Home/Articles in: Sustainable living
Articles in: Sustainable living
Climate & Change, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Jan 25th, 2010,
This month saw the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates host the World Future Energy Summit, an international forum attended by over 23,000 delegates from 130 countries around the globe. The Summit is billed as ‘the world’s platform for sustainable future energy solutions’ where policy makers, scientists, investors and industry representatives gather to discuss the future of energy, its demands, challenges, and how to meet these in a cleaner, more sustainable manner. Though the Summit itself lasted four days (January 18th – 21st) the entire week surrounding it was dubbed Future Energy Week and concluded with a…
Tags: Abu Dhabi, climate, Emirates, energy, future, summit, sustainable, World
Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Videos & Documentaries, Jan 24th, 2010,
A National Geographic video report from last November offers an inspiring example of one family who are making a serious commitment to energy independence and sustainability. What electricity they don’t use from their turbine can be sold to neighboring families. The family also plans on buying an electric car and charging it with wind power. Family Wind Turbines Gain Momentum Part of a growing trend, a Danish family of seven has installed its own wind turbine to produce all the electricity the family needs while reducing its carbon footprint. Additional resources: US Offers Tax Credit for Homeowners with Wind Turbines…
Tags: Danish, electricity, energy, family, power, turbine, video, wind
climate change, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Videos & Documentaries, Jan 23rd, 2010,
Pollution poses significant problems in China’s rapidly industrializing landscape. As urban areas grow and develop with unprecedented speed, the environmental consequences of modernization are often an afterthought. But such afterthoughts must eventually be dealt with – sooner or later. On the tails of a massive revolution in development, China is also in the throws of a ‘green revolution’ where the Asian giant is increasingly confronting its environmental challenges in more creative and impressive ways. The southern city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province is an example of swift and extensive urbanization, growing from a village to a metropolis of 12 million…
Tags: Al Jazeera, China, development, environmental, Green, Green Revolution, Shenzhen, video
Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Jan 22nd, 2010,
Bad planning in the construction of dams in Japan makes the areas in which they are built more vulnerable to landslides and damage caused by earthquakes, argues environmental journalist Masano Atsuko. Tremors and volcanic eruptions are common on the Japanese archipelago and since much of the soil in certain regions is composed of tuff – a light, porous, rock formed from volcanic ash – mixed with other igneous rock, seismic activity can trigger landslides. In an article featured on the environmental news website China Dialogue, Masano Atsuko cites various instances in which the existence and/or construction of dams and reservoirs…
Tags: Atsuko, cause, China Dialogue, dam, earthquake, Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake, landslide, Masano
Sustainable living, ,
![]( "<!--:en-->Sowing the SEED of Haiti")
' src='http://gf1.statico.be/wp-content/themes/greenfudge/thumbnails/5543.jpg' alt='sowing-the-seed-of-haitis-emergency-housing-project' class='art-teaser' width='95' height='95' /> It is no big secret by now that Haiti has been devastated by a massive earthquake and a great number of aftershocks. People died, homes were destroyed, and many supplies are needed. There is always the possibility that another earthquake will happen in the future and they can’t keep dealing with rubble and reconstruction projects forever. So, how do you build a home that has a better chance of withstanding an earthquake? With shipping containers, that’s how! The Clemson University SEED project is currently working to do just that: provide new housing for all those in Haiti who lost their…
Tags: donations, earthquake, emergency housing, Haiti, SEED, shipping container, sustainable living
Business, Sustainable living, Jan 21st, 2010,
Do you live in Sweden? Are you interested in passive living? Do you want a green apartment? If you answered yes to these questions, then it may help you to know that 4 green apartments—with passive house techniques—are being added to the city of Malmö. The project, called Salongen 35, is the winner of a passive house design competition that was held by the builder Höllviksnäs Förvaltnings AB. Designed by Kjellgren Kaminsky, the apartments are expected to be built on the last empty site in the Bo01 housing area. What exactly does passive housing mean? Well, passive house structures are…
Tags: eco-friendly building, green apartments, green living, Malmö, passive housing, Salongen 35, Sweden
Sustainable living, Videos & Documentaries, Jan 20th, 2010,
Full of green spaces and crisscrossed with 620 km (385 miles) of bicycle paths, the German capital of Berlin is a modern European city with practical approach to energy efficiency. Despite Berlin’s continued widespread use of coal for heating, the city has come up with some inventive solutions to meet its energy needs. This short CNN video reports on how this European capital is creating more alternative and eco-friendly projects in these environmentally challenging times. CNN – Turning sludge into energy
Tags: Berlin, capital, city, CNN, energy, European, German, Green, sludge
Business, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Jan 19th, 2010,
The proliferation of steam-powered railroads, beginning in the 19th century, revolutionized much of the world in terms of trade, travel, infrastructure and communication. Traveling by rail was initially a luxury, but eventually became a common means of transport. The rise of the automobile however, saw train travel fall out of fashion in some places – particularly the United States. By contrast, in Europe and the more industrialized parts of Asia, freight and passenger rail has remained widespread and heavily used. Extensive development of high speed rail in China and the successful Eurostar line – connecting London to Paris and Brussels…
Tags: China, environmental, Europe, Green, high-speed, rail, train, travel
Sustainable living, Uncategorized, Jan 16th, 2010,
This past holiday season, electronics sold like mad (as usual). My nephews were amongst those who received a laptop, Wii, or Xbox. Needless to say, they are quite addicted to playing video games and watching TV. Like other kids in their class (and even in the neighborhood), you don’t see them play outside as much as they used to. While there is nothing wrong in modern forms of entertainment, it should not take over their lives, especially when that excessive electronic use may hinder their imagination and active skills—not to mention what all that energy usage does to the environment….
Tags: arts and crafts, Books1, eco-friendly activities, family, games, green activities, imagination, indoors, kid friendly, nature walks, outdoors, sled riding, snowball fight, snowman, winter activities
Sustainable living, Jan 15th, 2010,
Across the internet, you’ll find a world of information on environmental news, how to live green, how to calculate your carbon footprint, tips on saving energy, and so forth. More sites, programs, widgets and applications come out every single day. Obviously, you can’t keep track of them all. How do you decide which ones are worth checking out? Are they legitimate programs or just another form of greenwashing? Well, I’ve tried to save you some of the guesswork by creating this list. Here, you will find some green widgets or eco-friendly sites that are definitely worth checking out. 10. Trip…
Tags: applets, applications, apps, building, Business, calculators, carbon footprint, ECO, eco-friendly, environment, environmental, Green, home, Kids, organic, programs, Recycling, tips, travel, websites, widgets
Sustainable living, sustainable living, ,
Recycling can seem like a lot of work to some, especially if you’re a little kid. There’s cleaning, sorting and separating, hauling (sometimes rather heavy containers), and so forth. Thankfully, the people at Ooomy Design came up with a solution for this: Recycly waste receptacles. These recycle bins encourage kids to recycle by making it a fun activity to do and they’re also shaped like garden robots. There are 3 Recycly bins in a full set and each bin will display a colored light show, depending on what recyclable item is put in them. Paper bins will light up blue,…
Tags: children, Oomy Design, recycle bins, Recycling, Recycly, waste receptacles, ways to make recycling fun for kids
Sustainable living, Jan 13th, 2010,
The race to provide cutting technology that is also climate friendly is producing some cool new products with ever dwindling carbon footprints. That is the idea, anyway. Organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, are similar to normal LEDs, but with an organic layer providing the illumination – and they are set to revolutionize how we light our houses. An article in the London Times describes how light-emitting wallpaper – and even paint – could replace the familiar bulb, providing indoor environments with ‘an even glow, which mimics sunlight and avoids the shadows and glare of conventional bulbs.’ And all for far…
Tags: energy, LED, light, OLED, organic, organic light-emitting diode, technology, Times, wallpaper
Sustainable living, ,
Having already made great strides in renewable energy production in the form of massive wind and photovoltaic solar panel projects, China is now building solar power plants of another type: concentrating solar power. Concentrating solar plants use large numbers of mirrors which generate electricity by capturing heat and producing steam. Europe and the United States have experienced a sudden and marked increase in plans for these types of plants during the last two years and now, according to an article in the ‘Energy and Environment’ section of the New York Times, China is getting in on the game. Popular in…
Tags: China, concentrating solar power, New York Times, power plant, renewable energy, solar power, United States
Sustainable living, sustainable living, Uncategorized, ,
Winter landscapes can look very bleak and monotone, especially if you live in a cold region. Colors disappear with the autumn leaves and you have to wait until spring before you see them again. If you live in an area that usually gets hit with ice and snow, you may know the routine of bringing some of your plants indoors or covering them with special netting-like material. However, there are ways to keep your gardens colorful and full of life, even during those harsh winter months. One of the first things you should know is when to plant your plants,…
Tags: advice, cold weather gardening, container gardening, gardening in the winter, greenhouses, how to garden in the winter, raised beds, tips, tricks, winter gardening, winter plants
Sustainable living, Videos & Documentaries, Jan 9th, 2010,
The Caribbean island nation of Haiti is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. There is little industry in Haiti and the majority of Haitian people – mostly subsistence farmers – survive on about $2 a day. In addition to poverty and political and economic instability, Haiti suffers from environmental hardships including soil erosion, flooding and deforestation. Tropical storms and hurricanes also periodically batter the country. In such impoverished and disadvantaged conditions, commonplace things can take on entirely new meanings. Take trash: the organization SOIL or Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods is a self-described ‘non-profit organization dedicated…
Tags: CNN, Haiti, report, SOIL, trash, video, waste
climate change, Sustainable living, Jan 7th, 2010,
Some people say art imitates life. What if that art could also help life? That is part of a new idea designed by Vincent Callebaut Architects. These guys have created the Physalia: a floating garden that is 100% energy self-sufficient. Inspired and modeled after the Physalia physalis (Portuguese Man o’ War), this amphibious garden may be the answer to a number of water problems. Right now, there are over one billion people in the world who don’t have access to clean, healthy water. Over 3,000 people die every day due to these harsh conditions. This is where the Physalia comes…
Tags: amphibious garden, art imitates life, biotechnology, clean drinking water, energy, Physalia, self-sufficient, Vincent Callebaut Architects, water pollution, water purification
Sustainable living, Uncategorized, Jan 6th, 2010,
Only a few days into the new year and there are already some awesome eco-inventions coming out. While I’m sure a basic air filter, baby bottle or bathroom mirror doesn’t exactly sound interesting or eco-friendly, you might be surprised at what these things are really capable of. Aura Organic Air Filtration We all want to have clean, healthy, quality air. With the amount of pollution that’s circulating these days (even in the home), good air quality can be hard to come by. Ben McGinley realized this and created the Aura Organic Air Filtration system. It will keep the indoor air…
Tags: air filter system, Aura Organic Air Filtration, baby bottle heater, bathroom mirror, Earth Mirror, eco inventions, eco-designs, eco-friendly, iiamo Go
Sustainable living, sustainable living, Videos & Documentaries, ,
In a poor area of Cairo, Egypt, where ‘almost everything’ is reused and recycled, CNN visits one man’s home that is powered by gas from fermented kitchen waste. The biogas unit – which also provides fertilizer – as well as a solar water heating system, were both built by the man himself. He is obviously as skillful as he is dedicated to self-sufficiency. Check out this inspiring report from CNN: CNN Eco Solutions – Making gas from garbage In a related bit of news, here is a CNN Eco Solutions report on a building project in Egypt which constructs efficient,…
Tags: biogas, building, Cairo, CNN, CNN Eco Solutions, Egypt, environmentally friendly
Climate & Change, Nature, Sustainable living, Uncategorized, Jan 5th, 2010,
You may be a person who lives the green lifestyle. You may recycle, buy organic and locally, and use a form of renewable energy source. You’ll only buy products that are natural and not tested on animals and you only use a car or public transportation if you absolutely have to—any other time you’ll walk or bike. The thing is, how do you convince others to do the same? Well, if people need an incentive to start making the switch to a greener lifestyle, you can send them straight over to EarthAid.net. This website has set up what may be…
Tags: carbon footprint, earn rewards, earn rewards while saving energy, EarthAid, energy monitoring website, energy saving incentives, reduce emissions, save energy, voluntary carbon market
Sustainable living, sustainable living, Uncategorized, Jan 4th, 2010,
The holidays have come and gone, stores are already stocking shelves for Valentine’s Day, and many of you are probably wondering what on earth to do with that Christmas tree or all those decorations that may have lost their luster. Luckily for you, some people have thought ahead on the matter. Earth911 offers suggestions on how to dispose of your Christmas tree (provided it’s a real tree), including turning it into firewood, mulch or simply throwing it into a body of water. If those options won’t really work for you, they also have a searchable database for places that specialize…
Tags: boxes, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, gift bags, old electronics, post-holiday tips, post-holiday trash, recycle, Recycling, reduce, reuse, wrapping paper
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