New York City: Dancing In The (Summer) Streets
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Arts & Culture | 2 Comments
For three consecutive Saturdays this summer (August 9th, 16th, and 23rd), New York City is closing down one of its most iconic thoroughfares to automobiles and opening it up wholeheartedly to its citizens. Cyclists, skaters, joggers, pedestrians, and playing children are joyously taking over Park Avenue from 72nd Street all the way downtown, as part of an innovative initiative called Summer Streets. Continue reading New York City: Dancing In The (Summer) Streets…
Posted on August 18, 2008 |
Number 350: Your Life Depends On It
By Scott Badenoch, Jr.
Filed Under The Big Picture | 3 Comments
Bill McKibben’s got your number. He’s got every one of our numbers. At this absolutely crucial time in history, that number is 350. McKibben is one of the leading environmentalists of our time and has created 350.org to make sure that each and every one of us truly grasps why this sum matters and exactly what we can do about it.
McKibben’s position is based on the research of leading climatologist Jim Hansen of NASA, who states that the only way life on this planet can remain similar to what we know now is if there are no more than 350 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere. News flash: The Earth’s atmosphere currently has 385 parts per million of CO2.
Ok, the news is stark. We’re past the point of safety and we’re going to need to do an about-face, pronto. As McKibben puts it, “…it’s a tough diagnosis. It’s like the doctor telling you that your cholesterol is way too high and, if you don’t bring it down right away, you’re going to have a stroke.” The “stroke” would be worldwide catastrophes: huge rises in ocean levels, hurricanes that make Katrina look tame, rampant droughts, starvation, and worst of all, the potential creation of a modern day Ice Age.
This is not a science fiction novel or a Hollywood blockbuster. This is not a test.
Now, what does this mean for all of us laypeople? Do we give up our day jobs, sell the house and kids and run screaming for the hills? Well, not just yet. McKibben describes the white knight, “We do have one thing going for us- the Web- which at least allows you to imagine something like a grassroots global effort. If the Internet was built for anything, it was built for sharing this number, for making people understand that “350″ stands for a kind of safety, a kind of possibility, a kind of future.”
Can the human race turn things around? Is it possible to correct the damage we’ve created? McKibben makes it clear: “It’s possible. The United States launched a Marshall Plan once, and could do it again, this time in relation to carbon.” Now, it’s your turn. Begin today. Begin with talking to the people around you. Begin by living a more environmentally friendly life. Begin by making some hard decisions that go beyond changing a lightbulb and start changing the world. Whatever you do, don’t wait any longer, because “climate refugee” and “modern Ice Age” are two phrases best left to Hollywood blockbusters.
Ready to reduce our CO2 level to 350 parts per million immediately? Take action!
- Sign up to receive Action Alerts and news from 350.org
- Share your ideas on how we can reduce our CO2 levels using the wiki platform on CreativeCitizen.com
- Organize a 350 action in your hometown
- Email Bill McKibben’s article to your entire community
- Click on the green icon at the bottom of this post that says “Share This” to spread the word
- Pass on the video below to all your friends and family
Scott Badenoch is the Co-Founder and CEO of CreativeCitizen.com, the wiki for green living, where you can find over 500 Creative Solutions for living more environmentally friendly lives. Scott is a member of the steering committee for Green Business Networking as well as the LA chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).
Posted on July 24, 2008 |
elevision: Interview With A Treehugger
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | 7 Comments
Waylon Lewis of mindful life media machine, Elephant Journal, picks the brain of the biggest treehugger on the web, Graham Hill. This strikingly handsome founder of Treehugger.com gives his insights on revolutionizing the paper coffee cup, being bought by Discovery Channel, and the simple joys of watching his uber-green website’s traffic go through the roof. Ah, the joys of Google Analytics.
elevision interviews Treehugger.com’s Graham Hill from alex king on Vimeo.
Posted on July 23, 2008 |
Food Not Lawns
By Christy Rice
Filed Under Green Living, The Big Picture | 7 Comments
After months of purchasing the same bag of frozen organic strawberries, I recently read the label for the first time: Product of Turkey. Humbled as my presumably small carbon footprint doubled its size, I couldn’t escape this haunting realization, “I’ve never been to Turkey-why should my berries be so fortunate?”
In a nation where a mere 0.3% of land is cultivated for organic farming, petroleum-powered planes and trucks are a requirement in the delivery of my organic goods. After all, I live on a city plot just north of Seattle where most farmland is now cemented. When I heard about the concept of the “urban homestead” though, I realized that those berries could have grown much closer to home.
Take the Dervaes family of Pasadena. Modern society would say they are the exception to self-sustainability; my heart says they’re the rule. Practically having dubbed the term urban homestead, they produce three tons of produce a year from their one-tenth of an acre garden, handcraft their own honey and wine, and bicycle-power their blender. They have a biodiesel truck, solar oven, goats, chickens, and a driveway lined with strawberries. The Dervaes’ slowly began cultivating this property in the mid-80’s, and now own their home and live off of the $25,000 a year they make selling their goods. Certain variables, such as renting a home or apartment-dwelling, could dampen dreams of self-sustainability, but the Dervaes’ emphasize that there are degrees to this lifestyle. Each small step is a significant part of the journey toward urban self-sufficiency.
Continue reading Food Not Lawns…
Posted on July 17, 2008 |
6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The Planet
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under The Big Picture, eCo TV | 1 Comment
Are you ready to find out the 6 ways mushrooms can save our struggling planet? Paul Stamets, famed mycologist and founder of Fungi Perfecti, will blow your mind with how to use mycelia to create mushroom-based solutions to habitat restoration, biological warfare, petroleum spills, pest invasions, and peak oil.
Posted on July 16, 2008 |
Zaproot: Patagonia, Prius, And Plasma
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | 1 Comment
I hope everyone here has a sense of humor, because as always, you’re going to have to whip it out while you watch Zaproot. (Your sense of humor.) In this episode, Jessica Williamson critiques (and verbally threatens) the blind. Shocking. We also get to see how a pill-sized object can give off more light than a streetlamp, how proton packs are saving energy in San Francisco, and Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles let us stalk our clothing before it gets to our closets. What? Just watch the video.
Posted on July 9, 2008 |
Meet The Greenhorns
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Arts & Culture, eCo TV | Leave a Comment
green·horn 
[green-hawrn]
–noun
| 1. | an untrained or inexperienced person. |
| 2. | a naive or gullible person; someone who is easily tricked or swindled. |
| 3. | Slang. a newly arrived immigrant; newcomer. |
These wild youngsters have spun completely out of control. They’ve left behind everything they’ve previously known to go off on their own and…farm. Yes, there is a new youth movement underfoot here in America, and its about growing vegetables, raising chickens, and moving dirt from one place to another. Believe it.
Strip mall designers, take heed-you could be out of work in the next 5-10 years if this farming trend takes over. Check out this trailer for The Greenhorns, a documentary film about the young farmers movement. See if it makes you want to ditch your office job and join WWOOF…
Posted on July 2, 2008 |
Threadheads: Shytown Green Fest
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | Leave a Comment
eCo Times likes to keep it light on “Hump Day” (why is it called that) with a little dose of eCo TV. Today’s edutainment is from the darlings of DIY, Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh of Threadheads. Why do we love Threadheads? Because they show us that not all goods have to come from a factory; we can actually make things ourselves with recycled and locally sourced materials.
In this episode, Threadheads takes us on a spin through Green Festival in Chicago. They talk to some of our favorite people like Kevin Danaher and our friends at Green Guru Gear. After the tour of Green Fest, Threadheads will show you how to make something artful and edgy. Remember kids, DIY keeps manufacturing locool. Okaaay, let’s leave the questionable humor to Rob and Corinne-take it away Threadheads…
Posted on June 25, 2008 |
Ready, Get Set, To-Go Ware
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living | Leave a Comment
Stephanie Bernstein went to get some ice cream with her sister. They went to a little ice cream shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was 1997. They both ordered scoops in a bowl, no cone, and when they were served Stephanie got confused. Did they ask for the ice cream to go? Um, no. Why was the ice cream in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon? To her deep disappointment, her local ice cream shop, along with so many other ice cream shops, coffee shops, and small restaurants around the country were starting to replace reusable dishware with paper and plastic single use containers. That day an idea was born.
A lot of university students carried their coffee mugs everywhere, mainly for the discount they received from the coffee shops around town, but also for the positive environmental impact. Stephanie wondered, what if we all just carried everything around that we’d need in a day-what would that look like?
Seven years later, in Northern California, Stephanie sold her first set of utensils in their own handwoven carrying case. They were a hit. Her first generation To-Go Ware sets feature bamboo utensils in cloth carriers woven by a women’s cooperative of Burmese refugees called WEAVE. The women of WEAVE are able to care for their children and their homes, while also creating income for themselves and their families.
The second generation of To-Go Ware was launched earlier this month. These sleek sets have a firmer case made of recycled compressed plastic bags. The bags are collected by ragpickers in India and formed into the colorful polymer by CONSERVE, a recycling and waste management organization. CONSERVE’s collection efforts help to clean the polluted streets of New Delhi while employing hundreds of people in need of work. Continue reading Ready, Get Set, To-Go Ware…
Posted on June 20, 2008 |
Conscious Living TV: Green Your Clean
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living, eCo TV | 1 Comment
In this episode, Conscious Living TV first takes us on a frightening tour of conventional household cleaners, showing us what not to use and why. Then Bianca gives us the scoop on toxin free alternatives that we can find at our local hardware store, supermarket, or health food store. If you’re still using toxic chemicals to clean your home, this show could be the tipping point for you…
Ready to green your clean? Try out some of these eco smart cleaners…
- Biokleen offers a variety of super concentrated cleaners and detergents that really work
- Seventh Generation features cleaning products free of dyes and fragrances, as well as 100% recycled household paper products
- Try some biodegradable sponges and absorbent reusable towels by Twist
- Method and Greenworks can be found in almost any Target or supermarket, so no matter where you live in the country, there’s always a healthier choice for cleaning your home
Posted on June 18, 2008 |
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