The Story Of Bottled Water.

From the Story Of Stuff folks, here's one called The Story Of Bottled Water.
Love these things.

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

Four reasons to grow heirloom plants

Heirlooms can seem intimidating, but they absolutely should not be. According to Elana Havusha, an environmental educator and garden manager at Shemesh Organic Farm, an educational farm nestled in the hills of Malibu, CA, heirlooms have a mystique about them: "People are excited about the idea of purchasing heirlooms at farmers markets, for instance, but they sometimes hesitate to grow them themselves because they're not comfortable with the word. It sounds too fancy." And fancier means finicky, which means harder work. See tha list here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/09/23/four-reasons-to-grow-heirloom-plants/

Starbucks saves millions on energy bills with LED lighting

OK, I'm not a big fan of Starbucks but every bit helps.

On a light-by-light basis, changing from incandescent to LED only makes a tiny difference in energy consumption and cost, but when you're talking about retrofitting a large building like the Empire State Building or replacing bulbs in thousands of Starbucks stores, the energy savings can be huge.
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/13/starbucks-saves-millions-on-energy-bills-with-led-lighting/

Six reasons why you might buy a $50 light bulb

Incandescent light bulbs will be phased out in 2014. Some will say bye-bye and good riddance, while others are still holding out for a mercury-less eco-alternative to CFLs. But there's a new kid on the block that might fulfill everyone's dreams. See the reasons here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/10/six-reasons-why-you-might-buy-a-50-light-bulb/

Food Preserved In Morphing Gel Bio Robot Fridge

The Bio Robot Refrigerator fridge by Yuriy Dmitriev of Russia, it’s a conceptual, futuristic design of a traditional home appliance. Instead of shelves, the fridge has a non sticky, odourless biopolymer gel that morphs around products to create a pod which suspends items for easy access.
Weird eh! http://www.woohome.com/technology/food-preserved-in-morphing-gel-bio-robot-fridge

Bioplastics not necessarily the greenest

Bioplastics would seem to be a positive development in many ways. Rather than needing to have petroleum extracted and processed to supply the feedstock for making plastic, plant-based materials are used instead. However, a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers finds that plant-based plastics are not necessarily greener than petroleum-based ones. Read more from GetWithGreen.com. http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/07/bioplastics-not-necessarily-the-greenest/

Rosalie Bay Resort Features Dominica’s First Wind Turbine

Five years in the making, the 22-acre getaway was built on principles of conservation and preservation, surrounded by an undisturbed natural setting of mountains, lush forests, and gardens. In addition to solar panels, the resort also features a Norwin Turbine 225 kW — which provides some 70% of the power used by the 28 beautiful rooms in nine cottages. With these renewables in place, Rosalie is effectively self-sustaining; an epic achievement that’s yet still rare in today’s world of “green resorts”. Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/08/rosalie-bay-resort-features-dominica%e2%80%99s-first-wind-turbine/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29 or check out the resort's site, http://www.rosaliebay.com/

Eco friendly Clothing

Megan Kathryn Clothing- Megan Kathryn is an innovative woman’s clothing company. The clothing collections are primarily inspired, but not limited to, travel , music, and nature. At Megan Kathryn we use sustainable and socially responsible fabric. Check out her web site here, http://megankathryn.com/default.aspx

Online tool makes composting easier

BioCycle magazine and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) have launched a new, more-user-friendly version of FindAComposter.com, a free, publicly searchable directory of composting facilities in the United States and Canada.

In today's warming world, composting our organic waste stream to recycle nutrients and build soil health is the preferred alternative to landfilling, which produces the unwanted greenhouse gas methane.
Recognizing that a major challenge to implementing these sound ecological practices has been a perceived lack of infrastructure, BioCycle originally launched FindAComposter.com in 2007.

Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/11/19/online-tool-makes-composting-easier/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

Air Travel vs Your Carbon Footprint. Things are getting better.

From WWF-Canada,

One thing that’s been bothering me about climate change is the thought that I might someday need to give up air travel to help keep greenhouse gases in check. Who among us doesn’t look forward with anticipation to those fleeting occasions (especially during our long, cold, Canadian winters) when we can hop aboard a plane and within hours step out onto a warm, sunny beach?

Well, it turns out I may not need to give up my cherished air travel. Aircraft manufacturers and operators are on top of the problem of aircraft emissions and they’re making real progress towards keeping us all flying without fossil fuels. By next year, aviation experts predict, biofuels will be ready to use in blended form to power aircraft engines and by 2013 as a full replacement for jet fuel.

Read more here, http://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2010/11/23/up-up-and-away-where-are-my-flip-flops/

Reimagining Detroit as Grow Town

I saw an article about this a while ago. Interesting.

Over the last six decades, the city of Detroit has lost half its population, shrinking from more than 1.85 million people in 1950 to just 912,000 in 2008.
The population plunge has left vacant vast tracts of land that some people in the city want to see used for growing food. Hundreds of community gardens have sprung up throughout the urban core, and several large-scale farms have been proposed within the city limits. Read here, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/reimagining-detroit-as-grow-town/?hp

Freshwater is bottom line issue for business

Around the world, freshwater supplies are under siege. Polluted, wasted and altered by climate change, the resource that supports life on Earth is in trouble. For WWF, protecting freshwater ecosystems is part of our mission to create harmony between people and nature. For businesses, dabbling in freshwater conservation has largely been a philanthropic endeavor. But that has changed in recent years, as companies have awakened to a simple fact: There is no business without water.

Read here, http://wwf.panda.org/?196956%2FFreshwater-is-bottom-line-issue-for-business

10 mistakes people make with heat

Even with a constant flow of information about energy efficiency, homeowners make major heating mistakes that end in higher electric bills and larger environmental footprints.  Here are 10 of those errors, with the cause and effect of each decision.

http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/11/15/10-mistakes-people-make-with-heat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

14 tips for using less heat this season

The temperature's dropping here in the northern hemisphere, and for a lot of us that means dialing up the thermostat to take that chill out of the air.

Whether you have electric or gas heat, warming your home isn't so hot for the environment or your wallet. The majority of our electricity here in the U.S. comes from dirty coal. Natural gas drilling often uses a dangerous method called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," which contaminates water in the areas around drilling sites.

Get the list here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/10/25/14-tips-for-using-less-heat-this-season/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

75 things you didn’t know you could compost

The basics of composting are simple. Most people know they can compost fruit and vegetable peels, leaves, and grass clippings. But what about that tea bag you used this morning? Or the fur that collects in the brush when you groom your cat?

More here from GetWithGreen.com, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/09/30/75-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-compost/

The story of electronics

Here's a video to check out
http://storyofstuff.org/electronics/

Wildlife Adoptions for the Holiday Season

This year is the year of the tiger but the illegal hunting continues.

The tiger, largest of all cats, is one of the most threatened species on Earth. It is estimated that only 3,200 remain in the wild, most in isolated pockets spread across increasingly fragmented forests stretching from India to southeastern China and from the Russian far east to Sumatra, Indonesia. Tigers in the wild exist in 45% less habitat than was thought a decade ago and now occupy only 7% of their historic range. (WWF http://wwf.panda.org/?196519%2FMore-than-1000-tigers-reduced-to-skin-and-bones-in-last-decade )

This year, consider giving a  WWF Wildlife Adoption. You can choose from a selection of species both domestic and exotic. If you're not in Canada, check out the WWF page closest to you and look for the Unique Gift section. Of course, you can still order from WWF-Canada but they only ship to Canada and the United States.

A Symbolic Wildlife Adoption is a meaningful gift you can purchase for any occasion, to give to friends and family or even yourself. By purchasing a Wildlife Adoption, a Family Adoption, or an Adoption Collection, you are supporting the conservation efforts of WWF-Canada and helping to protect wildlife and their habitats.

Please visit the WWF and order an unique gift that that will bring joy to the recipreint and help preserve our planet's wildlife. https://wwfstore.donorportal.ca/default.aspx 

How a 2-degree climate change would hit Canada

Ongoing climate change means that summer Arctic sea ice could be halved, runoff in the South Saskatchewan River basin reduced and the cost of shipping through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway could rise due to lower water levels, according to a compilation of research published Tuesday.

Billed as the first comprehensive illustration of expected climate impacts in Canada, the report is a joint project of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), which publishes Canadian Geographic and Géographica magazines.

More here, http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/101005/canada/technology_science_round_table_canadian_geographic_climate_change

October is Non-GMO month

Celebrate Non-GMO Month!

October 2010 will be the first ever Non-GMO Month, with a special Non-GMO Day on 10.10.10. Close to 600 retailers nationwide are registered to participate!

Read more here, http://www.nongmoproject.org/

Seven things you didn’t know about light bulbs (but should)

Lighting is a significant expense for many of us, and it also affects how we work, play, and feel. The good news is that new advances in technology are providing more comfort, flexibility and efficiency.

Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/09/24/seven-things-you-didn%e2%80%99t-know-about-light-bulbs-but-should/

Cod has chance of recovery?

Struggling cod stocks on the East Coast could rebuild if Canada and other fishing nations reduce unintentional catches of the fish and develop a recovery plan, an international conservation group said Thursday.

http://www.dailybusinessbuzz.ca/2010/09/17/atlantic-region-cod-has-chance-of-recovery-says-conservation-group/

Car Free Day

Toronto's biggest Car Free Day is at Queen's Park North this year. Car Free Days aim to be fun, free events encouraging people to get out of their cars and run, walk, cycle or take public transit. We are partnering with U of T for their Environment Week festivities and including space for community groups. Contact us to reserve a free tables for your non-profit group. Queen’s Park North, Wednesday, Sept. 22nd from 10am - 2pm
http://www.ontario.sierraclub.ca/en/car-free-day 

Local as it Gets

A family living in Mesa, Arizona, has decided to convert an old unused backyard swimming pool into a very productive DIY urban greenhouse, which they named Garden Pool. Within a small, mostly enclosed space, they grow all kinds of vegetables and herbs, as well as raise chickens and tilapia fish

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/garden-pool-family-of-four-grows-food-in-swimming-pool-arizona.php?campaign=th_rss

Use salt instead of harsh chemicials.

How many ways can you use salt? According to the Salt Institute, about 14,000! I can't think of another more versatile mineral. The use of salt to preserve food was one of the early cornerstones of civilization (preservation lessened the dependence on seasonal food). Nowadays salt is the most common and readily available nonmetallic mineral in the world. In fact, the supply of salt is inexhaustible.

New Festival Celebrates Local, Sustainable Food & Drink

New Festival Celebrates Local, Sustainable Food & Drink - CityNews

A new food festival set to take over Fort York this weekend caters to all those who like to think long and hard about a meal before eating.If you take pride in purchasing local produce, meats and other items, the first-ever Conscious Food Festival is likely to whet your appetite.The celebration of healthy, local and sustainable food starts at 11am Saturday and runs through to 7pm Sunday at the historic site at 100 Garrison Rd.The event will give urbanites the chance to meet the people who produced the food featured at the festival. There will also be live music, workshops and chefs will be on hand for cooking demonstrations.

My blog is carbon neutral

This is a great idea. There is a company that will plant a tree for you, neutralising the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog. The trees will be planted in the spring of 2010 by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Conserve N.S. putting hybrid cabs to the test

The provincial government is giving about $25,000 to a new pilot project to help taxi drivers in Halifax and Dartmouth cut fuel consumption.

The initiative, funded through Conserve Nova Scotia, will give $2,500 to up to six drivers to purchase a new fuel-efficient or hybrid vehicle.

It will also provide $1,200 to those drivers and three others cabbies using regular taxis to keep data on their fuel use, mileage, and maintenance and repair bills.

More here, http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1174851.html

Earth Hour 2010

Just a reminder that Earth Hour is tomorrow, March 27, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm, your local time. Visit http://www.earthhour.org for more info

Earth Day Guest Blogger

Todays post is from a guest blogger, Dan Grifen, http://everythingleft.wordpress.com/

Thanks Dan.

3/24/2010


Green Infrastructure, Earth Day and Global Awareness

Spring 2010 is approaching and there’s a lot of buzz around topics like the economy, taxation, global poverty, restoration in Haiti/Chile, and lastly, green awareness. With spring, Earth Day also draws nearer (April 22nd); as individuals, we must remember and realize the importance of global warming and all of its implications. Subsequent topics discussed as of late include space travel/burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and green building. As nations like Haiti and Chile prepare for rebuilding and new construction, there are many things to consider when advancing. Moving towards cleaner, greener infrastructure is vital in ensuring a successful restoration campaign.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(3)(c) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everybody. It’s one of the many organizations playing its role in green progression. Heavy discussion lies on green topics, especially the more recent ones like space travel; others include deforestation, green crops, clothing, energy, and much more. It’s important that we as individuals/citizens stay up-to-date on important global topics like warming. As organizations like the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative), AFH (Architecture for Humanity), and the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) conducts sustainability campaigns and enforce strict green constraints, our world will continue to become a better, cleaner place. Machines behind the CGI, Doug Band and Former President Clinton have been pursuing an emission reduction plan in the San Francisco Bay area. Meanwhile, GEC (Globetrotters Engineering Corporation) is underway with green building projects in Chicago, IL. Despite these few national examples, green infrastructure, particularly in places like Haiti, has become an integral part of restoration and construction.

This aligns with the implications of "economic viability" and long term sustainability, posing the questions, "Can Haiti really make it through all the costs of repair and reconstruction?" Infrastructure can take a toll on any economy, especially if the funds aren't there. This goes hand in hand with meeting modern day LEED standards and approaching this in a "greener" sense. Organizations like Architecture for Humanity will make this possible. Architecture for Humanity (1999) is a nonprofit design services firm building "a more sustainable future through the power of professional design." It was formulated through a group of building professionals whose overwhelming passion for construction drove them to provide a way for underdeveloped, suffering countries to rebuild. Through their dedication and hard work, these people will be able to not only create new buildings and infrastructure, but make them bigger, better, and greener.

To touch on just some of the things that AFH covers:

• Alleviating poverty and providing access to water, sanitation, power and essential services
• Bringing safe shelter to communities prone to disaster and displaced populations
• Rebuilding community and creating neutral spaces for dialogue in post-conflict areas
• Mitigating the effects of rapid urbanization in unplanned settlements
• Creating spaces to meet the needs of those with disabilities and other at-risk populations
• Reducing the footprint of the built environment and addressing climate change

As polluters continue to buy their way out of Carbon Cuts globally, and large organizations continue to dump their waste into lakes, ponds and rivers, communities and must play their role in ensuring sustainability. Organizations like the CGI, AFH, and USGBC provide repercussion and policy change for acts such as. Most of the results from warming and climate change are miniscule and unnoticeable now, but our youth and earlier generations will experience firsthand the effects of pollutants and unsustainable efforts. Feel free to visit http://www.earthday.org/ to learn more about what you can do to support your world.

Food Connect

Food Connect is an award winning social business that works in collaboration with brilliant local farmers around Brisbane to deliver the best food in the world efficiently, affordably and equitably. Our unique distribution system is flexible, convenient and most of all healthy for you and your community. We are passionate about changing the way food is grown and distributed in this and any country where exploitation of farmers and customers is rampant.

Check it out, http://www.foodconnect.com.au/

Where I'm At Now (Part 2)

The next post in the series of some of the transitions we've made.

Anyone that knows me, knows I'm a big coffee drinker.

Coffee is actually one of my exception items on my 100-Mile Diet (Details in future post)

A lot of coffee is produced in countries that are politically unstable. What this means in very brief terms, is that the coffee is controlled by large coffee cartels. The cartels market the coffee and make the profit passing very little along to the farmers.

The farmers are then forced to enlist their families, since they have no money to pay workers, and are denied proper meals, education and medical treatment. 

Fair Trade Coffee is usually grown in farmer owned cartels or co-ops where the farmers make more of the profits allowing them to live better lives. Most Fair Trade Coffee growers also grow the coffee organically and are excellent stewards of the earth.

 

One of the companies I've found is Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative Limited , http://www.justuscoffee.com/Default.aspx

I'm not trying to promote this company, I'm just using it as an example. Their site has a lot of info about Fair Trade.

 

Just Us! also has tea, chocolate and sugar, all from the Fair Trade variety.

For me, it's only Fair Trade Organic coffee at home and I look for it in coffee shops too.

Are pet flea treatments safe?

This may be worth a read if you are a pet owner.

http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/03/18/are-frontline-and-other-spot-on-flea-and-tick-treatments-safe-for-dogs-and-cats/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

Where I'm at now

My wife and I started our commitment to a lower carbon footprint in September 2007. Just over 2 1/2 years and we've changed just about everything in our life.

The next series of posts will be about some of the transitions we've made.

Switching to CFL's

These may cost a bit more but they last a lot longer. We've only had to replace 2 in the past few years. We changed 18 or so on the first blitz. When we compared our electric bill the following season, the change was a shocker.

 Blue - Winter       Green - Summer

The chart shows the drop in energy use from January 08 to January 09. Really, this was only due to the switch to CFL's with a little bit of diligence in turning out lights that were not being used. It took a year to compare since we had to wait for the proper season. You can't compare January with August since your utility uses are very different.

This kind of proved our effort wasn't in vain. This was one of the first things we changed. Now, a year and a half into our lifestyle adjustment, it was the third bit of proof we were on to something. Sometimes it takes time to see results.

Annihilation of a Fish

There is a series of photographs called "The Chase" taken off Nomans Land Island, near Martha's Vineyard, in 1986. The photographs show a giant bluefin tuna, weighing over 900 pounds, leaping, missing, leaping again, and capturing an Atlantic bluefish about two feet long.¹ The giant bluefin has all the design characteristics of a fighter jet: supremely tapered shape, short fins like abbreviated wings, extreme speed.

 

Read here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-rigney/annihilation-of-a-fish_b_505712.html

TD’s Global Business Operations Are Now Carbon Neutral

TD Bank Financial Group, today announced that its operations in Canada, the US, and international locations - its entire footprint - are now carbon neutral.

"This is a significant milestone but we know there is still a lot to do," said Karen Clarke-Whistler, Chief Environment Officer, TD. "Thanks to the terrific effort of our employees as well as the helpful input we've received from environmental and community groups, TD is the first North American-based bank - and one of only a few banks in the world - to reach a carbon neutral goal. We look forward to engaging with key stakeholders as we continue to work on environmental issues."

Read here, http://www.zerofootprint.net/press/single/zerofootprint-helps-td-make-its-global-business-operations-carbon-neutral/#continuedReading

Ways to Go Green

A new analysis has an encouraging conclusion about individuals who "go green": If we all took a few simple steps, collectively we could reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 15%. Each of these steps is cheap (or free) and won't cramp anyone's lifestyle.

Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/03/15/the-two-chicken-global-warming-solution/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

Hi all,
Earth Hour will be held March 27, 2010 8:30PM - 9:30PM
Hope you can make it.

http://earthhour.org

Detroit looks at downsizing to save city

Detroit, the very symbol of American industrial might for most of the 20th century, is drawing up a radical renewal plan that calls for turning large swaths of this now-blighted, rusted-out city back into the fields and farmland that existed before the automobile.

Read here, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/09/detroit-looks-at-downsizing-to-save-city/

How to make your electronics batteries last longer

Taking good care of your electronics batteries can pay off. The financial rewards of longer lasting batteries are obvious: You won't be forced to render a perfectly good gadget obsolete before its time or have to shell out money for a replacement battery.

Read more here,
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/03/02/how-to-make-your-electronics-batteries-last-longer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

Energy vampires: Is it worth it to unplug your electronics?

It's common knowledge that appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they're switched off but still plugged in. One solution is to unplug electronics and chargers when you aren't using them. Or you can plug cords into a power strip and switch it off whenever you want to cut off all power to ppliances.

Read the article here,
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/02/08/energy-vampires-is-it-worth-it-to-unplug-your-electronics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29

7 Companies You Can Trust to Use BPA-Free Cans

Here's a startling, almost amazing fact. Eden Organic has been canning beans since 1999 in BPA (bisphenol-A) free cans. For a decade. Concerns about BPA keep mounting - in January the FDA reversed its 2008 stance to say it was "concerned" about BPA and recommended limited exposure. So why all food manufacturers follow Eden's lead?

Read more and see the list here,
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/7-bpa-free-canned-foods.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Device mimics leeches, ejects plug when gadget is done charging

Leeches drink blood until they're full and then fall off of their host, but our plugged-in gadgets keep drinking electricity even once they're fully charged.
The Outlet Regulator changes this by ejecting the plug from the electricity source once the gadget is done charging, turning vampire electronics into leeches.

Check it out here, http://conorklein.com/index.php?/ongoing/outlet-regulator/

Freight Transportation’s Hidden Cost to Health and the Planet

Freight—nearly everything we buy, eat, manufacture, or build with is carried to us by a complex system of shipping routes, rail lines, highways, ports, and rail yards.
West Coast ports are expected to see a 138% increase in container traffic by 2035. Source: Port of Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, pollution from moving all this freight is significant and growing. Truck, locomotive, and ship engines spew greenhouse gases, toxic diesel soot, and other dangerous pollutants. These emissions contribute to global warming and are responsible for serious health problems. This is the first in a series of posts about how to address the huge environmental and public health costs of moving goods around the country.

Read here, http://blogs.edf.org/transportation/2010/03/01/we-gotta-clean-up-freight-transportation%e2%80%99s-hidden-cost-to-health-and-the-planet/

Norway Reveals Stunning Plan to Cut CO2 Emissions 30% in 10 Years

The Scandinavian nation announced some of the boldest goals for curbing carbon emissions during the run-up to Copenhagen. And today, it released its plans outlining exactly how it will cut 30% of its emissions by 2020--some of the deepest emissions cuts of any nation ever. And that plan includes infrastructure for electric cars, using more biofuels, creating more bike paths, carbon capture, and more. The cost of this massive, far-reaching, forward-looking plan? Norway predicts its clean economy of 2010 would be a teensy 0.25% smaller than its projected oil dependent economy at the same time.

More here, http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/norway-reveals-plan-cut-emissions-30-10-years.php

Is There an Ecological Unconscious?

About eight years ago, Glenn Albrecht began receiving frantic calls from residents of the Upper Hunter Valley, a 6,000-square-mile region in southeastern Australia. For generations the Upper Hunter was known as the "Tuscany of the South" — an oasis of alfalfa fields, dairy farms and lush English-style shires on a notoriously hot, parched continent. "The calls were like desperate pleas," Albrecht, a philosopher and professor of sustainability at Murdoch University in Perth, recalled in June. "They said: 'Can you help us? We've tried everyone else. Is there anything you can do about this?' "

 

Read the Times Magazine article here, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/magazine/31ecopsych-t.html

Lien Aid: Solutions for Safe Water and Accessible Sanitation in Asia

Lien Aid is an international development NGO headquartered in Singapore. Its core mission is to build a firm foundation for human development by making safe water and sanitation accessible and affordable to poor communities in Asia. Founded in 2006 by the Lien Foundation and the Nanyang Technological University, Lien Aid's strength lies in delivering solutions using appropriate technology backed by knowledge transfer. Since its inception, Lien Aid has impacted over 200,000 lives in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam through various water treatment, sanitation and community development initiatives.

 

Read more here, http://liveearth.org/en/liveearthblog/lien-aid

TakeOutWithOut Says No to Paper and Plastic

Americans toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator an astonishing 300 times, and the folks at TakeOutWithOut are trying to do something about it! The group formed to convince restaurants to encourage and accommodate people who bring their own containers.

More here, http://liveearth.org/en/liveearthblog/takeoutwithout

Colorado Wind Project Gets $2.5 Million In Stimulus Grants

DENVER — A community wind-power project on Colorado's northeastern plains will receive $2.5 million in federal stimulus funds.

Phillips County wants to build a community-owned 30-megawatt project with the ultimate goal of building a 650-megawatt wind farm within Sedgwick, Phillips and Logan counties.

 

Read here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/22/colorado-wind-project-get_n_432951.html

Disappearing Greater Mekong tigers underscore global threats

Tigers on the Brink: Facing up to the Challenge in the Greater Mekong, states that tiger populations in the Greater Mekong – an area that includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – have plummeted from an estimated 1,200 during the last Year of the Tiger in 1998 to about 350 today.

Read more here, http://www.panda.org/?187021

The 15 most toxic places to live

Here's a little photo tour of the worlds most toxic places to live.

 

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/the-15-most-toxic-places-to-live/