February 2007 - Posts

• Carbon Offsets and Green Power - Are Gore’s Ways Good Enough?

  It seems the green community is split on whether to support Al Gore or denounce him in the face of a report saying his Nashville home consumes more energy in a month than most do in an entire year. Aside from the fact many have called this an outright smear campaign; it does bring up a few points...but to call him a hypocrite would make us the same. Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 28, 2007 8:56 AM by Crystal | 2 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, Energy, Issues, News

• Go Green like Oscars’ Celebrity Presenters

  After we posted about Oscar going green , more news came in about the efforts of the Academy to reduce waste and help the environment. Not only were there no extravagant gift bags for presenters at this year’s awards, a vote lead to some really eco-friendly Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 27, 2007 8:49 AM by Crystal | 2 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, Energy, News

• The Green Oscar Goes To…

  Straight from the mouths of Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, “for the first time in the history of the Oscars, this show has officially gone green.” Looking dapper in black tuxes, the two spoke about the Academy’s newfound commitment to “environmentally Read More... Posted Monday, February 26, 2007 9:58 AM by Crystal | 3 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, Fashion, News

• Sundance Channel - Soon to be "The Green" Destination

  I feel like a kid sitting in the back of my parents’ car. Are we there yet? Needless to say, we’re really excited that Sundance Channel Green is launching soon - April 17 at 9 p.m. to be exact. As recently announced, the channel will be collaborating Read More... Posted Friday, February 23, 2007 10:06 AM by Crystal | 1 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, News

• Whole Foods 'Sows' Up Wild Oats Merger

  In a $565 million deal Whole Foods Market has bought leading organic food retailer Wild Oats Marketplace. The 110 Wild Oats stores will be added to an almost 200 existing Whole Foods locations. For the companies, which have “similar missions and core Read More... Posted Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:54 AM by Crystal | 0 Comments Filed under: Business, Food and Drink, News

• Is it Lights Out for the Incandescent Bulb?

  Australia who has been criticized in the past for not signing onto the Kyoto Protocol is now leading the way as the first country to implement legislation phasing out traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2012. According to recent reports the Australian Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 21, 2007 10:07 AM by Katy | 1 Comments Filed under: Energy, Home and Garden, News

• Greenest vehicles of 2007

  The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released a list of the 12 Greenest Vehicles of 2007 . And pushing the Prius aside is none other than a car powered by…natural gas? The Honda Civic GX runs on a compressed form of the fuel Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 21, 2007 9:10 AM by Crystal | 2 Comments Filed under: Energy, Transportation, News

• Organic food debate - is it really better for the environment

  A government-funded report out of the UK questions whether organic foods are actually less harmful than their intensively-farmed counterparts. While it does question whether “all organic” is better than “all conventional”, it’d be a bit misleading to Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2007 2:46 PM by Crystal | 3 Comments Filed under: Food and Drink, Issues, News

• U.S. nears global warming tipping point - Have you reached yours?

  A tipping point on global warming is said to be close at hand in the U.S. Politicians, leading businesses (including GE, of ecomagination fame) and economists have been joining up with environmental organizations to push for laws limiting greenhouse gases. Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2007 9:41 AM by Crystal | 5 Comments Filed under: Energy, Issues, News

• New Solar Roadmap Tackles Climate Change

  The American Solar Energy Society has recently released a 200 page report explaining how concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), wind power, biomass, biofuels, and geothermal power, along with increased energy efficiency, can significantly Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2007 9:32 AM by Katy | 1 Comments Filed under: Energy, News

• Can music save the planet? Live Earth global concerts planned

  A series of concerts planned for July will be showcasing musical talent from around the world. The concerts called “Live Earth” are being organized by Al Gore and the Save Our Selves (S.O.S.) campaign for Climate Crisis. The concerts will take place on Read More... Posted Monday, February 19, 2007 11:56 AM by Katy | 3 Comments Filed under: Celebrities, Issues, News

• Low VOC paint takes chemicals out of home decorating

  I recently experienced firsthand that low-chemical paint can go a long way in making a room look great and making the painter feel good about their home improvement project. It all started when I looked up at the cupboards above my washer and dryer, for Read More... Posted Monday, February 19, 2007 10:18 AM by Crystal | 0 Comments Filed under: Health, Home and Garden

• Savers sale, the perfect time to start shopping thrift

  Next Monday is one of our favorite days of the year here at The Renewable Planet. It’s the Savers / Value Village 50 % off sale! What’s so great about Savers, you ask? It’s the ultimate in recycled clothing, accessories, books, furniture and more. We’re Read More... Posted Friday, February 16, 2007 2:29 PM by Crystal | 0 Comments Filed under: Fashion

• Garbage in garbage out, Gigoit makes recycling easy

  Who doesn’t love getting free stuff? And for that matter who doesn’t love pawning off their junk (and I mean that in the nicest sense of the word) on someone who’ll make good use of it. You’re probably thinking “ Freecycle ” and that’s the same thing Read More... Posted Friday, February 16, 2007 8:48 AM by Crystal | 1 Comments

• Is Human Change the Solution to Climate Change?

  Well it's been a week since the release of the UN’s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report that states that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal.” The cause of the warming is “a very high confidence that the globally averaged Read More... Posted Friday, February 16, 2007 7:27 AM by Katy | 2 Comments Filed under: Home and Garden, Issues, News

• Green Chinese Style - Lost in Translation

  If you paint a mountain green is it considered green-washing, feng shui for the countryside or just another western concept lost in translation? Villagers in western China have found their neighborhood has been beautified by government workers who have Read More... Posted Thursday, February 15, 2007 3:18 PM by Katy | 1 Comments Filed under: Energy, News

• Last minute Valentine

  We decided to take pity on all you stragglers. You know who you are, you forgot to order something off Gaiam for your Valentine and now you’re thinking about whether he or she would be satisfied with a card. Don’t worry; you can be creative even if you Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2007 8:22 AM by Crystal | 0 Comments

• What NOT to get your lover on Valentine's Day

  Maybe your heart's not yet as big as Ed Begley's, who it was announced yesterday won the Ecorazzi Big Heart's Celebrity Contest with his wife Rachelle Carson, but you still have the rest of the day (and maybe a bit of tomorrow if you're lucky) to get Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2007 10:17 AM by Crystal | 1 Comments

• Imagining Tomorrow - Alternative Energy Contest for Students

  If children are our future, then here is an opportunity for them to imagine and shape their own future; at least as relates to renewable energy. Imagining Tomorrow is a contest for students to submit their written and video ideas for the future of alterative Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2007 9:58 AM by Katy | 0 Comments Filed under: Energy, Issues, News

• Green cars in Toronto

  Well, we're off to the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto tomorrow. And seeing the Green Vehicles section they're bragging about, we're anticipating there will be quite a bit to look at. Some of the cars sound pretty practical, although Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2007 8:56 AM by Crystal | 0 Comments

• Renew the planet with your daily dose of Green

  I’m hopeful. Along with a new urgency to global warming, there are more people than ever working to solve the problems of climate change. I believe the planet will renew itself given time if we collectively make some changes to our behavior. But how do Read More... Posted Monday, February 12, 2007 11:23 AM by Katy | 0 Comments Filed under: Issues

• Clinging to the past won’t brighten your future - will magnets revolutionize laundry?

  Imagine - washing your laundry without using any detergent. Ok, I'll admit my first thought was that this sounds a bit like a scam with potentially gross consequences, but I've since been convinced (by people I know and trust...and who don't smell) that Read More... Posted Monday, February 12, 2007 2:15 PM by Crystal | 0 Comments Filed under: Health, Home and Garden