April 2009 - Posts

• Bees: The Pollination Crisis

  The telltale signs of spring are finally here; leaves budding, flowers blooming and bees buzzing. But wait. Are the bees buzzing as much as they should? By now you’re probably familiar with the concept that bees play a huge part in plant pollination – Read More... Posted Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:46 AM by Christie | 1 Comments

• Is Swine Flu the Result of Factory Farms?

  Lost in the swine flu hysteria that’s sweeping the nation is an important lesson. Ultimately, what’s bad for the planet is bad for those of us who live on it, regardless of our species. Surely you’ve heard all that you care to hear about swine flu by Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:40 AM by David | 3 Comments Filed under: Food and Drink, Health, News

• Plastic not so Fantastic: Bioplastics vs. Biodegradable Plastics

  It’s estimated that global plastic consumption levels are around the 150 million ton mark annually, and studies suggest that producing 1kg of common plastic requires 2kg of petroleum fossil fuels for energy and raw material – and releases about 6kg of Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9:48 AM by Christie | 3 Comments Filed under: Business, Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• Escape From Garbage Island

  Lurking in the Pacific Ocean, in a section of sea rarely visited by humans, is a giant floating testament to how much damage we are capable of doing to our planet. On her recent Earth Day special, Oprah Winfrey described it as the “most shocking thing Read More... Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 9:33 AM by David | 3 Comments Filed under: Issues, News

• Locally Grown Movement Is Keepin’ It Close to Home

  My husband and I went to some friends’ place for the dinner the other night, and after a delicious meal of roast beef, veggies, and the freshest bread I’ve ever tasted (with real butter, no less), the bomb dropped. While clearing the plates, our hostess Read More... Posted Friday, April 24, 2009 10:37 AM by Emily | 1 Comments Filed under: Business, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• Lose Weight to Stop Global Warming

  Two British scientist from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have made a direct correlation between increased CO2 emissions and being overweight. Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts say that the increased consumption of fast food and convenience Read More... Posted Friday, April 24, 2009 8:52 AM by Christie | 1 Comments Filed under: Energy, Food and Drink, News

• Researchers Find Levels Of Rare Element On The Rise

  Research performed by a team of scientists at Dartmouth College has shown that the global level of osmium , a rare element that can combine with oxygen to form the highly toxic compound osmium tetroxide, is on the rise. The increasing levels of osmium Read More... Posted Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:56 AM by David | 0 Comments Filed under: Health, Transportation, News

• Earth Day Resolution Ideas

  It's Earth Day 2009 and what are you going to do about it? People the world over plan to go that extra mile for Mother Earth today by walking to work, picking up grabage and planting trees, among other things. While every little bit counts, sceptics like Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:26 AM by Christie | 2 Comments Filed under: Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden

• The Greensburg Project: Green from the Ground Up

  One of the most inspiring things I’ve seen on television lately is Planet Green, Discovery’s 24-hour green lifestyle network. Planet Green programming includes Emeril Green , a green cooking show with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and Living with Ed , Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:57 AM by Christie | 3 Comments Filed under: Business, Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• NASA Plans Earth Day Celebration

  Earth Day is this Wednesday and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (known NASA to most) plans to celebrate by inviting members of the public to visit one of its facilities to take part in activities aimed at spreading awareness about the Read More... Posted Monday, April 20, 2009 11:41 AM by David | 1 Comments Filed under: Energy, News

• Love Books, Hate the Environment?

  Ever wonder about the environmental impact of book and newspaper publishing? The billions of books, newspapers and magazines that are produced daily MUST have a major impact on the environment, right? I’ll be honest here. As a bibliophile and a greenie, Read More... Posted Friday, April 17, 2009 3:32 PM by Christie | 1 Comments Filed under: Business, Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• Brown Is the New Green

  Remember that scene in Waterworld where Kevin Costner’s character pees into a contraption that filters his urine into drinking water? Or the Mad Max movie with Tina Turner in which the town is fueled by pig poop? Turns out, they may have been onto something. Read More... Posted Thursday, April 16, 2009 1:08 PM by Emily | 2 Comments Filed under: Business, Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• Earth Day 2009: How will you get involved on April 22?

  April is Earth Month, and on Wednesday April 22 communities the world over will celebrate Earth Day. While every day should be considered earth day, April 22 marks the calendar day when global consciousness turns to environmental issues like climate change, Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 15, 2009 10:04 AM by Christie | 1 Comments Filed under: Business, Energy, Food and Drink, Home and Garden, News

• Spam Not Only Annoying But Also Bad For The Environment

  If you were looking for yet another reason to hate the spammers that pollute your e-mail inbox, you’re in luck. It turns out that spam is really bad for the environment. Computer security company McAfee Inc. (best known for their antivirus software) has Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:36 AM by David | 2 Comments Filed under: Energy, News

• Is America Ready For The Chinese Electric Car?

  There’s already been a documentary film that examined the death of the electric car , but perhaps the reports of the electric car's death, as the cliché goes, have been greatly exaggerated. It’s clear that recession has left the U.S. automobile industry Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:50 AM by David | 0 Comments Filed under: Business, Transportation, News

• Sir David Attenborough Worried About Overpopulation

  British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough , best known in North America as the host of the BBC nature series Planet Earth, has taken a bold step in his quest to increase recognition of overpopulation and its detrimental effect on the earth. Read More... Posted Monday, April 13, 2009 10:57 AM by David | 2 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, Issues, News

• Have an Eco-Easter with Sustainable Chocolate

  Easter just wouldn't be the same without the chocolate bunny, right? Well, before you bite into that seasonal sweet treat, consider where your holiday chocolate may be coming from. West African countries like Ghana, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast produce Read More... Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 8:27 AM by Christie | 1 Comments Filed under: Business, Food and Drink, News

• Study: Shipping Pollution Greatly Underestimated

  According to a recent study, giant cargo ships used to transport goods across the ocean may account for far more pollution than previously thought. In fact, just 15 of the largest ships may produce as much pollution in a single year as every car on the Read More... Posted Friday, April 10, 2009 4:50 PM by David | 1 Comments Filed under: Transportation, News

• White House Officials Discuss the Viability of Climate Geoengineering

  Using technology to control the climate – it sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi film, but it may be closer to reality than you think. As global warming continues to push the planet towards the brink of climate disaster, even radical ideas like Read More... Posted Thursday, April 09, 2009 10:27 AM by David | 2 Comments Filed under: Energy, Issues, News

• Rare Shark Captured - and Eaten! - in the Philippines

  How’s this for an “all you can eat” seafood dinner – the World Wildlife Fund is reporting that a group of Philippine fisherman caught one of the rarest sharks on the planet, a 13-foot-long megamouth shark, and then (against the wishes of the WWF ) ate Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 08, 2009 11:27 AM by David | 0 Comments Filed under: Food and Drink, News