SavethePlanetEarth.com

Brad Pitt “Make It Right” in New Orleans with a Green Project

2007-12-06T13:59:00.001-08:00

Making good on his promise earlier this year to galvanize the rebuilding of the NoLa's Ninth Ward, Brad Pitt visited this week and organized with key players of his Make It Right campaign.

Even more innovative than inviting now 2-year itenerants home? And better even than building costs that cannot exceed $150,000 per house?

You guessed it; Make It Right did so in flaming green. All of the houses will be eco-friendly.

Yesterday he announced finalists, including design plan from firms in Philly and Los Angeles for the project, which he is leanding in tandem with producer/philanthropist Steve Bing.

The project works with Global Green and includes collaborators from around the country. For more, catch Brad on Larry King Live online clicking on the image below.

Watch Brad's Pitt's NBC Today Interview:

LED Lights for Christmas and Holidays - Choose Energy Efficient LEDs

2007-12-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Save energy, and money, this holiday season by switching your old strands of incandescent bulbs with new LEDs (light emitting diodes).

Appearing during the darkest time of the year, holiday lights brighten hearts, as well as neighborhoods and landscapes. The good news is LEDs use a fraction of the energy of conventional light bulbs (up to about 15% currently), and they last for many years. Based on semiconductors, they're cool to the touch and extremely durable, meaning they are great for many applications (especially where there is a fire hazard).

In the past, LEDs have been relatively expensive, but prices have been steadily coming down. Today, a strand of LED holiday lights typically goes for between $20 and $30. They are available in a wide range of colors and styles, from icicles to snowflakes and more, and can be ordered online, from local hardware stores or big box retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's, Target and Big Lots.

HolidayLeds.com will even take back your old incandescent strands. The first 100 participants will receive one free set of LED lights, and the next 100 will receive a 10% coupon.

Learn more about LED holiday lights and check out our gallery of great new styles.

Source: The Green Daily http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/led-holidays-christmas-lights?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

New York Mayor Bloomberg Announces Hybrid Taxi Initiative

2007-12-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

New York launched a 5-year initiative to "hybridize" the city's taxi fleet and cut its CO2 emissions by an estimated 200,000 tons a year.

As part of its "Be a Better Planet" program, Yahoo! donated ten hybrid Ford Escape taxicabs to operator Team Systems. The cabs will be used to replace gasoline-only powered Ford Crown Victoria vehicles, saving tens of thousands of gallons of fuel over a taxicab's service lifetime, and reducing carbon emissions by more than 16 tons per vehicle each year. The vehicles being donated today get approximately 36 mpg (city streets). Yahoo! kicked off the "Be a Better Planet Challenge" in Times Square last week.

Watch the announcement at the Today Show

Google's Brighter Future - Solar Energy

2007-11-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

In October 2006, Google announced a commitment to solar energy production and launched the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the United States. Google has installed over 90% of the 9,212 solar panels that comprise the 1,600 kilowatt project. Panels cover the rooftops of eight buildings and two newly constructed solar carports at the Googleplex (check out this fly-over video).

This installation is projected to produce enough electricity for approximately 1,000 California homes or 30% of Google's peak electricity demand in our solar powered buildings at our Mountain View, CA headquarters.

They built a web page to monitor and share the day to day production of clean, renewable energy from Google's very own rooftops.

Google's headquarter in Mountain View California, the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the United States.

Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal

2007-11-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

Google Could Outspend the Federal Government

Google aims to make electricity derived from the wind and sun and other renewable sources of energy cheaper than burning coal, and the Web search giant has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars toward the effort, including tens of millions in 2008. It didn't release specific figures, but it did set the goal of producing enough electricity to power San Francisco in "years not decades."

The initiative will focus first on solar thermal power, wind power and geothermal systems.

Depending on how fast Google spends its money, its investment could rival the federal government's investment in renewable energy. A Government Accountability Office report found that Department of Energy spending on research and development of biomass, wind and solar energy sources totaled just $65 million in 2006. (Since this was posted this morning, the folks over at reddit have identified other Department of Energy budget documents that make the GAO estimate seem far too low, with $1.16 billion being appropriated for energy efficiency and renewable energy in 2006, and $1.24 billion requested for 2008.)

The Google initiative will create jobs, though how many is unclear. It's the latest sign that renewable energy technology development can be a growing source of economic power in the coming years.

"If we meet this goal," said Google co-founder Larry Page, "and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well."

Source: The Daily News
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/google-renewable-energy-47112801

Gore, U.N. climate panel win Nobel Peace Prize

2007-10-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Warming is ‘greatest challenge’ ever, he says, earning praise and criticism

OSLO, Norway - Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is "the greatest challenge we've ever faced."

World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.

Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

Watch the full speech bellow:

Source: MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21262661/

How to Pack an Eco-Friendly School Lunch

2007-09-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Using reusable containers, instead of single-use disposable brown bags, of course, is a garbage-reducing no-brainer, especially considering that U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 245 million tons of trash in 2005 alone, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Just be sure to avoid lead-containing vinyl lunch boxes.

If you want to give your future honors student a real head start, forget the mini-packs of Cheetos and Doritos. Apples, oranges, bananas, and other fruit are heathful, waste-free snackables that come with their own compostable wrapping. For extra credit, instead of throwing out enough plastic zippered baggies to smother a herd of rhinos, consider a reusable option such as the Wrap-n-Mat, which you can easily wipe down or toss into the wash. ::Gaylord Herald

Source: Tree Hugger
http://www.treehugger.com/

See Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The 11th Hour”

2007-09-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The 11th Hour” is a feature length documentary concerning the environmental crises caused by human actions and their impact on the planet. “The 11th Hour” documents the cumulative impact of these actions upon the planet’s life systems and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity. With the help of over fifty of the world’s most prominent thinkers and activists, including reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, “The 11thHour” documents the grave problems facing the planet’s life systems.

The most powerful element of “The 11th Hour” is not the portrait of a planet in crisis, but the hope and solutions the films offers. Scientists and environmental advocates paint a portrait for a radically new and exciting future in which humanity seeks not to dominate the earth’s life systems, but to mimic them and coexist. “The 11th Hour” calls for a future that is both sustainable and healthier.

Trailer:

Eco Friendly Ipod Cases

2007-09-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

Eco-Nique, an online retailer that sells climate neutral ipod cases. In case you’re wondering what are climate neutral ipod cases, essentially they are regular iPod cases but what makes them green is the eco friendly operations of the retailer.

Eco-nique has partnered up with Climate Care to off-set its carbon emissions from all its business operations. It has agreed to off-set the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the manufacturing, freight, transportation, administration, and the production of its iPod cases. In their own words, “offsetting quite simply means paying someone to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere to net off the CO2 generated from our activities”.

They are also is involved in various eco projects around the world. Visit here for more details on what they are involved with. The cases themselves are good looking, made with (not so eco-friendly ) leather, and come in various designs, styles, and price points.

PS: These cases are not available for iPhone or the new iPod Touch

Source: http://www.keetsa.com/

Travel Light

2007-08-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Whether you are jet setting to Tahiti or driving to your Grandma's house in the next county, packing light will cut down on fuel use, as well as wear and tear on luggage and other items.
When flying, each additional ten pounds per traveler requires an added 350 million gallons of jet fuel per year. More baggage also means security has to work harder to go through everything, requiring more energy for scanning and moving things around. The average wait time for checked luggage is 20 to 30 minutes, so you'll move through airports much faster if you can take what you need in a carry-on.

When driving, each additional 100 pounds of cargo will increase fuel consumption by about 2%. The less you take with you, the better your fuel economy will be.

By traveling light, you will need fewer luggage tags and airline stickers, further saving resources. Traveling is tough on luggage, and wears it out quite rapidly, so the less you take, the fewer suitcases or duffels you’ll have to replace. Plus, you will be less likely to have luggage lost, or contents crushed or stolen. All those extra clothes, shoes, books and other items will last longer if you leave them at home, safe.

Source: The Daily Green
http://www.thedailygreen.com/

Madonna donates a song for a climate in crisis

2007-05-23T04:18:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Live Earth, Madonna has written a new song, "Hey You," which will be is now available to be downloaded in MP3 format from Microsoft, Live Earth's exclusive online partner. Go to http://liveearth.msn.com/green/Madonnadownload and download the song today! The first million downloads of "Hey You" will be free and Microsoft has pledged to donate $0.25 per download to the Alliance for Climate Protection for each of the first million downloads. Microsoft has relaunched their online experience supporting Live Earth, where you'll be able to watch all of the concerts online during and after the events.

Source: Live Earth
http://www.liveearth.org

Change Your Lightbulbs

2007-05-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

By Maryanne Murray Buechner

The hottest thing in household energy savings is the compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL), a funny-looking swirl that fits into standard sockets. CFLs cost three to five times as much as conventional incandescent bulbs yet use one-quarter the electricity and last several years longer. They are available virtually everywhere lightbulbs are sold. Most labels don't say "CFL" (GE calls its bulbs Energy Savers), and in some cases the telltale twist is enclosed in frosted glass. The wattage gives them away: many 7-watt CFLs are comparable to a regular 40-watt bulb, 26 watts is the typical CFL equivalent of 100 watts and so on. Or just look for the Energy Star label.

CFLs have come a long way since they were first introduced in the mid-'90s (they don't flicker as much when you turn them on, for one thing), but because each bulb still contains 5 mg of mercury, you're not supposed to toss them out with the regular trash, where they could end up in a landfill. So the bulbs are one more thing for you to sort in the recycling bin.

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs (see item 4), don't have this problem, but they can require a bit of DIY rewiring. LEDs work great as accents and task lights, and you can also buy LED desk and floor lamps. But if you're just looking to put a green bulb in your favorite table lamp, CFL is the way to go.

Source: Time Magazine "51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment"Click here and learn what else you can do.

Province targets plastic bags

2007-05-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

The provincial government wants Ontarians to cut in half the number of plastic shopping bags they use over the next five years.

Today, Environment Minister Laurel Broten will announce a partnership with the Recycling Council of Ontario and grocer and retail associations to come up with a system of consumer incentives to meet the target, the Toronto Star has learned.

"Each of us can help clean up our environment by doing little things like reducing the number of plastic bags we use," a provincial source said.

The program will be voluntary but if the carrot approach doesn't work, the province has the ability to drag out the stick in the form of mandatory per bag charges or outright bans.

The recycling council will work with all retail businesses – from large grocery chains to small corner stores – to provide incentives such as store points that can be redeemed for products, air miles or cash to customers who use reusable cloth or canvas bags.

Source: Toronto Star

Read complete article at:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/211921

Ontario goes solar

2007-04-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Ontario government has given approval for a California company to construct a massive solar "farm" near Sarnia that will blanket an area larger than all three Toronto islands with hundreds of thousands of sun-soaking panels.

It will be the largest solar power station in North America and among the most expansive in the world to use photovoltaic cells that produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. Once complete, the 40-megawatt Sarnia project will be able to supply enough emission-free electricity to power between 10,000 and 15,000 homes on sunny days.

"This is certainly the most exciting thing I've ever worked on," said Peter Carrie of OptiSolar Farms Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Hayward, Calif.-based OptiSolar Inc. "We want to take solar mainstream."

The Ontario Power Authority has agreed to purchase the electricity under a 20-year contract that will see the clean power go into the provincial grid. An official announcement is expected today from the energy ministry.

The current world record-holder is the 12-megawatt Erlasee solar park in Germany, though another 40-megawatt park is under construction in the same region. On Monday, the largest U.S. project was announced: A 15-megawatt solar PV system to be built at an air force base in Nevada.

Source: Toronto Star

To read the complete article visit:
http://www.thestar.com/article/207415

Earth Day - We are live!

2007-04-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

Today is Earth Day, and I am happy to launch SavethePlanetEarth.com. Our goal with this website is to bring stories around the planet to inspire and show you how easy can be to make a difference. Fell free to send your stories, questions or comments.

Special Thank to: Rick Menkis, Tiago Celestino, Stephanie Hagemen, Igor Ikeda & Lucas Hirata. Thank you for your support to make this happen!

Top 5 Things You Can Do While In the Great Outdoors

2007-04-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, people are not always good stewards of our natural world. Overfishing and overhunting can disrupt a habitat's balance. Mountain bikes and horseback riders can alter the landscape. Even hiking and camping leave their mark. Following are our Top 5 guidelines every outdoor enthusiast should try to follow while enjoying the best that nature has to offer.

1) Plan ahead. Camping or hiking responsibly requires knowing the environment you'll be occupying – including marked trails, designated campgrounds, animals you may encounter, and more. Be prepared!

2) Stay the course. If you're hiking in a muddy area, it's easy to create secondary paths as you try to sidestep the wet stuff. Avoid this by walking on rocks or logs. If you have no other choice, stay on the designated trail and walk through the mud. Use an existing campsite. Don't create a new campsite when you can use an existing one.

3) Keep fires small. Most areas have rules about how big your campfire can be. You can minimize your fire by using smaller pieces of wood.

4) Think reusable and clean up. Pack your food in reusable, collapsible containers instead of taking along disposable boxes and cans, and leave your campsite clean for the next group.

5) Don't bother wildlife. Aside from the fact that some animals can hurt you, you could also disrupt mating or nesting seasons. Feeding wildlife is always a bad idea. Once wild animals associate food with humans, a dangerous situation is created for both groups.

Source: Conservation International
Click here and learn what else you can do.

Oprah’s Green Show

2007-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Oprah went green today in honor of Earth Day. She has on Simran Sethi who is now host for Sundance Channel: the Green, as her environmental expert.

Oprah’s Tip #1: Paper or Plastic: NEITHER. Bring your own bag!
It’s one of our fave tips, too, Oprah. And, of course, you can get the Oprah “GrOceries” bag made of organic cotton for $9.50. Well, you could have. They are currently out of stock. Oprah said that they are charging what it costs to make them, as she doesn’t need money from bags, “I’ve got enough pairs of shoes”. Of course, she told the audience that they don’t need her bags - any bags will do, just bring your own!

Oprah’s Tip #2: Bring Your Own Bottle.
Again, we talk about this all of the time. Simran loves the Sigg bottle, as do I. I got mine at Reusablebags.com.

We then saw a clip with Laurie David & Sheryl Crow, who are currently on their Stop Global Warming Campus Tour. Which we’ve talked about plenty around here lately.

Then, it was on to Matt Damon with a tip to Stop Your Junk Mail. It’s really easy to do it yourself, though there are companies who can do it for you. Matt was promoting one such company called GreenDimes. For a dime a day, these guys will take care of most of it for you, plus plant a tree each month. He said he loves the service so much, he joined the Board. Seems like a new development because as of last month, his name wasn’t really on the list. We love this tip, as well. Do it yourself, or through GreenDimes, but get rid of all of that junk mail! (Thanks, Linton, for the screenshot!)
Oprah’s Tip #3: Clean Green.
They went through some green, non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners such as Method, Seventh Generation, Shaklee, and Mrs. Meyers.
I only caught the first half of the show. There were also some tips about using fewer paper napkins and using a smart strip or power strip to manage your electronics that go on standby. I’ll watch the rest later and will update this post if there is anything earth shattering. I really thought there would be more celebs in the studio for the Earth Day show. Oh well! The tips were great ones and the ones I repeat over and over. They are the easiest and will make a huge impact if we all take part

Source: Ecorazzi
http://www.ecorazzi.com

Be aggressive about passive

2007-04-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Kirchner

Georg Zielke, his wife and kids share a five-bedroom "passive house" in Darmstadt, Germany, with heating costs 90% lower than their neighbors'. Extra insulation and state-of-the-art ventilation recycle the energy from passive sources such as body heat, the sun and household appliances to warm the air. When it gets really cold, the Zielkes just turn on the TV.

The German government has thrown its weight behind the idea, guaranteeing low cost loans for people who want to build a passive house. They cost about 5% to 8% more to build than a standard one. Invented in a German-Swedish joint-venture in he early 1990s, about 10,000 have been built in Europe so far, most of them in Germany—and just three in the U.S.

Source: Time Magazine "51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment"
Click here and learn what else you can do.

Power to the people

2007-03-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Olivia Chow isn't thinking of starring in a home renovation program on one of those specialty TV channels, but she has become a media celebrity with a show of her own on the popular YouTube website.

It can be seen by going to youtube.com and entering "Olivia Chow green house" in the search bar to see some of the energy-saving renovations she and husband Jack Layton, national leader of the New Democratic Party, have made to their downtown Toronto home.

"Over the years," the NDP Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina says, "people ask me questions about retrofitting, like, `How is it done? Is it possible? Can you actually put a solar panel up? What if there isn't enough sun?'

"So I figured the best way is to actually show people what it looks like. Talking in theories and figures doesn't quite work. Now when people ask about energy retrofitting your home and reducing energy bills, I can actually tell them to go to youtube.com and check it out."

The video includes Chow with seven rooftop solar panels the couple installed over the years to produce electricity and heat their hot water. Also included is a meter that produces a smile on their faces when it spins backward. That means they're helping to generate electricity that will go back to the grid for others to use. Other stops on the 4 1/2-minute tour of their home show energy-smart kitchen appliances, triple-paned windows and a low-flow toilet.

Source: Toronto Star
To read the complete article visit:
http://www.thestar.com/Athome/article/194748

An Inconvenient Truth: Oscar Winner

2007-02-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

Like nearly every Grey's Anatomy episode, the Oscars generally make me cry and laugh out loud at least twice. This year of feel-good internationalism and "every nominee is a winner" egalitarianism was no exception. However, a brand new, twist complicated the customary emotional roller coaster: greenness. An Inconvenient Truth (unsurprisingly) won Best Documentary. At the podium: Laurie David (producer), ecstatic, and Al Gore emphasizing the nonpartisan nature of the climate change threat. Additionally, the Academy seems to have teamed up with the NRDC to make Oscar's molten foot leave a lighter print, and teach viewers to tread softly as well. Wow. Weird. Love it that millions of people around the world saw that a chunk of Hollywood wants to do something about the U.S.'s imbalanced CO2 contribution. Not so happy that the running Gore candidacy announcement jokes make such an obvious Hollywood/Liberal/Environmentalism punditry target. None-the-less, an amazing night for the folks at Participant Productions and the climate change message. An Oscar win can only mean more people seeing what could have just remained a former Vice President's slide show. ::Oscars

Source: Tree Hugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/an_inconvenient_8.php

Bloom goes green with new home

2007-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Jet-setting Orlando Bloom is using pre-Oscar parties to wave his green credentials.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has revealed he is building an environmentally friendly house in London.

He is also telling fellow stars to do their bit for the planet by ditching their limos and travelling to Oscar events in eco-friendly cars.

The 30-year-old admits not everyone can live a totally green lifestyle but says even the stars should unplug their mobile chargers and turn off their TVs when they are not using them.

Source: Metro (UK)
http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=38567&in_page_id=7

New towers paint the town green

2007-02-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

Office towers aren't what they used to be. True, they're as tall as ever, if not taller, but now they mean something different – the symbolism has changed.

The edifice complex hasn't exactly disappeared, but today it's tempered by the sustainability reflex.

Originally, the skyscraper was all about corporate might – mine's bigger than yours. Now it's about doing what's right. There are examples everywhere. In New York, the Bank of America is building the tallest green tower in the world. In Europe, green skyscrapers have been around since the 1980s.

Finally, Toronto's getting into the act, and in a big way. After an absence of 10 or 15 years, when the only high-rises built in this city were residential – i.e., condos – the office tower is making a comeback. Last year 180 Queen St. W. was completed, though at 17 storeys it barely qualifies as a tower. And we mustn't forget the SAS Building, 280 King St. E., a mid-rise corporate headquarters notable for its "sustainable" features.

But three skyscrapers now under construction are all tall and green: Brookfield Properties' Bay-Adelaide Centre (50 storeys), Cadillac Fairview's RBC Centre (43 storeys) at Simcoe and Wellington Sts., and the Telus Tower (32 storeys) at 25 York St. near the Air Canada Centre (a joint venture of Halcyon Partners Fund, Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan and Menkes Developments).

All three are going for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification. That green building rating system, which has become the North American standard for evaluating sustainable architecture, is based on criteria such as materials, heating and cooling efficiency, green roofs and water recycling. The highest rating is platinum, followed by gold.

Source: Toronto Star
To read the full article visit:
http://www.thestar.com/article/182962