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. | 1 Comment

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 | 1 Comment

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 | 2 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)

Iowa State University Holds 2nd Annual Sustainability Symposium

February 22, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Art, Blog, Books, Education, Events, Front Page, Slideshow, Sustainability | 8 Comments

Iowa State University’s 2010 Symposium on Enhancing Sustainability will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24, in the Memorial Union on the ISU campus in Ames, Iowa. The event begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday with an opening poster session and speaker, followed by a day of panel discussions and presentations….

Iowa State University Holds 2nd Annual Sustainability Symposium (Read Full Article)

Watch Out for the Green Police!

February 19, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Diesel, Eco-Friendly, Front Page, Marketing, Slideshow | 2 Comments

It’s Friday, snow is falling again, and I’m in the mood for a little lighthearted entertainment. Since Joe and I don’t have a television (by choice, thank you very much), I rarely see the ads that the rest of the world sees. Today, our friend, Gregory Johnson sent us a link to the Audi “Green Police” ads, and I enjoyed them so much that I thought I’d share.

According to Audi’s “Green Police” YouTube channel, the commercials are intended as an entertaining way to make several points about how we harm the environment in our daily lives:

“As part of the lead up to their third consecutive Super Bowl ad, Audi has created a fictional Green Police unit that are caricatures of todays [sic] green movement. The Green Police are a humorous group of individuals that have joined forces in an effort to collectively help guide consumers to make the right decision when it comes to the environment. They’re not here to judge, merely to guide these decisions.” …

Watch Out for the Green Police! (Read Full Article)

Surface Hair Care Products – Gluten Free, Vegan, Not Tested on Animals

February 18, 2010 | Filed under Beauty Products, Blog, Front Page, Organic, Personal Care, Slideshow | 3 Comments

Over the past several months, I’ve been using Surface Hair Care products as part of my daily routine. With color-treated hair (yes, I’m going gray beneath the blond), my locks sometimes get dry and brittle. The two varieties of Surface products I’ve tried are gentle on my hair and help keep it feeling soft and healthy.

Initially, a stylist friend (Carolyn at Carolyn’s Place, Studio 101, Coralville, Iowa) introduced me to the Trinity line of Surface products. She knows that I’m concerned both about the planet and my own health. Carolyn’s partner had recently been to a Surface product training in Florida and was excited about how environmentally respectful and people-friendly the products are….

Surface Hair Care Products – Gluten Free, Vegan, Not Tested on Animals (Read Full Article)

Help Rock Stars Save the Planet!

February 17, 2010 | Filed under 1% for the Planet, Artists, Blog, Environment, Front Page, Nonprofits, Slideshow | 1 Comment

Perhaps you’re wondering how rock stars can save the planet. It’s a pretty far-fetched notion — unless you know that 1% for the Planet has released an album of “40 rare and exclusive songs donated by leading artists to produce the first album dedicated to supporting the environment.” All proceeds from 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1 will be contributed to environmental organizations across the globe. You don’t hear those words — “all proceeds … will be contributed” — very often.

You might notice that we have a new badge on the upper right-hand corner of our website. It’s a link to purchase the album. Go ahead. Click on it. And get yourself a rockin’ good album that will put a smile on your face without leaving a big dent in your bank account….

Help Rock Stars Save the Planet! (Read Full Article)

They’re Blowing Up Our Mountains – There Oughta Be a Law!

February 16, 2010 | Filed under Blog, Coal, DOI, Environment, Front Page, Mountaintop, Natural Resources, Slideshow | Leave a Comment

In his 2010 State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned that the U.S. needs “continued investment in … clean coal technologies.”

But, according to Matt Wasson, Ph.D., Director of Programming at Appalachian Voices, as well as many other experts, when you look at the entire process — from mountaintop removal through burning and coal ash disposal — there is no such thing as clean coal.

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) spoke with Dr. Wasson about the activities of Appalachian Voices, and about coal in particular…

They’re Blowing Up Our Mountains – There Oughta Be a Law! (Read Full Article)

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Promotes Producer Responsibility

February 15, 2010 | Filed under Blog, E-Stewards, E-Waste, EPA, Front Page, Recycling, Slideshow | 10 Comments

Our home stands on top of a toxic waste dump.

And if you’re stockpiling obsolete electronics in the house, so does yours.

That clunky old CRT computer monitor or TV that’s currently collecting dust in the basement, attic, closet, or garage contains anywhere from 4 to 8 pounds of lead. The new flatscreen LCD monitor you replaced it with contains far less lead, so you might think it would be safer for the environment.

Actually, it’s not…

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Promotes Producer Responsibility (Read Full Article)

Community Colleges Offer “Green” Classes for Kids and Adults

February 12, 2010 | Filed under 2010, Blog, Community, Family Friendly, Front Page, Iowa, Jobs, Kids, Slideshow, Sustainability, Tax Credits, Youth Programs | 2 Comments

Teaching renewable energy at community colleges is nothing new, according to Carolyn Teich, senior program associate from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Such courses have actually been in community college curricula for about 30 years.

But there is also a wave of new courses designed for people who want to live more sustainably. For example, Kirkwood Community College — which primarily offers classes on its Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, campuses — launched a Go Green initiative this past fall in its Continuing Education department.

A team looks at trends in the market to develop new programs for the school, says Kim Johnson, the associate vice president of continuing education programming. Part of her job is to work with that team.

Programs are planned a year in advance, she says. About a year ago, the Kirkwood team discussed the increased emphasis on “green” — especially green jobs — because of the Obama administration’s support of renewable energy technology in the Stimulus package. She also felt the community had an increased interest in sustainability and saving money….

Community Colleges Offer “Green” Classes for Kids and Adults (Read Full Article)

What Are You Waiting For? So Act, Already!

February 11, 2010 | Filed under Activists, Blog, Ecopreneurs, Front Page, Grameen Bank, Media, Nonprofits, Website | 7 Comments

When Stella and Greg Halpern say, “We’re on a mission to build a better world,” they have the credentials to prove it. As the founders of So Act, a new social action network that’s connecting people around the globe, the Halperns are putting their goals into action.

We wanted to know what motivated the couple to create this ambitious network. So Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) spoke with the Halperns while they were traveling in California with their daughters, three talented musicians who go by the name Truth on Earth…

What Are You Waiting For? So Act, Already! (Read Full Article)

A Plea to Protect Burns Bog as a UNESCO Site

February 10, 2010 | Filed under Biodiversity, Blog, British Columbia, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Front Page, Peatland, UN, Wetland, Wetlands, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Environmentalists tend to be a passionate lot, on fire with conviction about the importance of preservation, conservation, and the well-being of the planet. But, despite our convictions, not all of us are activists. Dana L. Miller of Vancouver, British Columbia (B.C.), is an environmentalist who not only espouses her beliefs, she follows through with focused activities that support them. Miller is a vocal and dedicated advocate for protecting British Columbia’s Burns Bog with UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site.

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) spoke with Miller by phone from her B.C. home. We began by asking her to tell us what’s unique about Burns Bog and why UNESCO designation would help protect it….

A Plea to Protect Burns Bog as a UNESCO Site (Read Full Article)