So you’ve jumped on the “green” bandwagon but are now faced with the daunting task of figuring out what you can do to make a difference. Well you’re not alone.
Feeling your pain, the fine folks at Wire & Twine have thrown together a pretty “green” looking site complete with 50 changes you can make at home to get you on your way.
Link to [ 50 Ways to Help the Planet ]
Do you know a better way to save cute and cuddly animals than showing people pictures of cute and cuddly animals? Apparently the folks at Animals and Earth didn’t either and that’s ok.
Animals and Earth seeks “to populate the internet world with the best animal and earth images promoting awareness and conservation.”
While a cool concept and promoting a great goal, Animals and Earth isn’t a lightweight on the tech. front either, offering some pretty great looking embedable galleries.
Link to [ Animals and Earth ]
Futurist David Holmgren recently released an e-book entitled “Future Scenarios: Mapping the cultural implications of peak oil and climate change.” Aside from discussing the challenges posed by Peak Oil and Climate Change, Holmgren also uses an interesting micro-format for his project. Unfortunately, comments are centralized and not allowed on individual sections like other micro-formats such as CommentPress.
A large portion of the composition focuses on possible scenarios of oil decline and climate change over the next 10-30 years. The four “Descent Scenarios” include:
Holmgren’s work is another warning of problems caused by “Business As Usual” mentality in our consumptive lifestyles. Although somewhat depressing, writings like this can provide an idea playground for the entrepreneurial mind.
Link to [Future Scenarios]
Transportation Alternatives is a NYC non-profit advocating, you guessed it, transportation alternatives for America’s uber-congested urban center. Citizen action is promoted through the organization’s website with a collection of surveys, petitions, and urban biking events. Currently, Transportation Alternatives is celebrating Bike Month which features hundreds of events from cycling education and group film nights to biking tours of historic NYC neighborhoods.
The foundation of the T.A.’s mission is a “Green Transportation Hierarchy” inverting the current reliance on passenger vehicles. The hierarchy from highest to lowest presence is as follows:
Link to [Transportation Alternatives]
A recent release by Reuters lists the top 10 musicians using their tours as a platform for change.
Topping off the list is Hawaiian crooner Jack Johnson who fuels all tour vehicles with biodiesel and keeps his home studio running off solar power.
Taking up the rear in the 10 spot is popular neo-soul/hip hop group The Roots, who took autographs to a new level by giving away signed compost bins.
For the full list see the MSN article below.
Link to [ MSNBC ]
Image: (cc-by-sa-2.0)
The “carbon footprint” is not the only stamp humans are imprinting on the globe. An overlooked integer in the ecological footprint equation is the “water footprint” - a concept aptly outlined by a group of EU researchers at waterfootprint.org.
Aside from providing concept analysis and links to scientific publications, the site features a gallery discussing the amount of water required to produce everyday items. For example, worldwide coffee production is connected to nearly 120 billion cubic meters of water annually. This number is roughly 2% of global agricultural water use or slightly more than annual runoff from the mighty Rhine. Yet another reason to quit drinking caffeine.
Link to [Waterfootprint.org]
A Firefox extension (which also works in Flock), Effortless Good takes a portion of the revenue generated from Amazon purchases and splits the proceeds between The Rainforest Alliance, Save The Children, The Grameen Foundation, and The Participatory Culture Foundation.
Link to [ Effortless Good ]
50 ways to help the planet is a great site that lists 50 simple ways to help change things. As they say on the site
PLANT A NOTION
“Going green” doesn’t have to be a daunting task that means sweeping life changes. Simple things can make a difference.The contents of this list might not be new, but they bear repeating. Sometimes it takes a few reminders for things take root.
Link to [ 50 ways to help the planet ]