TheRenewablePlanet.com

Meatless Monday - Green Eggs and Tea

Katy — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:19:00 GMT

Unilever the parent company of Lipton 's tea has recently announced that it intends to use only sustainably harvested tea leaves in the production of its many teas. This includes Britain's best selling brand PG Tips. The plan is to have the many tea growing operations certified as sustainable by 2010. For the developing countries where tea is grown, the move towards sustainability will have a ripple effect of improving conditions for farm workers, and the surrounding natural environment. In related...(read more)

Top 5 Driving Tips to Conserve Gas

Katy — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:30:00 GMT

Cars are one of the greatest inventions for giving individuals freedom. Unfortunately because of air pollution from traditional internal combustion engines our love affair with the car needs some rethinking. Ideally, I would like to buy a car that could run on bio-diesel, this avoids the use of fossil fuels entirely. Depending on where you live though bio-diesel can be difficult to find. My second choice would be a hybrid car that runs off a battery when idling or driving at slow speeds. Unfortunately...(read more)

Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Herbicide

Crystal — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:54:00 GMT

Weeds can be really annoying, even for us greenies, and some areas where dandelions grow just aren't suited to mechanical removal . But instead of reaching for that bottle of chemicals, make your own weed killer with a few ingredients that you're sure to find in your home. Salt, vinegar and dish soap are all it takes to effectively get rid of annoying weeds in flower beds, between patio stones and in the lawn. The recipe is pretty basic. You don't really have to measure the ingredients -- most recipes...(read more)

New York Cabs Go Green and Idle Thoughts are Discouraged in Toronto

Crystal — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:52:37 GMT

In five years New York's yellow taxis will be looking a lot greener, starting with 1,000 hybrid cabs planned to hit the road late 2008. The remainder of the city's 13,000 cabs will be replaced with hybrids by 2012. Canadian cities on the same course Meanwhile over in Canada, British Columbia's Transportation Minister has announced he wants all new cab approvals to be for fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles . A cab company manager in Vancouver says the company has already realized the benefits -- hybrid...(read more)

Green Blockbuster Movie Season

Katy — Tue, 22 May 2007 14:01:00 GMT

Many people think that 2007 may well be the tipping point for the environmental issues to become mainstream in North America. It hasn't taken long for Hollywood to reflect the concern about global warming by presenting movies with an environmental message. The 11th Hour - premiering at Cannes, is slated to take over where Al Gore's movie left off. DiCaprio presents some constructive ideas from world thinkers about how to solve the climate crisis. Watch for the following movies with a green message...(read more)

Meatless Monday Restaurant Review - Karyn's Cooked

Crystal — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

This Meatless Monday we decided to forgo the recipe suggestions for the best kind of meal -- one someone else makes for you. You'll have to travel to Chicago for this one, as we did several weeks ago, but if you're in the area it'll be well worth it. Karyn's Cooked is located at 738 N Wells St. The food : We started with the Hummus & Pita appetizer for which nothing bad can be said. Fresh-squeezed lemonade with agave nectar was both sweet and sour, in a good way. The Cabbage Rolls were delicious...(read more)

Plastic Bags - The Hidden Oil in Our Economy

Katy — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:10:00 GMT

A recent national survey determined that 72% of the American public doesn't know that the raw material for plastic bags comes from fossil fuels. In fact many of today's conventional plastic products are made from petroleum products including oil. Plastics are in every part of our lives, from bags and water bottles to fabrics and packaging. This hidden oil may in fact be harder to replace than the gasoline we put in our cars. Renowned environmentalist David Suzuki has noted that we should consider...(read more)

Best Gadgets for Chemical-Free Dandelion Removal

Crystal — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:01:00 GMT

It's a shame that a plant as useful as the dandelion has become nothing more than a nuisance to most of us, but let's face it, not many of us have the time or patience to search through our lawns and find meal-worthy greens. Those of us who wouldn't mind the chore are often thwarted in our efforts by chemical-happy neighbors whose herbicides drift in the breeze and settle on our organic lawns. So, whatever the reason, we still need an easy way to perform eco-freindly weed removal. The Weed Hound...(read more)

DiCaprio's 11th Hour Debuts at Cannes

Crystal — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:30:00 GMT

America's top green heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio is bringing his much-anticipated environmental film, The 11th Hour , to the Cannes Film Festival for a special screening this Saturday. And although there's no way most of us are going to make it there for the event, we're pretty excited nonetheless. DiCaprio's film features interviews with over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders (such as David Suzuki and Stephen Hawking) -- discussing the state of the world and humanity. Sounds pretty heavy....(read more)

Celebrities Flaunt their Green Cred, or Lack Thereof

Crystal — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

It seems like green-tinted celebs are working overtime these days -- joining causes, donating time and money and making others aware of important issues. Many of them get a lot of flack for missteps and moments of bad judgment, but we think these entertainers are doing a lot more good than harm; by almost anyone's standards. Drew Barrymore - Some people criticized her for naively praising the primitive lifestyle she encountered in third-world countries (while traveling with privileged friends by...(read more)

What’s for Dinner on Meatless Mondays

Katy — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:05:00 GMT

The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is running a campaign called Meatless Mondays . The campaign encourages everyone to replace one day of meat eating with one day of vegetarian meals and by doing so we can help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. However, Meatless Mondays has an additional benefit by reducing the stresses on the planet caused by large scale livestock production. Meat production has detrimental impacts on the planet that result in accelerated soil erosion,...(read more)

Unique Green Mother's Day Gifts

Crystal — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

After watching a humorous Mother's Day video that reminded me a little of myself, I realized even greenies, constantly surrounded by unique and luxurious products, might need a little help finding their mom a gift on Mother's Day . You got her bamboo towels last year and she just bought some solar lights for her garden. She's got a collection of cruelty-free cosmetics and you've turned her onto backyard composting. So what's left? Thankfully a lot. Green Survival Kit Pick a few of these survival...(read more)

Business Taking Bigger Steps to Combat Climate Change

Katy — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

The US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) this week has dramatically increased its membership to include General Motors, Shell, Pepsi, and Johnson & Johnson among others. GM is the first automobile company to join the coalition. As the Environmental Defense points out this increase in membership gives the group considerable leverage. The USCAP partners are in industries that are crucial in the fight against global warming. Congress will definitely need to sit up and take notice of the this powerful...(read more)

Mothers Day renamed Mother Nature Day

Katy — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Is it coincidence that we call the planet Mother Nature? There are definite similarities in raising children and nurturing the complex ecological balance that makes up our natural environment. Both kids and the planet require a stable consistent atmosphere to thrive and grow. Also, both mothers and Mother Nature are often under appreciated. In honor of Mother’s Day here are a few suggestions that celebrate mom and go easy on Mother Nature. Re-usable Bags You can’t turn around these days without hearing...(read more)

How to Get a Slow-Growing, Drought-Resistant Green Lawn

Crystal — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:00:00 GMT

It's hard to believe at first, grass that's drought tolerant, green all summer and only needs mowing once a month or less. The owners of Canada's Wildflower Farms didn't believe it at first either -- and they're the ones who created it. Eco-lawn is a mix of fescues that are slow-growing and have thin, green blades. The seed grows just as well in clay or sandy soils and in direct sun or shade (ok, this is starting to sound like an infomercial). People have an undeniable fascination with a uniform...(read more)

8 Years to Save the Planet from Global Warming

Crystal — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:00:00 GMT

The third UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was released Friday and came with some good news and bad for environmental groups. First the good --delegates resisted pressure to tone down the report, which says there is still time to avoid the worst effects of global warming if we take drastic action in reducing our dependace on greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels. Deforestation will also have to be significantly reduced. Possibly the most reassuring part for some is that...(read more)

Top 5 Green Companies to Put Your Dollars Behind

Crystal — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

As you may have guessed by the recent posts about using your wallet to cast a vote for the environment, we're really into The Better World Shopping Guide . We listed five of the best companies to support and explained a bit of why each of them are deserving. The companies in the top five of Dr. Ellis Jones' (the author) list are probably a bit more familiar and most people shifting to a more sustainable lifestyle have probably already scooped up a few of their products. Seventh Generation - Household...(read more)

Greenpeace Doubles Greener Apple's Electronics Rating

Crystal — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Apple computers is looking a bit more granny smith than Macintosh these days -- it seems they've decided it's finally time to go green, or as they put it they've decided to start telling people about how they're already in the process. "Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas." - Steve Jobs, from the release . Jobs describes "A Greener...(read more)

The US tries to add “Truthiness” to the UN’s Climate Change Report

Katy — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:06:00 GMT

The United States and China feel they have a right to add some “truthiness” to the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is part of the series of reports published by the scientists and climate researchers from around the world. The latest report due out on Friday outlines how quick action can limit the expected catastrophic problems of global warming. However the US and China want to downplay the recommendations for quick and decisive action. The report...(read more)

How to Beat Global Warming One Dollar at a Time

Katy — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:00:00 GMT

As Dr. Ellis Jones highlighted at the Green Festival recently there is a power shift occurring on the planet from political power to economic power. With two thirds of the world's biggest economies now belonging to corporations rather than countries, we as consumers get to vote with our wallets on a daily basis. In a democracy we get one vote for each election, however with our dollars we get to make choices every time we go shopping. Recognizing that we are at different stages in both our environmental...(read more)

Toronto Green Living Show A Mainstream Success

Crystal — Tue, 01 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

One thing was immediately evident at the Green Living Show in Toronto last weekend. It was corporate, and it was mainstream! I say that with an exclamation point because as much as I enjoyed the Green Festival in Chicago a few weeks ago, I was a bit disappointed that it was populated by the choir. Sure we all wanted to lower our footprints, and there are no better companies to support than the ones that give back and really believe in their environmental message, but unfortunately that's not enough....(read more)

Canada Bans Incandescents and Enviro Campaign has Some 'Flicking' Mad

Crystal — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

After Canada's most populated province announced it was banning incandescent light bulbs, the country followed suit, with power hungry lights being out of the question by 2012. This'll mean more great things for CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs), LEDs (light emitting diodes) and any other energy saving options. Not waiting until 2012 to make the switch is the best idea; changing just five incandescents for CFLs will total add up to a savings total of about $250 before the ban has even begun....(read more)

Five Green Companies to Put Your Dollars Behind

Crystal — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

One of the best presentations at last weekend's Green Festival in Chicago was about choosing where to spend your dollars to make the most difference. Dr. Ellis Jones, author of The Better World Shopping Guide , talked about the rating system he developed for choosing the best and worst companies to put your money behind. The pocket-size guide is an easy way to help you make some difficult choices and surprisingly the top companies cover everything from food and fashion to cleaning products and credit...(read more)

Ford Makes Global Warming Concession - Will it Follow-Through?

Crystal — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

On Monday, Ford Motor Co. chief executive Alan Mulally said global warming is really happening and acknowledged it’s caused in part by auto emissions. “The vast majority of data indicates that the temperature has increased, and I believe the correlation and the analysis says that is mainly because of the greenhouse gases keeping the heat in,” said Mulally, adding “The time for debating whether climate change is real has passed. It is time for a conversation about what we, as a society, intend to...(read more)

Terracycle Sued by Scotts Miracle-Gro

Crystal — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

TerraCycle Inc. -- founded by college students wanting to create an eco-friendly business and now staffing a whopping 33 people. Scotts Miracle-Gro -- 59 percent market share and annual profits surpassing $132 million, with only about 5,000 employees. So why then would Scotts be suing TerraCycle, could it be that they're scared? We at The Renewable Planet have admired TerraCycle in the past, from its organic worm-waste plant food to its recycled plastic soda bottle containers, collected by schools...(read more)