bee + clover loves to point out that being green means living better. Design Forward, a firm specializing in sustainable architecture, has some great project that you should take the time to see. They also have workshops and events. Enjoy.
b+c
|
 |
| Green is beautiful |
|
|
|
Ocean Recreation Safety
NRDC publishes reports that are available on their site at www.nrdc.org/oceans/ . If you live in California, 12% of the surveyed beaches exceeded accepted limits, while Florida did considerably better at 6%. This data was for 2006. Find out about your state by visiting the site.
|
|
There are certain numbers that astonish us. The number of 0's in a Googleplex for example. To our list, we are adding the amount invested in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository by the US Government. Having spent this just on the planning phase, I am happy that the US Goverment is not involved in planning my day. Sir, at noon, you have lunch. At the end of the month, you have to pay us $10,000 for scheduling your lunch. Wow.
|
Here are several sites that provide good news updates on environmental issues:
|
 |
| Shop till you drop (your carbon footprint)! |
|
|
|
 |
| Discovery Communications Site |
|
|
 |
| Nonprofit Resource Site |
|
|
|