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On Our Radar: China’s Air Pollution
Efforts to reduce air pollution in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games yielded immediate benefits for cardiovascular health, researchers report. [The Atlantic]
The American consulate in Shanghai begins issuing its own air quality readings, reporting that particulates are significantly worse than government statistics indicate. [The Standard]
Chesapeake...
DIY Greenhouse made using recycled windows
Early that autumn morning, I knew it was going to be a great day: I dropped my toast, and it landed honey-side up! Then in the morning newspaper, I saw an announcement for a public auction of “dozens of used aluminum storm doors.” I could hardly wait to hitch up my trailer.
My bid was $4 when the auctioneer said, “Sold! How many do you want?”
“All...
How to start a tool library
It might seem a little risky to lend out a bunch of power tools to those who probably don’t know how to use them. After all, tools can be dangerous, people can be idiots, and we live in an exceptionally litigious society. For some strange but very understandable reason, those concerns alone have been more than enough to effectively end many community...
Will London be the Greenest Olympic Games Ever?
When London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, their aim was to make it the greenest, cleanest and most sustainable games ever held. Now with just barely two months left, the host city is scrambling to make good on its promise.
As with most sporting events, the ‘greenness’ can only be evaluated after the games conclude. However, if the April...
Pretty micro planters made out of cork from wine bottles
Garden planters aren’t just containers for planting flowers and plants. They’re decorative too and can be used to deck up a boring space. Planters also don’t have to be purchased from stores and can be made by oneself. While most are as large as or larger than flower pots, some are classified into the micro category. These are tiny little holders...
Caught in our own words
Jeff Clearwater and Ferananda Ibarra* led a presentation on (Charles Eisenstein et al’s) Sacred Economics and Sharing Economies the other day while I was in Eugene OR (thanks to fellow communitarian and alternative economies enthusiast Tree Bressen twisting their arms to add Eugene to their current West Coast speaking tour). One of the ideas they...
Peru’s killer gold rush
Gold rushes in developing countries mean riches for a few and crumbs, death and ecocide for the poor and the environment.
But never mind all that, there’s money to be made. Gold in Peru is booming. According to Australia’s 9MSN, Gold is now Peru’s number one export, with countries like Switzerland, Canada and the US as major buyers.
The article...
What does the future of sustainability mean for small business?
This week I had a great opportunity to speak with Matt Gardner, Co-Founder and Director of SustainServ, a global sustainability consultancy with offices in Zurich and Boston. We talked about the current state of corporate sustainability. What does it really mean for companies — particularly the small and medium-sized ones? How has it evolved?...
Pumping Power: Outdoor Gym turns your workout sessions into a clean energy source
Some of us might be a touch more philosophical than others and while that serves well under most conditions, when it comes to hitting the gym, it is definitely a big hindrance. There are times when you are lifting those weights and at some point during all those ‘sets’ and repetitions you start feeling what the hell you are doing. Yes, you are trying...
Eco-Art Installations Sprout in a Taiwanese Village
Unsuspecting visitors to Cheng Long, a small fishing village in southwest Taiwan, might feel the need to blink and rub their eyes. Is there really a giant bowl and chopsticks sinking into the wetlands? What are those brightly colored things growing all over that abandoned house?
They’re not apparitions, but art installations — made of recycled...
