Small Footprints – Cruising with the Claytons

March 21, 2010 | Filed under Bahamas, Blog, Economy, Florida, Front Page, Green Living, Renewable Energy, Slideshow, Solar, Sustainable Living, Texas, Travel, Wind | Leave a Comment

When Rick and Linda Lacy Clayton decided four years ago to retire on a sailboat, they didn’t do it with the intention of becoming environmentalists. But what they’ve learned since is that their very survival — and their finances — depend on their ability to sustain themselves with minimal fuel, power, and water.

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) spoke with the Claytons to learn how the experience of living on their sailboat, Sojourner, has changed their daily habits and taught them to keep a small (wet) footprint. The Claytons hail from Dallas, Texas, where Rick retired as a policeman, then spent eight years as a truck driver, and Linda retired from a career in marketing….

BPGL: What a life you have! How did you decide to live on a sailboat?

RICK: We both had some experience sailing. The first vacation after we got married, we chartered a sailboat down in the British Virgin Islands for a week — the two of us on a 35-foot boat. Of course, I knew I was going to love it. On the way back, Linda said, “How soon can we sell everything, buy a boat, and take off?” …

Small Footprints – Cruising with the Claytons (Read Full Article)

Slow Death by Rubber Duck

March 19, 2010 | Filed under Books, Books on Kindle, Canada, Chemicals, Events, Front Page, Health, Mercury, Pesticides, Research, Slideshow, phthalates | 3 Comments

The information in Slow Death by Rubber Duck doesn’t make for relaxing reading, even though the authors, Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, do a masterful job of translating statistics and technical data (sometimes very technical) into highly readable prose. The problem is, the book is about a very unsettling topic.

When I first received my review copy and read the introduction, I was struck by the experiment that forms the basis for the book: The authors voluntarily and quite deliberately exposed themselves to toxic chemicals — lots of them.

Now, why would these men risk their health by loading their bodies with toxins? Isn’t that irresponsible? I wondered. It sounded so dangerous. And, from the way they tell it, their families were none too thrilled by their participation, either….

Slow Death by Rubber Duck (Read Full Article)

Natural Living Expo to Host EcoParty March 27 in Des Moines

March 18, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Blog, Eco-Friendly, Events, Fashion, Food & Drink, Front Page, Iowa, Slideshow | 2 Comments

Are you thinking about attending the Natural Living Expo at the Polk County Convention Center on March 27 and 28? If you’re going to be in the Des Moines (Iowa) area that weekend, here’s another reason to include the Expo in your plans: the EcoParty!

After the Expo closes for the day on Saturday (March 27) at 6 p.m., it’s time for the adults to kick back and have some fun. Iowa’s own natural living celebrity, Michele Beschen, will be your host for a food and fashion celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Beschen, who is the host of Iowa Public Television’s b.organic show, will emcee the EcoParty fashion show….

Natural Living Expo to Host EcoParty March 27 in Des Moines (Read Full Article)

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

March 17, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Books, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Canon, Front Page, Natural Resources, Slideshow, Wisconsin, Writers | 3 Comments

Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) was a philosopher. Though an accomplished scientist and expert in wildlife management, his greatest contribution to the environmentalism movement has been philosophical or moral in nature. He is widely considered one of the most influential environmentalists of all time, right up there with Rachel Carson, whom he predates. His great reputation and influence belies the fact that it rests primarily on one book, the slim, artful A Sand County Almanac.

First published posthumously in 1949 by his son, Luna (the name of an environmentalist’s child if there ever was one), the book was little noticed by the public at large until the environmental movement of the ’60s and ’70s took off (partly as a result of the work of Carson, Leopold’s intellectual heir). There are now over two million copies of the work in print, and its influence is still felt in the American conservation movement and in the vital school of environmental thought known as Deep Ecology. A Sand County Almanac is considered one of the seminal texts of environmentalism….

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (Read Full Article)

Sustainable Futures Repurposes Glass Bottles – and Human Lives

March 16, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Donations, Front Page, Grants, Idaho, Nonprofits, Prisoners, Refugees, Repurposing, Restaurants, Slideshow, Youth | 4 Comments

“I was like one of those used wine bottles. I was used and discarded. I laid on the ground, my label faded and my contents dried. I forgot the good that was once inside, the joy and happiness I once knew. I hated what I was and what I had become. Life was dark, bad and not worth living. The prison took what little hope I had reinforcing what people and drugs had told me about myself my whole life. I came to the work center looking for work. I was told I had to have a job or I’d be sent back to the prison and someone else who was employable would take my place. Once again I was not worth keeping, I found a job here at Sustainable Futures and I was recycled. I was picked up, washed off a little and was cut off at the top, sanded down and polished. I’ve been given hope, worthiness and self love. Now I shine, not just on the outside but on the inside. I’m like the glasses we make. I have a new use.” — Lisa Childers, IDOC inmate

Sustainable Futures is a brand-new nonprofit that repurposes glass bottles — and gives new purpose to human lives. It’s a simple idea: Businesses donate used glass bottles to their Boise, Idaho-based center, and hard-to-place workers process the glass to produce new and improved glassware. The company then sells the repurposed glassware back to the businesses. “It’s a great product, and it’s the right thing to do,” says Carlyn Blake, executive director of Sustainable Futures….

Sustainable Futures Repurposes Glass Bottles – and Human Lives (Read Full Article)

My 5: Larry Long, Musician, Activist, Teacher

March 15, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Community, Elders, Front Page, My 5, Slideshow, U.S. | 1 Comment

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) asked Larry Long, troubadour, social activist, and teacher, two questions we like to ask all our interviewees. Long is the founder of the Mississippi River Revival, the man who brought Woody Guthrie’s memory home to Okemah, Oklahoma; and the founder and executive director of Communities Celebration of Place….

My 5: Larry Long, Musician, Activist, Teacher (Read Full Article)

Industrial Overfishing Causes Food Insecurity in Uganda

March 12, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Climate Change, Fishing, Front Page, Lake, Poverty, Slideshow, Uganda | 7 Comments

“Fishing has almost collapsed in Uganda, especially Lake Victoria,” said Seremos Kamuturaki, Executive Director of Uganda Fisheries & Fish Conservation (UFFCA). “The stock has dwindled tremendously, as evidenced by the fishermen’s small daily catches. This has resulted in very low incomes and a food-insecure fishing community. The people have nothing to eat.”

While visiting in the United States, Kamuturaki explained the dire situation facing his nation in an interview with Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL). He was on a mission to ask for public support from the US, Canada, and the EU in boycotting Nile perch in order to save the livelihoods of local Ugandan fishermen and their families….

Industrial Overfishing Causes Food Insecurity in Uganda (Read Full Article)

Why You Should Read THE WORLD PEACE DIET (and Buy It March 12)

March 11, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Books, Books on Kindle, Diet, Events, Factory Farming, Front Page, Health, Slideshow, Vegan, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

The first, and most important reason to buy The World Peace Diet March 12 (or any time) is that it will very likely reshape your thinking about the foods you choose to consume. Unless you’re already bypassing meat and dairy products, your diet isn’t as healthy as it should be….

The second reason is that for purchases made on March 12 only, many sponsors have donated excellent bonus gifts and prizes to anyone who buys The World Peace Diet….

Why You Should Read THE WORLD PEACE DIET (and Buy It March 12) (Read Full Article)

Chorlton Big Green Festival Celebrates “All Things Eco & Ethical”

March 10, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Blog, Climate Change, England, Environment, Europe, Event Venues, Events, Front Page, Green Living, Organic Food, Slideshow, Sustainability | 1 Comment

Community members and visitors in South Manchester, England are gearing up for the second-annual Chorlton Big Green Festival, to be held March 27. In 2009, an estimated 4,000 visitors gathered at the first festival where they learned about livign lighter on the planet and celebrated the green lifestyle.

The 2010 event, which begins at 11:00 AM on Saturday, the 27th, will include a mix of entertainments and exhibits, a bicycle race, and a wide variety of organic foods. “The idea behind Chorlton’s Big Green Festival,” say the organizers, “is to offer local people the chance to sample sustainability in fun and friendly surroundings.”

Several types of events are promised for the day, but don’t miss the lead-off Thursday evening at the What Next? Forum…

Chorlton Big Green Festival Celebrates “All Things Eco & Ethical” (Read Full Article)

Fee and Dividend – A Better Plan to Reduce CO2

March 9, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Cap and Trade, Carbon, Climate Change, Fee and Dividend, Fossil Fuels, Front Page, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gases, Renewable Energy, Slideshow, U.S. | 5 Comments

For many years, the words global warming meant little to me. I was quick to dismiss climate change as a hoax or a natural phenomenon and continue to live as I always have. Then, one day, I heard someone on the radio ask, “Whether it’s man-made or a natural occurrence, shouldn’t we be doing something about it?” This comment stuck in my mind, and through a number of events, my thinking slowly changed….

One bill in Congress to address climate change uses a cap-and-trade approach. Cap and trade sets a carbon cap for utilities, transportation, and manufacturing. While this sounds like a great way to limit carbon emissions, the details are dicey to say the least. Businesses will have no true financial incentive to decrease reliance on fossil fuels, the amount of carbon allowed is still a mystery, and — even if it works — it won’t be fast enough. We need something more transparent and effective, and we need it now.

Citizens Climate Lobby and a number of other climate-oriented organizations came up with a solution: the Fee and Dividend plan. Under this proposed legislation, an escalating carbon fee will be imposed on fossil fuels at their point of entry into the economy, whether it be at mines, wells, or ports. This fee will raise the price of fossil fuels and make clean energy technology more competitive.

Fee and Dividend – A Better Plan to Reduce CO2 (Read Full Article)

Notes from Canada: Nuclear – Power or Folly?

March 8, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Canada, Ecology, Economy, Front Page, Notes from Canada, Nuclear Power, Renewable Energy, Slideshow | Leave a Comment

I just watched “My Nuclear Neighbour: The Nature of Things” with David Suzuki, a documentary about building a plant to generate nuclear power in the rural community of Peace River, Alberta. The key point never raised is that wind and solar power will generate more electricity for the same investment in dollars with none of the same investment in angst and risk, a point that Obama also recently missed.

I know that the organisations that most strongly oppose nuclear power in Ontario and Saskatchewan make the same point: investment in new nuclear facility is not wise according to traditional economic theory, even without mention of the long-term effect on widespread earthly ecology or human health….

Notes from Canada: Nuclear – Power or Folly? (Read Full Article)

KSCA Would “Change the Paradigm” to Protect Kids’ Health

March 5, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Babies, Blog, Chemicals, Children, Environment, Events, Front Page, Scientists, Slideshow, TSCA, Texas, Toxins, U.S. | 5 Comments

When it was enacted in 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) automatically assumed that some 62,000 chemicals were safe, even though their effects on humans had never even been tested. Equally scary, as each new chemical is introduced, the burden of proof rests on the EPA to show that a chemical is hazardous in order to restrict its use — and that, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “rarely happens.”

If enacted, the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act (KSCA) would change the process of approving chemicals for the marketplace in several significant ways. According to CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, in a recent television broadcast, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) will soon reintroduce the bill proposing KSCA, which would change “the paradigm from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent, in the sense that [a chemical] has to be tested before it can actually come to market.” …

To find out more about the health risks facing our children from toxic chemicals and why KSCA should be enacted, interested persons are invited to attend Dr. Landrigan’s talk, sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Title: “Children’s Health and the Environment: Target for Prevention”

Speaker: Dr. Philip Landrigan

Date: March 19, 2010

Time: 3:30 – 4:30, Reception to follow

Location: Livestrong Board Room, 2201 E. 6th St., Austin, TX

KSCA Would “Change the Paradigm” to Protect Kids’ Health (Read Full Article)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — Be Happy!

March 4, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Books, Climate Change, Front Page, Global Warming, Slideshow | 7 Comments

We’ve all heard it: Carbon dioxide billows into the atmosphere, icebergs melt, oceans rise, the world gets hotter — our planet is headed toward calamity. And, although businesses, governments, and individuals throughout the world have been working together to enact change, “our civilization is still failing miserably to slow the rate at which these emissions are increasing — much less reduce them,” wrote Al Gore in a New York Times editorial last week.

Sheesh. It’s enough to prevent you from getting out of bed in the morning, much less enjoy your day. But, if enjoying yourself — being happy — seems a trivial concern in the face of such doom and gloom, think again. While the study of happiness is hardly new and noteworthy — recent books include Rhonda Bryne’s The Secret (Atria Books 2006), a hokey if ubiquitous book that instructs us to manifest our own destinies through visualization and vibrations — a new set of pragmatic authors examines personal happiness as both a source of, and obstacle to, our ability to enact change….

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — Be Happy! (Read Full Article)

Hallowell Acadia Is Revolutionizing the Heating Industry

March 3, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Eco-Friendly, Ecopreneurs, Engineers, Front Page, HVAC, Heat Pump, North America, Slideshow, Tax Incentives | 7 Comments

How do you heat and cool your home? Do you have both a furnace and an air conditioner? What if you could install a single, highly efficient, and environmentally sound system to handle both heating and cooling?

The Acadia, designed and built by Hallowell International, is a revolutionary, next-generation, air-source heat pump — the first that functions efficiently in cold climates down to -30˚F. Even residents of Canada and New England can enjoy comfortable indoor temperatures year ’round without the use of fossil fuels.

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) spoke with Duane Hallowell, president and co-founder of Hallowell International, to learn about the latest innovation in heat pumps….

Hallowell Acadia Is Revolutionizing the Heating Industry (Read Full Article)

My Wedding Workbook Simplifies Wedding Planning

March 2, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Ecopreneurs, Front Page, Reviews, Slideshow, Website, Weddings | 7 Comments

When Steve Feingertz’s fiancée was planning their wedding, she wanted to find something besides a big paper binder to help her keep organized. But, she couldn’t find anything online.

So Feingertz and his business partner, Jeff Kear, set about creating My Wedding Workbook, an online site to help couples plan their weddings. The two men had been building websites together for about ten years, but they didn’t realize how much of an undertaking it would be, Kear says. The site now boasts 15,000 users since launching last year.

Kear and his intern, Rosanna Harding, both think of My Wedding Workbook as the “next-generation wedding planner.” The site is easy to use and helps D.I.Y. brides stay organized — often eliminating the need for a wedding planner and saving tons of money….

My Wedding Workbook Simplifies Wedding Planning (Read Full Article)

Folksinger Larry Long on Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song

March 1, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Children, Community, Elders, Front Page, Immigrants, Musicians, Slideshow | 3 Comments

Recently, Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) interviewed troubadour and social activist Larry Long about some of the many significant projects he’s engaged in during his adult life. He was the founder of the Mississippi River Revival, a group that worked tirelessly to clean up the river and celebrate the culture of the people who lived there. Long helped the city of Okemah, Oklahoma to “bring Woody Guthrie home” by spearheading an event that celebrated both Woody’s music and the community’s contribution to his life and work.

In this part of our conversation, we talked with Long about Community Celebration of Place, which includes Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song (EWCS). Long is the founder and executive director. We asked him to begin by describing the program, which has been implemented in schools across the U.S. and in several countries around the world….

LONG: Community Celebration of Place works with communities to use music, performance, art, and oral history to bring together children and elders, and people of different backgrounds — economic, faith, racial, and cultural — to honor and celebrate our commonalities and differences through a program entitled Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song….

A student shakes the hand of one of the honored elders at his school. Photo: Courtesy Larry Long

Through Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song, stories of different cultures emerge. This helps create an understanding of others and the possibility of more civil engagement and the ability to work with one another….

Folksinger Larry Long on Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song (Read Full Article)

Green Living Means Leaving the Rat Race Behind

February 26, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Economy, Front Page, Health, Slideshow, Tips, Website | 4 Comments

Google “green living,” and you’ll get something like 64,000,000 hits (as of this post). There’s more advice on the Internet about environmentalism than any single person could possibly read in a lifetime. And it’s growing exponentially. At Blue Planet Green Living, we do our best to add value to the proposition of living a green lifestyle. Sometimes that means we point the way to another website that that has a unique perspective on the topic.

As I was reviewing comments for approval the other day, I came across a lengthy one from Patty Zevallos, who challenges readers to rethink the rat race and engage in true “Green Living” — which is, not surprisingly, the name of her blog. I was intrigued by what I read in her comment, and followed the link to Zevallos’s website….

Green Living Means Leaving the Rat Race Behind (Read Full Article)

Natural Living Expo, March 27 & 28 in Des Moines

February 25, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Blog, Family Friendly, Front Page, Green Business, Green Living, Iowa, Organic Food, Slideshow | 1 Comment

By the end of March, spring will be poking her head out from behind winter’s white dress. Leaves will begin to sprout, wearing a fleeting light-green that will deepen in hue by the time the summer arrives in all her glory. Ah, spring. What better time of year to be thinking about gardening, fresh produce, and delicious natural foods?

And what better event than the Natural Living Expo to entice sun-starved Midwesterners out of hibernation?

The Fifth Annual Natural Living Expo, to be held March 27 and 28 at the Polk County (Iowa) Convention Center, promises to be bigger and even more exciting than in previous years. The Expo features natural, organic, and sustainable companies and products, live entertainment for kids and adults, and a speaker series on topics related to sustainabilty and health/wellness….

Natural Living Expo, March 27 & 28 in Des Moines (Read Full Article)

My 5: Angela Clark, Founder/Master Connector, enrgPATH

February 24, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Blog, Events, Front Page, My 5, Slideshow | 1 Comment

Blue Planet Green Living asked Angela Clark, founder of enrgPATH and self-described “Master Connector, “What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?” Her responses follow:

CLARK: These are my Top 5 Solutions for Sustainable People and Planet:

Be Grateful. The more grateful I am, the more productive I am. To have daily gratitude takes some practice. It is easy to get caught up in the drama of life and forget to focus on all that I have, but after living both ways, I prefer to nurture the spirit of gratitude. It makes life beautiful….

My 5: Angela Clark, Founder/Master Connector, enrgPATH (Read Full Article)

My 5: Dana L. Miller, Founder, Sustainable Earth

February 23, 2010 | Filed under Blog, British Columbia, Canada, Ecology, Environment, Front Page, My 5, Slideshow | 3 Comments

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) asked Dana L. Miller two questions we ask all our interviewees. Miller is the founder of Sustainable Earth and proponent of UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for Burns Bog in Vancouver, British Columbia.

BPGL: What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

MILLER:

1. Media: Abolish the business of government propaganda, public relations, and conglomerate media in Canada and biased editorial columns. Reinvigorate investigative journalism….

My 5: Dana L. Miller, Founder, Sustainable Earth (Read Full Article)