GreeniacsArticles:
Browse through articles written by the Greeniacs team to learn about new and interesting developments in the environmental world!
Scroll through our latest articles or use our Greeniacs Search to find articles on specific topics that interest you.
Cool Resources 
Biodiesel, the conversion… As we watch in horror at the pollution, capitalist frenzy, and war surrounding the oil industry, people around the globe are naturally turning toward alternative fuels. One of the most readily available, simplest to accomplish means of limiting your oil consumption without giving up your car is to convert a diesel...
Urban beekeeping is on the rise! Urban communities have started a fairly new movement—beekeeping in small plot backyards, on rooftops, in hotels, restaurants, and in small urban gardens. Honeybees are an instrumental part of our global food system and our natural environment. These little creatures are responsible for pollinating over one-third of the crops...
The Swim for Clean Water… Located in the Pacific Northwest, the Columbia River is an intensely cold glacial water source with a lot of history, much of which has been drowned by industrial and hydropower damage. The documentary written, directed and produced by Andy Norris, called Source to Sea: The Columbia River Swim, deals with a variety...
For all of us residing between ten degrees North and Alaska, August marks the opening of the floodgates for farmers large and small. Festoons of tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, peaches, and plums are being picked every day from immense fields and orchards to tiny little rooftop gardens in bustling metropolises. For those of us who...
Sicily Not Willing To Jeopardize Its Biggest Asset… Each year thousands of people from around the world vacation on the majestic coastline of Sicily. Known for its breathtakingly clear waters, rich marine life and incredible foods and wines, Sicily is considered one of the top tourist destinations in the entire world. And Sicily is fully aware of it. The BP Gulf of...
These days, it’s almost a dirty word—petroleum. The ‘p’ word, also called CRUDE OIL, is something we use everyday but don’t like to talk about. Instead, we prefer discussing wind and solar energy—the alternatives to that uncomfortable, dirty necessity: PETROLEUM. Petroleum is embedded in our daily lives, and does much more than just run our cars. Petroleum derived substances are found in products ranging from aspirin to polyester, and without them, our lives would look very different....
The BP oil spill was a rare, catastrophic event unlike any other oil spill. For starters, it’s the largest oil spill in United States history. While most oil spills have been caused by collisions of ships carrying oil, the BP oil spill was caused by a large blowout. Such a large blowout, or a fire-starting explosion from oil drilling, hasn’t...
Milan Clarke How do we decide what food to eat? From PROCESSED FOOD, food made cheaper with PESTICIDES and ANTIBIOTICS, to LOCAL, ORGANIC and higher quality food, Americans choose how they eat based on their economic situation, knowledge of nutrition, and accessibility. The short film, Montana Fare, by Jaime Jelenchick, is a documentary about...
The average American uses 80 to 100 gallons of water every day! To put that into an interesting perspective, that’s about 850 pounds of water, the same weight as an adult alligator. Unfortunately, most people are oblivious to their household water consumption. When all the water you use quickly disappears into a drain or a pipe, it’s...
This decade has brought a number of environmental issues to the forefront of public consciousness, words like global warming, carbon footprint, and deforestation have become part of our everyday vocabulary. As these environmental issues have become more prominent, so have others receded, with mantras of “save the rainforest” and “save the...
Someone has suggested a fourth R in the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle, and RETHINK. A few days ago, thumbing through a magazine, I read a letter to the editor from a woman who complained: “Please stop putting ‘green’ articles in your magazine. They’re a dime a dozen.” I had to agree with her, even though I’m “guilty” of writing...
When thinking about the state of our environment, it is hard to look past all the disasters that keep occurring in the world. However, there are some remarkable people working hard to bring these issues to the public, to make all of us more conscious of Mother Earth. On April 20, 2010, The Daily Green and Home Depot sponsored an event called...
All around the world, 20 to 25 million people have been forced out of their homes, almost completely due to natural forces out of their control.1 As high as the number of environmental refugees currently is, climate change is expected to vastly increase that amount to around 150 million by 2050.2 Hurricanes, monsoons, droughts, and floods will become more frequent and more destructive. Rising temperatures will worsen desertification. Rising sea levels not only threaten to flood...
The Environment’s Worst Offenders… While going green has become better for the corporate bottom line across the United States, there are still times when circumventing environmental laws and regulations maximizes margins. Below are four corporate criminals who shirked environmental responsibility when it became too costly...
Options for Water Filtration at Home! Water is essential to human life, and millions of people end up drinking contaminated water everyday. In the United States, many households have access to clean drinking water, yet even safe drinking water can carry contaminates like pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, and chlorine. Because these...
Thermohaline circulation isn’t a phrase you hear everyday. That is, not unless you’re an oceanographer. This fundamental ocean process supports three-fourths of marine life and shapes regional climates around the world. Climate change, often referred to as Global Warming, however, could slow or shut down entirely the essential ocean process...
We at Greeniacs love the natural world. We work everyday to uphold our environmental values and protect Mother Earth. We are outraged when the environment suffers because of corporate irresponsibility, as is currently the case with BP’s oil spill crisis in the Gulf. Still, there is a line between passion for the environment and zealotry...
Water is essential to all forms of life on Earth. Most of the water consumed by the average human being has been around for hundreds of millions of years and is constantly recycled in our atmosphere. Humans are made up of 60% water and we rely on it in every aspect of our lives. Yet, as the human population continues to grow at a rapid...
We live in a society focused on statistics. We measure every conceivable statistic on sports from baseball to our everyday use of gas in our cars. Yet for some reason we seemed shocked and worried that it has finally reached a level where energy accounting is becoming a mandated requirement for commercial buildings. Yes, here in...
We are currently witnessing the 6th major mass extinction in the planet Earth’s history. While the reasons for this decline in life are many, one of the biggest causes is global warming. Global warming is directly affecting our planet’s biodiversity,and if carbon dioxide levels continue to rise at their current rate, “over 35 percent of our...
It’s a basic biological truth that we sometimes forget: we all create waste. The rich tend to produce more than the poor, but all of us, whether politician or pauper, leave something behind. The advanced waste disposal systems in industrialized nations help us to ignore the waste we produce, but the world’s poor don’t have this luxury, and...
The tenacious eating machine, the Asian Carp, was imported by catfish farmers to eat algae to clean their ponds and released into the rivers during floods of the early 1990s. Since then, they have steadily created a stronghold on the Mississippi river system, growing and reproducing at staggering rates. Along some stretches of the Illinois...
Every year, our world produces thousands of tons of garbage. The United States alone generates over 230 million tons of trash, equally about 4.6 pounds per person in a single day. Only a small percentage of that garbage is recycled and the rest of it is incinerated or piled into landfills. But as landfills across the world are closing...
Renewable energy sources are constantly being analyzed and debated in the news, but do you really know how the actual process works? Where does that energy actually come from? Impress your friends with some scientific knowhow and learn about the science behind six major renewable energy technologies...
With Senator Lindsey O. Graham withdrawing his support, previously being the lone Republican backer of the Senate’s climate change bill, global warming is once again in the news (did it ever leave?). Cranky climate deniers make noise on partisan talk radio, however, the evidence in favor of anthropogenic global warming is based on extensive...
With the worlds’ current dependency on oil, our environment continues to pay the price for the demand. On April 20, 2010 a BP oil rig caught on fire, exploded, and then later sank about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Not only did this disaster leave at least 11 people presumably dead, but it will also continue to leave a lasting impact...
In May of 2009, Dell Computers announced a new policy that it would not export E-waste (electronic waste) to developing countries. In February of 2010, Hewlett Packard announced a similar policy. These announcements brought a degree of attention to the practice of shipping electronic waste from developed countries to developing ones...
Electronics are finding their way into more and more households across the world. They can be used as tools or as toys, for work or for pleasure. Sometimes they come in the form of a large flat-screen TV, other times they can be as small as a pocket-sized iPod. Often, electronics allow us to perform tasks more efficiently, communicate with...
It’s not news that our bee population is declining; beekeepers have slowly seen the crisis unfold for years. The New York Times reports statistics on just how bad the decline is: “Bee losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70 percent...
Oxygen and Our Oceans: The entire ocean ecosystem relies on oxygen and each part of that ecosystem requires a different level of oxygen to survive. There are a variety of fish and other marine life that can thrive on low-oxygen water, while others simply require more oxygen in their waters to survive. Low-oxygen waters, known as hypoxic...
On October 28, 1805, explorers Lewis and Clarkencountered what they named the “Beautiful Buzzard of the Columbia.”1 On February 16, 1806, they captured a live one of these birds—a “relic of the ice age”—and measured its wingspan at nine feet two inches. Less than two centuries later, in 1967, the massive bird that had become known...
If you have ever seen a doctor for a cold or any other bacterial infection, it is almost certain you were prescribed a form of antibiotics to fight off the sickness. For this, antibiotics are miraculous, and one couldn't begin to count the lives they have saved and the amount of suffering relieved. On the downside, for several decades, humans...
It’s Spring Vacation time, which gets me in the mood to plan a trip. Home or abroad, I’m still the same person who can’t bring herself to toss a pop can. Why should I leave my green ways behind me just because I’m traveling? Green vacationing means choosing activities that have less impact on the planet: staying closer to home, driving...
Solar power, the generation of electricity from sunlight, is the world’s largest energy resource and also the largest available energy source in the United States. With a new administration in the White House, there has been a renewed focus on the environment and alternative energy solutions. President Obama recently passed the...
Water is one of Earth’s most abundant natural resources. Paradoxically, more than one billion people around the world do not have access to clean water. As the world population grows, this problem is expected only to get worse. One popular solution to the problem is water privatization...
China is the most populated country in the world, and they are currently the second biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, behind the United States. If China's carbon emissions keep up with a pace of 7% per year growth, by 2030 its carbon dioxide (CO2) production will equal that of the entire world today...
President Barack Obama recently announced that his administration has “approved an 8.3 billion dollar loan guarantee” for new nuclear power plant construction. This loan will go to Southern Company, which will build two advanced reactors at a plant in Georgia—the first ones built in the United States since 1976. Those supporting the...
As discussed in the previous Greeniacs article titledEndangered Species, over 350 species across the world will likely be affected by climate change in the coming years if we do not reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant heat-trapping greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, and if we do not control it...
While some sectors of society have embraced alternative forms of energy such as wind and solar, others are exploring ways of reaching previously unreachable oil. Known as oil sand or tar sand, these are deposits of sand or clay, water and bitumen,which is a heavy and viscous oil. Unlike traditional sources of oil, oil sand requires...
Critics of climate change claim that there is no actual evidence of significant global warming. In fact, they say, scientists are only relying on computer models, which are notorious for being imperfect and unable to predict the future pattern of a complex climactic system with any real certainty.
Smog, the cloud’s ugly, earthborn sister, is formed when pollutants combine with sunlight, creating what are called particulate matter and Ground-level Ozone. It afflicts many of the world’s major metropolitan areas, and its effects range from irritating to deadly. In London’s Great Fog of 1952, for example, as many of 12,000 people—yes...
Farming grows up… The sky is the limit, especially when it comes to the future of farming. In fact, vertical farming was recently named the 16th best world invention of 2009 by Time Magazine. Innovational companies, like Valcent, have created efficient, affordable systems that reduce water use, limit pesticides and can be place in...
The Greenest Characters in Pop Culture… Let’s take a look at some of the most enduring environmental figures in American pop culture. They are the products of imagination that brought environmental awareness to those too busy, or lazy, to pick up a copy of Silent Spring...
On January 8th, 2010, the TERRA podcast revealed a two part program titled “Angels of the Forest: Silky Sifaka Lemurs of Madagascar.” Produced by Sharon Pieczenik and Erik Patel, the program discusses his efforts to conserve the unique Silky sifaka Lemurs in Madagascar. The program notes that about 98% of land animals in...
The cold winter months tend to be the time of the year that most people wrap up their spring and summer gardens. However, the fall and winter months can provide many opportunities to continue gardening and make your soil even more fertile for future growing seasons. Whether you want to grow winter edibles...
I know February might seem a little early for a Summer Reading List, but consider it preparation for global warming. Combine the chronologically organized works below with this Greeniacs article, and you will have more than enough books to bury your head into as the summers get longer and hotter… 
What is the Future of Recycling? Over the past 40 years, recycling programs across the United States have made significant progress. Currently, there are over 8,000 curbside recycling programs in operation in the U.S., a significant jump from 1973 when Berkeley, CA gave birth to the first program. Additionally, in the past 15 years, the U.S. has...
Paying the piper—water scarcity in the 21st century: When people talk about water scarcity, one of the many consequences of global warming, they do not mean that the earth is running out of water. While only two percent of the earth’s water is freshwater, that is still enough to go around. What water scarcity pertains to is...
Why is sea ice disappearing so quickly? Climatologists and global warming experts knew that global warming was going to melt ice sheets around the world, but they never predicted it would be this fast. The most dramatic examples of ice loss so far have been the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. Why would it be in those places? It has to do with just being...
Trading bread for briquettes—MFIs are a new type of charity. Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you have to give up on giving. While supporting traditional environmental charities is a wonderful way to make a difference, you might also want to consider giving to eco-oriented microfinance institutions...
Are you a New Year’s resolution-maker? Well, in 2010, countries across the world are making environmental sustainability resolutions! With the recent world climate conference in Copenhagen setting the precedent for a more environmentally progressive future world, many countries are implementing goals to limit their... 
With 7 wins and 29 losses this season so far, the Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the NBA’s worst records, but their Target Center Arena is an environmental slam dunk. In 2009, the Timberwolves unveiled the first green roof in professional sports, which, at 2.5 acres, is also the fifth largest green roof in the United States. The roof cost $5.3 million to...
With our global emphasis on green and sustainable living, many people are actively doing their part to engage in “green acts”. Whether it’s recycling, toting reusable grocery bags, there are a number of ways to engage yourself in balanced living. Step 1 to realigning your lifestyle using eco-principles is to begin seeing differently. See... 
Can rock go green? You’ve evaluated your transport, your diet, and your electricity usage. What about your musical equipment? Following the warmest ever documented decade, it is obvious that every decision you make has environmental implications—even the decision to rock. Here are some of the latest developments in eco-friendly guitars...
Although comprehensive recycling programs are increasing in popularity throughout most cities across the United States, the volume of garbage produced in cities continues to outweigh the volume of waste recycled there. Currently, the U.S. creates over 250 million tons of municipal waste each year and only 32.5% of that waste is sent...
Here’s a thought: converting your engine to run on biodiesel or vegetable oil is not a progressive idea; it is regressive. It dates all the way back to 1900, the year when Rudolph Diesel, the French-born son of German immigrants, successfully used peanut oil to run an engine at the World Exhibition in Paris. Sadly, we haven't made...
Americans are buying bigger houses, accumulating more products, upgrading continuously, working longer hours, being more productive, and becoming more in debt than ever before. In response, the voluntary simplicity movement emerged, driven by a fairly simple goal: rebelling against the consumerist culture of excess that had...
I am sitting in a wooden long-tail boat with Thomas, a Lao man whose white teeth contrast with near-black skin as he creases his face into a smile. From beneath the shade of his billowing hat, Thomas (his adopted English name) tells me that he was born, and will also die, on Don Det, one of Laos’ Four Thousand Islands. The Four Thousand...
Everyone hates being told “I told you so”, and most women also hate thinking their mother was right. However, on stepping upon the threshold of 30, and with my mother now in her early sixties, I can’t help but notice that on a good day, she looks not more than maybe only five or ten years older...
Is ecotourism really eco-friendly? The travel and tourism industry is the largest sector of the world business economy and is responsible for over 230 million jobs and more than 10% of the gross domestic product worldwide. Tourism is especially important to developing countries: according to the Global Ecotourism Factsheet, “for the world’s...
May Your Holidays be Green… The holiday season is one of America’s most excessive and extravagant times of year. However, I do confess, there is something about this time that sends chills of joy through me. It is a combination of the lights, people buzzing along the streets, Christmas trees and menorahs lit up all over town, great...
The holiday season is here! The 2009 holiday season not only marks the end of another year, but it also marks the end of a decade—a decade that has finally made the environment a priority. Global warming has been coined the word of the decade, major climate negotiations are currently taking place in Copenhagen, green technology...
By the year 2030, India will pass China as the world’s most populous nation. Its population at that time is estimated to be 1.53 billion people. Currently, India’s 1.15 billion residents contribute to a disproportionately low six percent of the world’s CO2 emissions, but that number is “expected to triple within the next 20 years”. And in...
As recycling programs across the country continue to expand and provide more options, the question as to what can and cannot be recycled may become more and more confusing. Some typical questions may be: can I recycle this pizza box with my other paper; should I recycle this broken bottle; do I need to wash out my plastic shampoo bottle...
It all began with Dolly the lamb. Now scientists have taken cloning to a whole new level: meat production. That’s right, in the not so distant future you could find yourself in the meat isle picking up laboratory grown pork. Scientists in the Netherlands who started this project call it “soggy meat,” however, I wouldn’t be...
In 1919, the founding father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, had a vision to create a hydroelectric dam at Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. Almost a century later, his idea has finally come to fruition. After 2 decades of construction, the Three Gorges Dam will soon be running as a hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze River in...
A social movement called dumpstering is one of the most repulsive and fascinating environmental movements, and has regained popularity over the last few years. Also known as dumpster diving, urban foraging, and freeganism, dumpstering is basically the act of looking through dumpsters to find food, furniture, and household items to use. Dumpster...
Although the debate around climate change still continues, many species around the world are being affected by warming temperatures. Some may argue that the Earth is going through a natural warming cycle, while others may argue that the warmer temperatures are a product of global warming and excessive greenhouse gases in our...
While most people go into hibernation mode during winter, wanting nothing more than to curl up around a fire with hot coco, there are those of us who start going slightly delirious at the thought of being caged in for the cold winter months. However, unless you’re in the Arctic, there’s no reason why you have to induce self imprisonment during...
By 2009, 184 countries signed the treaty with plans to minimize the effects of global warming. However, with the treaty expiring in 2012, we could be left without a concrete international agenda to help prevent climate change. Concerned countries, like Denmark and the United Nations, realized this and created the Climate Change...
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this year we have a few green additions to our family. With my newly turned eco leaf and with one of our family members going vegetarian, this year Thanksgiving presents a whole new set of challenges.
Airports, it’s time to recycle! I recently returned home from a cross-country trip to Michigan, spending an excessive amount of time in several different airports. Due to the time and circumstances of my layovers, I was forced to have my coffee and meals of the day at a couple of different hubs and purchase some reading material to entertain the delay. Like any good...
Last week I was on my roof, industriously squeezing caulk along the vinyl siding on the upstairs dormer windows. October in Indiana – the red maples were aglow, the skies were deep blue, and it was not cold, but cool enough to need a jacket. Leaf rot scented the air. I enjoy caulking. Not just because it’s a home repair I can actually...
Every time a G20 Summit is held, tens of thousands of protesters, each seemingly fighting for a different cause, show up to voice their contempt for this global meeting. But for all the reasons globalization is protested, including the spread of capitalism, the exploitation of cheap labor, protectionism, etc., perhaps the most asserted is...
Living in San Francisco, this conjures up many images, so how does composting fit in? The city of San Francisco has a long history of being eco-forward, allowing residents and city officials to take a lot of pride in their environmentally friendly way of life. This past year, the city took their eco-minded practices to the next level: San...
Throughout the past couple of years, “Eco Products” have taken over. From soaps to computers to billboards, most companies look for a way to advertize their “green” efforts. While walking through an isle in the grocery store one afternoon, I wondered, are all these so called “eco products” true in their claims? My skepticism was validated...
What exactly are NEVs? Even if you saw one, you might not recognize it. They look and act very similarly to golf carts. They can travel at low speeds, between 20 to 35 mph, up to a range of around 30 to 40 miles in one day. That might sound a little limited, but that's enough of a range for city driving or around the neighborhood, thus the name...
Thinking of making your Halloween eco-friendly this year? Hopefully the answer is “Yes!” Every October, millions of Americans spend billions of dollars preparing for Halloween. We head out to stores to stock up on candy, costumes, decorations, and other party supplies. Sadly, most of the Halloween goods we buy are not very eco-friendly—and...
There is so much hype behind anything organic these days, organic food, organic cosmetics, organic babies, literally everything is becoming pesticide-free, all natural, eco-hype. Another a recently trendy organic must-have is organic clothing. Swedish clothing company H&M, which possesses lines from fashion-celebrity bigwigs like Madonna...
Is our drinking water safe? Clean, fresh drinking water is something that we take for granted. Because it is necessary for human life, it should be considered a right, not a privilege. However, more and more studies show that many households in the U.S. are drinking water that is actually filled with contaminates, chemicals, and harmful waste...
All environmentalists want to curb the effects of wasteful and damaging human activity on the environment, but some environmentalists believe the root of major environmental problems is simply the rapid growth in the number of humans on Earth. This phenomenon is otherwise known as overpopulation. As demonstrated by the recent food...
The use of a conventional fireplace still leads to harmful smoke, fumes and other indoor air pollutants – definitely something to consider if you have pets or children. Traditional open fireplaces burn very inefficiently and produce hundreds of chemical compounds, including carbon monoxide, organic gases, particulates, and some of the same...
On the last days of September of 2009, the United States Senate presented a renovated bill from the House of Representatives to Congress called the Senate Climate Bill (SCB). The aim of the legislation is to boost the green economy through investment in energy technology. The authors behind the bill, who include California Senator Barbara...
While most people love the concept of a glass house, they have one major problem with it - privacy. But there’s a simple solution – curtains. Lightweight curtains would provide both shade during summer months as well as privacy, without compromising the structure’s aesthetic appeal. But what a lot of people also don’t...
Most people are aware that drinking bottled water is wasteful, hence the craze behind reusable water bottles such as Sigg or Nalgene. However, it was not until the recent economic downturn that the consumption of bottled water finally slowed down for the first time this decade. Since its conception in the mid 1970s, bottled water has risen...
They say people in glass homes shouldn’t throw stones. Well, this is one glass home you’re not likely to find a squabbling pair in. In 1984, Buddhist monks in Thailand began gathering bottles to decorate their shelters. The interest not only attracted a lot of tourists but also resulted in a flood of donated bottles to...
Jellyfish are, indeed, increasing in number thanks to at least three different things we humans have done. First off, many of the jellyfish's natural predators and competitors for food have been over-fished, allowing jellyfish to thrive and grow in population in their absence. Second, nitrogen and phosphorus run-off into the ocean creates areas...
Wind energy is becoming a popular alternative to fossil fuels because it is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and produces no greenhouse gas emissions. The use of wind as a power source has been around for thousands of years. Historically, it has been used across the world to pump excess water off of flooded land, to saw-mill timber...
Fortunately, nowadays it is much easier to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices than, let's say, 20 years ago. Whether it is the car you drive, the oven you use, the clothes you wear, or even the everyday products you buy, there is a green alternative. I have made many changes in my life for the environment, but one question that still lingers...
The first environmental problem with smoking is the process required to make cigars and cigarettes. In the United States, tobacco, a plant relatively sensitive to disease, requires the use of more pesticides per acre than most other crops, amounting to 27 million pounds of pesticides each year. While this is bad for the environment, the...
Homeowners around the world who want to do something good for the environment while also reducing their electricity bill are increasingly turning to solar energy for their home. Although it's great that there are so many ways to introduce solar energy into the home, it can be hard to decide what to do amongst all of the options. Some solar...
Back to school shopping is always a feeding frenzy. I’m in a hurry, and with each daughter insisting that she “needs” the hot pink erasers or the cute Post-It Notes, I end up tossing stuff willy-nilly into the cart and making my escape. One way to stop the feeding frenzy is to follow that tried and true formula: the three Rs. The first R means...
In recent years, global warming has been a heavily debated topic. It is widely understood that our planet is warming at a faster rate than usual, but the cause of this warming remains in conflict. The Earth does have a natural cycle of warming and cooling, but the warming process has increased significantly over the past century. In our lifetime...
Conventional dog food contains pesticides, chemicals, additives, and preservatives that are harmful to your pet and the environment. Several brands of pet food have even been recalled as not safe for consumption. By feeding them natural or organic foods, you will be reducing the amount of toxins ingested by your pet and released into...
It might be odd to think about, but the delicious food on your plate is closely linked to the environment. Grains, meat, fruit, vegetables, and nuts once grew in the wild as part of a natural, complex ecosystem. Although these vital ingredients still fuel modern society, the process of getting our food has changed drastically. Most urban dwellers...
Many would argue that an abundance of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere due to human activity is consequently trapping more heat in our atmosphere. Others would argue that our Earth is going through a natural warming cycle and the rise in temperature is due to natural causes. However, most scientists would agree that global warming is a result...
Batteries are commonplace in most households. Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools. Most of these batteries are single use, or dry-cell, and the average person in the U.S. discards 8 of these per year. Many states consider...
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that people spend 90% of their time indoors, but that indoor air quality can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Whether in your home or business, follow these 10 easy steps to ensuring you have the cleanest indoor air possible. Don't Allow Smoking Indoors - There is no safe level...
Illegal drugs are a well-known menace to society. The social impacts and the effects that they have on the body are widely known. However, when thinking about the illegal drug industry, the environmental impact of producing these drugs is often overlooked. The most commonly abused drugs—marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin—also pose...
Mountaintop removal mining has recently become one of the most controversial methods of mining for coal. Recently, there has been a growing protest against the practice. Although mountaintop removal has large environmental and social costs, it is more cost-effective for the coal company. The reason is because of the physical process of...
Despite our society's over dependency on prescription medication, there still remains a great deal of interest in allergy relief minus meds which only mask the problem instead of cure or control it. However, thanks to on going research and interest in natural living, there is now a growing list of natural ways to alleviate allergies without...
Sustainable building has been around for centuries, but it hasn’t been until recently that green building practices have become a priority for new construction in the United States. One of the most notable examples of the rise in green building in the US is at the federal level. Not only have a few significant pieces of legislation passed for the green building...
An invasive species can be defined as a non-native species that adversely affects the ecosystem, usually by out-competing native species. Over 50,000 non-native species have been introduced to the United States alone, either intentionally or unintentionally, and cost an estimated $130 billion annually. Almost half of the species...
What is New Urbanism? New Urbanism is a recent trend in city planning that developed in the last few decades. The basic premise of New Urban neighborhoods is a rejection of all the environmental and social consequences of suburban sprawl. While originally a solution to housing congestion in cities, sprawl is now creating many more problems of its own...
Since the 1960's, clearcutting has been one of the most controversial methods of logging in the logging industry. On the other hand, it has remained the most widely used method in United States national forests. Clearcutting simply is the practice of cutting down all the trees in an area and growing new, even-aged trees in their place...
Spring is the time of year that many people are getting their gardens ready for the warm summer weather and sunshine. For many of you, this time of year also means planting and planning your gardens strategically to avoid deer and other pests from eating your blooms. Small insects like mites, grubs, and aphids or even large pests like rabbits and...
My last article explained how to benchmark your utility bills so that you can determine if your building is energy efficient or not. People often assume that their building’s HVAC system was designed by an engineer to operate efficiently so what need is there to benchmark energy usage? In California, buildings are required to be designed per...
A green lifestyle is an ethical commitment to conservation - or just simply a greater awareness of what we're consuming and what impact we have on our environment. Over the last few years, with the rise of a 'green' trend, we've seen a lot more companies not only catering to the green market, but making it easier to consumers to be educate...
Americans love their lakes. Fishing is as American as apple pie and wakeboarding is the new skating. But how safe are these beloved recreational sports? Pollution from industry and agriculture dump phosphates and carcinogens either illegally or legally into lakes while non-native species somehow find their way into waterways and dominate...
With the broadcast of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", the issue of global warming had escalated to unprecedented heights. These days, nearly all consumers are at least aware of global warming, and with the media's push to "go-green", many are now turning that awareness into constructive lifestyle changes.One of the more prominent...
Don’t just save money, earn more - some companies, such as Whole Foods and Harbec Plastics have generated millions for cost cutting moves. Marketing themselves as eco-friendly, they were able to get featured by major online and print publishers and generate the kind of publicity that money can’t buy...
Ninety percent of the world's big fish are gone or over fished. Yikes. Quite a heavy opening liner, I know, but declining fisheries is one serious topic. If you thought the first fact was grave, digest this one: the world takes out a half a billion pounds—yes that is billion with a “b”—of seafood from the oceans every single day! How can...
Today’s the day to plant my garden tomatoes. I’m yearning for that home-grown taste! You say you have no room for a garden? No problem. With six hours of sunlight, you can grow tomatoes on a balcony or patio with ease. A few rules apply to growing container tomatoes. Choose a small, compact variety to fit your space; often the label will...
Just a year before the first Earth Day in April of 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught on fire. Now that sounds pretty absurd, considering a river is comprised of water, the natural counterbalance to fire. But Cuyahoga was the dumping point for the vessel of industrial pollutants being carried from Cleveland to Lake Erie. Contaminated...
Santa Barbara made history in May of 2009 with the Jesusita fire. After two other separate and significant fires within just 10 months of the Jesusita and a total of four major fires in two years, residents were scratching their heads wondering when the threat of another natural disaster would finally subside. But the truth is that fire is a...
Grilling on the BBQ, lounging around the pool, soaking in the view on your patio - these are all the signature trademarks of summer, but so is the blazing unrelenting heat that comes with it. As much as we love summer, we can't help but feeling tortured by its heat. And great as summer is, it's not-so-great features include a sweltering...
People are becoming more concerned about the cost of their commercial space and many companies are now looking beyond the base rent and wanting to ensure that the building they buy or lease is energy efficient. Many tenants today want to know what the total cost of their lease is going to be, and they seek to determine beforehand all of the...
This festival was very green friendly displaying an awareness of helping the environment by providing compost and recycling trash bins throughout the festival, using solar panels to power the “Tunnel Stage,” offering a recycling store to accept used bottle, cans, plastic cups, and old cell phones in exchange for different prizes such as Vitamin...
Want to watch your environmental impact but still have a fantastic wedding day celebration? Couples all over the world are making it happen by finding simple ways to “green” their weddings. From invitations to wedding attire, there are many easy and low cost ways to keep your nuptial celebrations eco-friendly. While there are “green wedding...
Purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs), installing solar panels, holding environmental rallies, and demanding organic and local food are just a few things that campus environmental groups around the nation have been up to. From small community colleges to big universities, students at campuses across the United States are joining...
As a child growing up in the Midwest, I was able to enjoy the luxuries of our seasonal vegetable garden and other fresh produce from local farms. I remember picking fresh berries on our camping trips to Lake Michigan and eating snap peas or cherry tomatoes directly from the vine in my backyard. I rarely considered washing these fresh picks...
It was a suburban gardener’s worst nightmare: a grub as big as a toddler! Thank goodness it was just part of the Chicago Field Museum’s new Underground exhibit, in which visitors “shrink” to 1/100ths of their normal size and experience soil up close and personal. Tree roots as big around as tree trunks. Gigantic crayfish lurking in corners...
My last article provided a simple way to measure your utility consumption by calculating your building’s kilowatt hours per square feet per year. One tip to help make the process of gathering your utility information easier is to use the free tools found at most utility companies. As an example, Pacific Gas & Electric provides free commercial...
For the greater half of my life, my daily diet has been vegetarian. My middle school years turned me onto the animal rights movement, causing me to dismiss red meat, and then white meat, and finally any form of seafood. As I got older, my taste for eggs and most dairy products began to fade, but I have yet to give up cheese and chocolate...
Reconciliation ecology is the idea that humans and endangered species can live side by side, even in advanced civilizations. Humans now occupy over 95% of terrestrial earth, and other species are being enclosed into smaller and smaller spaces. The more humans contribute to habitat loss, the more species are lost. Reconciliation ecology...
Many years ago, as I was moving out of my college apartment in Boulder, Colorado, I was faced with a devastating decision. Did I really have to throw the loads of plastic bags that were shoved into one of my kitchen drawers in the garbage? It didn’t seem right to me. Not only was it dumbfounding that an eco-conscious town like Boulder...
Remember the Victory Gardens of World War II? The term nowadays is “Recession Garden,” as more people are gardening to supplement their food sources. Our circumstances are remarkably similar to the 1940’s: we’re at war, we’re self-rationing because of job loss and rising costs, and we’re trying to stay hopeful despite bad news about Wall...
In spite of the nay-sayers, the Doubter Debbies of the world who resist the displacement of dirty fuels and who swear that global warming is a myth, the shift towards a green-conscious future cannot be helped. Almost a half a century ago, the peregrination towards Earth Day began as environmental cognizance took hold in the hearts of the...
In the past few years, we've discovered so many different ways to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. Everyone wants to go green, but not everyone has the time, money, and effort to do everything. Fortunately, changing just a few of these little habits can make a huge difference. Here are the top ten easiest (and cheapest) things you can do to go green...
As our world moves to a deeper shade of green, environment-focused opportunities continue to unfold. In the United States, a huge shift is being made in the design world, where many new buildings are taking the green approach. Examples of platinum-rated buildings granted by the U.S. Green Building Councils’ LEED rating system can be found...
It seems to me that every city has an excuse for why it is not going green. Big business and governments alike complain that switching too fast to renewable energy sources will cause a sag in the already sagging economy, that reducing emissions by x-percent below some year's levels is not possible, that environmentalists are asking...
Last week I asked John Vialard of my local Marshall County, Indiana electric cooperative to do an energy audit of my house. It’s an inventory of a home’s energy output, followed by some energy-saving solutions—usually a free service to utility customers. I learned that while some energy innovations are great, simply cutting back makes the...
My granddad used to tell me that “old habits die hard,” and that if I wanted to make a personal metamorphosis that it would take hard work and constant consciousness of my actions. For some cities in the world, the same is true for environmental action. Whether a city’s start lied in the era of coal mining or its history a time piece of...
Too often human adulthood is comparable to a hamster running on a wheel. The routine of every day life seems to fall into the get up, go to work, go to the gym, make dinner, watch TV, go to sleep mode, leading to an unshakable cycle that comprises your life. This austerely-put realization should not be depressing in any way, it should propel you...
Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit: Have you installed any solar panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, small wind energy systems, or fuel cells on your property? You could get a tax credit for 30% of the cost of the system, including the cost of installation (up to $2,000 for the solar and geothermal systems...
Speaking of new habits, recently I switched to milder, less-toxic household cleaning products to reduce my family’s exposure to scary chemicals. Marketing messages for today’s commercial products shout that the only good germ is a dead germ! But average American homes don’t need to be as sterilized as the Centers for Disease Control. Some...
Wake up and smell the burning coal, Peters, I thought, after eyeing my whopping electric bill. So far my family’s efforts to cut our energy usage resemble chopping down a mighty redwood with a herring. Not that we haven’t been trying. I programmed my thermostat, keeping daytime temperatures at a balmy 68 degrees. My thin-skinned youngest...
Free-range meats and eggs are exploding in popularity around the world. In the United Kingdom, free-range eggs have actually outsold those from traditional farms, and many major stores are selling only free-range eggs. In California, a proposition on the ballot in November of 2008 passed, which forces pig, cow, and chicken farmers to either...
In Hollywood the hottest new celebrity diet, major eco-food trend and secret is about to emerge as the next major national sensation! Did you know that many sources pointed to the raw organic diet as having brought Britney Spears to the road of recovery? Or that it saved Super Model Carol Alt’s health, life, and modeling career...
Environmentalists receive a bad rap for being extremely picky about every energy-consuming detail of human life. They ask people to change their eating and transportation habits just to prevent a few tons of carbon dioxide from being released. Granted, this is crucial in the whole “everyone doing their part” affair, but what if I told you one...
Biodynamic agriculture is one of the most sustainable methods of agriculture.1 It does so by incorporating organic farming techniques, composting, crop rotation, and attempts to integrate and reuse all of the natural resources on the farm. However, biodynamic agriculture is much more than just an agricultural method, it is...
Choosing a college or university can feel like a full-time job. There are thousands of schools in the United States—each with its own claim to fame. Prospective students are forced to search through a pool of schools to find one that they can identify with and receive their desired education from. If the environment is a top priority, a new...
It is what some scientists have called a biological “murder mystery.”1 Miles of coral reefs all over the world are losing their colors and dying off under the sea, leaving nothing but a vacant skeleton of what was once a habitat of bustling life. The cause is unknown. Some say it’s the rise in water temperatures. Others point to change in ocean...
If you have not personally felt the impact of our current economic crisis, consider yourself lucky. Global leaders consider our current situation to be the “most serious global recession since the 1930s.” Yikes! With a new President in office in the United States and the world’s business and government leaders brainstorming solutions, our...
Here's a little test: Google “cruise ships and the environment” and tell me what pops up on the browser first. Cruise liners discussing the breathtaking views you'll see while you sail off to Alaska? Or perhaps pictures of the vibrant reefs seen while scuba diving in the Bahamas? Sure these both fit the description, but most likely you'll...
Everyone has heard of global warming, but how many people have heard of ocean acidification? Recently, more and more political attention is being paid to this relatively unknown side effect of global warming. A scientific panel, consisting of the United Nations and other international groups, called for “urgent action” against ocean acidification...
My husband and I score high on compatibility quizzes. Our ideal vacation is a beach, a book, and peering up from the page only long enough to discuss our next meal. We relish silly British sitcoms and ballroom dancing. We disagree on one thing, though: I’m a Tosser and he’s a Keeper. I would recycle anything not nailed down—even important...
The month of February brings us Valentine’s Day-that [sometimes] dreaded holiday of pressure and expectations. Whether you are single or coupled up, Valentine’s Day offers the tradition of card giving, flowers, chocolates, dinner, and of course, romance. Instead of stressing about how to make a dozen red roses or a heart-shaped box of chocolates...
An ideal human world would boast zero emissions, but we are a species whose livelihood depends on the consumption of energy. We use energy and we use a lot of it, and simple physics tells us that what come in must some how come out one way or another, and our form of energy exhale is usually in some sort of harmful green house gas emission...
It is the most positive form of vandalizing to date. Volunteers clandestinely transforming patches of ugly weeded or trashed parcels of urban land into sustainable gardens of native plants. The idea behind this revolution, called “guerrilla gardening,” is to renovate small scraps of industrial land to enhance street-side beauty as well as...
In the United States, we generate over 400 million tons of trash each year. Some of that waste biodegrades, some of that waste can be recycled, but some of it sits around for hundreds of years with nowhere to go. Some of the most stubborn waste is plastic. Americans alone throw out about 60 million plastic water bottles everyday, use about...
The winter of 2008 saw a heavy decline of bat population in the Northeastern United States. Hibernating bats in caves across New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts were dying in numbers of up to tens of thousands. The species affected include little brown bats, Indiana bats, and northern long-eared, tri-colored, and small-footed...
The month of December 2008 provided us with some unusual weather patterns. Snowfall hit unexpected places like Las Vegas, Malibu, and Payson, Arizona. Areas of the Pacific Northwest that are used to a winter full of rain, including Portland, OR, were buried in snow for days. Boulder, CO experienced the coldest year in over a decade and...
Striving for carbon neutrality is an ongoing international battle whose importance is shown though its ubiquitous media coverage. Nonetheless, gaining this enhanced public knowledge system has been and continues to be an arduous road. While global warming has become the popular quagmire of the late 20th and early 21st century, the beginning came...
Many of us use the holidays as a time to stay home and rest, but some of us use the holiday season as an opportunity to travel. If you are one with a travel bug, try taking the environment into consideration with your trip planning this year. With over 390 National Park Service areas covering more than 84 million acres across the United States...
Everyone's heard about global warming, but relatively few people have heard about global dimming. What is global dimming? Substantial parts of the world are actually dimmer, i.e., less light, darker, than they were several decades ago due to air pollution.The United States, for example, is about 10% dimmer, while parts of the former...
Corporations everywhere are looking for a way out of significantly reducing their carbon emissions. Populations are demanding emission cut backs and during every political election new initiatives emerge that aim to cut big business' use of dirty fuels. Some companies have argued that environmental standards are too harsh, that the bar is set...
The holiday season presents a huge list of things to think about: travel, gift giving, meal planning, and so forth. If you have children or are buying a gift for a child this year, you may also want to think about whether or not the toy you are considering may be toxic. Yes… toxic! Among the many threats that toys present, namely, choking hazards...
With Thanksgiving soon approaching, gift-giving season is just around the corner. Many retailers say that “Black Friday”, the Friday after Thanksgiving, is their biggest shopping day of the year; while others see the largest sales increase the Saturday before Christmas. Regardless, we are soon to embark on one of the spendiest times of the...
Volunteering not only means that you are performing charity work in an altruistic and selflessness fashion; volunteering has a whole new meaning in this day and age. Consider volunteering as something you do for people who are not as fortunate as yourself, think of it as an exchange of ideas and a cultural experience. Being a volunteer, a person...
Celebrities have become the bread and butter of our weekly news, whether we or they like it or not. Although tabloids usually focus on relationship status or weight and style changes, celebs do a lot of good for the environment that deserves positive attention. These aren't just famous people who pay thousands of dollars to attend an...
It is a hard thing to explain and an even harder thing to imagine. The disappearance of millions of honey bees across the United States with no tangible explanation and no dead bees left behind to examine. Bees are simply vanishing. But before you declare a spiteful “good riddance” from all those stings or embarrassing situations where you run...
Beating the energy crisis is no easy feat, especially with an ailing economy tempting energy companies to continue employing cheap, dirty energy. Those in charge offer the public solutions that involve boosting technological advancements, rather than urging people to reduce their bad habits and consumption rates. For Peak Oil Communities...
This year voters were faced with a series of controversial issues on their November ballots. In particular, Californians were given the opportunity to vote on environmentally related issues explicitly and implicitly. One initiative that may have been an implicit vote for the environment was Proposition 2, also known as the Standards for Confining Farm Animals...
The hunt for new energy sources began with the obvious: products of mother earth that are known to be energy-rich. When the consequences of petroleum use became too hot to handle, and sources of gasoline were rumored to be dwindling in supply, people sought a source that was renewable. The genius behind renewable energy sources is...
Very literally translating to mimicking biology, biomimicry is an old idea emerging as a new sustainable method of smart design at a time where industries are searching for more eco-friendly ways to produce their goods and services. Biomimicry is the idea that imitating nature's design, either through species design or ecosystem function, people...
It is no secret that the world's intractable addiction to coal as an energy source has been a major cause of global climate change. Mountain top mining has stripped landscapes of their geological history and underground excavations for coal have led to numerous deaths. And although coal accounts for 22% of the United States’ energy use...
It's no secret that eco-friendly practices and lifestyles are gaining popularity around the world. However, more people want to do good for the environment not only on their own, but within entire towns and cities centered around sustainable living. Unified by using collective means to do environmental good, these “ecovillages” are actually...
People always seem to be talking about organic-this and organic-that, and all it really seems like people know about the word “organic” is that it represents something void of pesticides, that it is beaming with natural goodness, or it is somehow yoga-related. And yes, these things are true—except for maybe the yoga thing—but there is another reason to...
California is known for being a state to set nation-wide environmental trends, and this November's election is no different. A significant amount of election buzz has been circling around Proposition 1A, a measure formulated by nearly two-thirds of California's legislative branch that calls for the implementation of a high speed rail stretching...
It seems that every time you look, another species is being added to the endangered list. Just recently, the federal government placed the beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the protection of the United States Endangered Species Act. A decade-long recovery program has failed to assure their survival, mostly due to development and a range of economic and...
With the green movement taking over the production world, selling everything from toxin-free lamp shades to organic jeans, morphing your bathroom into an environmentally friendly zone is relatively simple. Greening your bathroom is not only good for the environment, but it is also great for your and your family’s health...
Many of us tend to over look the environmental impacts or threats within the healthcare industry as we depend on it for our well-being. I was shocked when I found out how much unnecessary pollution goes into our Nation’s healing process. An organization working to combat many of these issues, Health Care Without Harm, offers some pretty alarming statistics: The...
I will be the first one to admit it: I use a lot of water, in fact I use too much water. This does not make me a bad environmentalist, it just makes me someone who needs to tweak my behavior when it comes to water usage. You know those days when you want to just stand there and let the hot water run down your body? Everyone has done it, but as water...
If you decide you want your own solar cooker, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Box cookers are literally shaped like a box. While these can cook large quantities of food evenly without the need to monitor them, they take a long time to cook. Panel cookers are made up of flat panels which focus the rays into the food. The advantage of panel...
Never heard of passive solar design? Passive solar design is just the ability of a house or building to utilize the sun to either heat or cool a house simply by its direction or shape. By constructing a building according to very simple design standards, homeowners are able to capitalize on the sun's energy and virtually eliminate the need for a thermostat...
In 2008 it would have been hard not to notice the abundance of wildfires. California was by far hit the hardest, burning in areas such as San Diego, Santa Barbara, Yosemite, and Redding. Other states like Florida and Texas were also witness to this natural, yet destructive process. Millions of dollars of federal spending were dedicated to fighting them...
As our country continues to move to a deeper shade of green, so are our buildings. In the United States, more than 2,000,000 acres of open space, wildlife habitat, and wetlands are developed each year. This development also accounts for almost half of the total energy consumed by our country. Green building aims to increase the efficiency...
As water is becoming increasingly scarce the world is considering new and controversial solutions to this shortage. One of these solutions is converting sewage water to potable water, and this process has been put into place in select areas in the United States and around the world. This may sound disgusting to some, I know, but don’t write...
Considering the long-standing American tradition of “bigger is better”, one of the last things you'd expect in the U.S. is the growing trend of tiny houses. In the last few years, it's become so big that people are officially calling it the “Tiny House Movement”. Tiny homes range anywhere between 65 square feet and 750 square feet. So why...
Global climate change is upon us. This fact has been recognized by the majority of nations worldwide as shown by several international meetings specifically targeted at reducing this effect. And although people are becoming more and more accepting of this fact, the only doubt that still remains in many people's minds is whether or not...
My mother always taught me that good habits are important to incorporate into children’s lives at an early age, even if they are not old enough to always remember them. So why not start them off green? Regular baby products, clothing, and food can all be replaced with more environmentally friendly products that will not only help reduce you...
You may already be familiar with the terms white-collar or blue-collar jobs, but now a new color is entering the scene: green-collar. As we continue to deplete our natural resources, as the climate crisis gains more momentum, and as environmental protection becomes a national concern, the notion of green jobs is receiving its fair...
It is no secret that human beings have advanced to become a throw-away society. As wealth increases, the need to skimp and save materials decreases. Packaging is ignored as a relatively small price to pay for the convenience of single-serving sized items. Once in the garbage can, society tends to forget about the gargantuan landfill that this...
It has almost become expected to see a McDonalds in every city across the United States or even in any major city throughout the world. Living in a fast-paced world means that eating fast food is sometimes the easiest option. In the United States, we are spending almost $150 billion at fast food chains each year with the global fast food market...
If you spend any time around children or teenagers—as an educator, a parent, a nanny, a sibling or even as a friend—you probably understand the impact that education can have on young people. If you have any interest in environmental issues, at the individual, federal, or global level, you probably understand the impact that everyday...
One baby will use thousands of diapers in a single year. How to dispose of all that waste is a confusing decision for parents trying to live green. When I was changing my kids’ diapers, almost every mom I talked to felt guilty about adding to the landfill, but we threw up our collective hands—what to do? Cloth diapers just seemed so...
The hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics Games has been a hot bed for controversy. As the host country China, in the heat of its industrial revolution, boasts almost 20% of the world’s total population, the environmental impact of its heavily populated hosting-city Beijing, has provoked its fair share of global concern. Before the start of...
As gas prices continue to rise, more and more American drivers are trading in gas-guzzling SUVs for fuel efficient hybrid and low emission vehicles. While it was not so long ago that a few hybrid car options seemed like a whole new world, there is now a booming market with many different manufacturers offering a variety of makes and models...
This is a story of a woman who planted trees. Sounds pretty quaint, doesn't it? Well, truthfully, Professor Wangari Maathai's story is about as far from quaint and as close to heroic as a human can get! Maathai comes from a small village in Kenya and is the founder of the Green Belt Movement. The Green Belt Movement is an organization that...
If you have money to invest, how do you choose which companies to support with your investment? It seems sometimes that businesses make vicious decisions with only profit maximization in mind and run over the rights of the communities and environments they inhabit. Owning stock means you own a piece of a company. As an investor...
“Food miles” has become a new buzz term, suddenly so common in the environmentalist vernacular that people may be shy about asking what it means! Simply put, food miles are the number of miles a food item has had to travel from its origin to its final destination in your home or on your plate at a restaurant. While it is not necessarily...
It has been estimated that almost 86% of energy used annually in the U.S. is from the combustion of fossil fuels. The pollution from these fossil fuels is responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sources of fossil fuels-non-renewable resources that take millions of years to form-are being depleted everyday. A report put...
In order to answer this question, we must first answer the question: why recycle at all? The Air Defenders' Glossary defines recycling as “Physically or chemically changing an item into a new item for reuse.” Composting can be considered a form of recycling. After all, the plant matter in a compost pile undergoes both physical...
With hundreds of millions of people around the world living in hunger, food security is a major modern day issue. What is the best way to solve this massive dilemma? There is no time to dilly dally, waiting for the perfect solution to arise, so why not use a form of technology that already exists? Genetically modified crops have the potential...
Most of us connect water pollution with oil spills and littering, and maybe even some of us remember the acid rain lessons from grade school. However, a new threat is facing our national water supplies: pharmaceutical products. Nationwide studies of watersheds and drinking water supplies have confirmed traces of many different chemicals...
Imagine a world where everyone has access to a bicycle. In this world the air is cleaner, the cities are quieter, and everyone has a smile on their face. This vision (or something like it) may soon be realized in Washington, D.C. through a bicycle sharing program called “SmartBike DC.”...
Save energy and money this summer: trade your gas or electric dryer for a clothesline. It’s not revolutionary: people have relied on free solar power to dry their clothes a lot longer than they’ve relied on machines. This summer I’m hanging out our laundry for the first time ever. (I’m a city girl, okay?) I’m a new dog learning...
If you are looking for some interesting, easy, and fun reading this summer on ways to live green, I have a couple of suggestions for you. Please remember, though, that though books and magazines are chock full of ideas to conserve energy, make healthier choices, and use less chemicals, it can get overwhelming if you try to do it all at once...
For residents of the Bay Area, late-June usually signifies getaways up to Lake Tahoe, wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma County, camping trips to Big Sur, or festival fun in the city. This year, we are experiencing something a little different: eerily hazy skies, smoke-filled air, and soot. The smoggy skies are a result of about 1,100 wildfires burning...
With the rise of the green movement, it is of little surprise that green attention has made its way into the fashion industry. Fashion, in a broad sense, is a social concept that inhabits many areas of thinking and human activity. It refers to the styles that make up a culture. It is a major industry. Fortunately, in such a large and active...
Both environmental non-profits and new green businesses benefit from grants that help fund their eco friendly mission. What exactly is a grant? Grants are sums of money awarded to finance a particular activity or facility. Generally, grant awards are not intended to be paid back. Federal agencies and other organizations sponsor grant programs...
From street level the Chicago City Hall looks like any other urban building: grey, rectangular, and concrete. From the roof, it is transformed into a magical garden amidst a towering jungle of steel and cement. In cities across the nation green roofs are transforming urban landscapes, lowering building energy needs, and combating rising urban...
With energy costs rising and fuel reserves dwindling, moreand more people are turning to solar power. Solar panels capture energy from the sun,which can then be converted to electricity or used to heat water, depending onthe system you have in place. While solar electric and solar thermal systemsrequire significant initial investment, they are...
Since we moved to our "rural-burban" neighborhood, I've noticed that we're not the only ones calling this spot home. Take our bird population: the grackles appear in April to setup their raucous housekeeping in our river birches. During the summer, I can also count on robins, cardinals, chipping sparrows, cedar waxwings, wrens...
Tis the time of the year to bring out your paint can! As summer approaches,many people will use this opportunity to enjoy the warmer weather, take avacation, and finally tackle that long awaited home improvement. If re-painting your house, whether that be interior or exterior, is on the list, there are several steps to note to keep this process...
You may wonder where the water that pours out of your tap comes from, and where it goes after it flows down your drain.The answer is that it depends on where you live and how the water system in your area operates. Most cities and regions have websites that offer comprehensive explanations about the water sources, purification processes, and...
As our demand for energy continuously increases,it is important to start looking for alternatives to our current sources of energy. One quick and easy way to start cutting your individual energy consumption is by switching the incandescent light bulbs in your home to CFLs, or compact fluorescent light bulbs. Not only are CFLs an effective...
With rising global populations, an ever increasing demand for energy, and compelling evidence for climate change, it is crucial that we invest in energy technologies that are not dependant on dangerous and polluting fossil fuels. While policy makers, scientists, and businessmen will have to take a lead role in developing and propagating...
You bike to work, you buy organic potatoes, you even anticipate the day you’ll drive a hybrid car. So when your knee gives out after too many miles of mountain biking, you might think twice about the doctor’s recommendation of getting a new artificial knee. Can’t you just recycle your old one? In a sense, you can. Biologic—not bionic...
Summer is notorious for high gas prices and with the price of this precious commodity already flirting with $4/gallon in the early spring, it seems inevitable that the $4.00/gallon mark will be hit sometime this summer. It is important that drivers learn how to manage this new price pest. However, don't run out and buy a hybrid or an...
With gas prices on the rise, drivers are paying more than ever at the pump. This April, gas prices have pushed to a national average of $3.50 per gallon. In San Francisco, where gas is notoriously expensive, you can expect to pay up to-and sometimes
over-$4.00 per gallon! Now instead of paying an arm and a leg to use our vehicles, it...
The National Organic Program (NOP) is an extension of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) created to accredit local organic certifying agencies. The NOP accredits a total of 95 certifying agencies across the globe, 55 of which are located in the United States. In order for an agricultural product to be certified organic, farmers...
San Francisco is home to a variety of events and festivals throughout the year. It has been said that, “if celebration and protest are polar twins, San Francisco does both with equal verve.” San Francisco makes a festival out of a neighborhood, holds world-renowned jazz, blues and music festivals, explodes fireworks over the Bay for a...
When investigating a new car like a hybrid, it is important to thoroughly understand the safety of the vehicle. As hybrids have only been on the road for about 5 years, their reviews are limited. Some of the information below will provide a brief introduction to the safety features on these highly efficient vehicles...
A green job refers to any profession working to make a positive contribution to the environmental movement. The term "green job" can wear many faces. Because the environmental movement is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement you can find your niche anywhere from advocating for sustainable management of resources to...
Many Corporations are making the move to green lately.Not only can a company do good for the environment by greening their operations, but they can save some money and help their bottom line, too. In fact, IBM estimates it saved $17.8 million worldwide in 1991 alone just by encouraging employees to turn off equipment and lights when not...
Browse all Greeniacs Guides
Browse all Greeniacs Articles
