Green Living

Instilling Recycling Habits at a Young Age

That is, until I started going to my friends’ houses to play and for sleepovers. “Where do you put your cans?” I would ask my peers, only to be met with blank stares- as if I was a fool for even asking. My mother was soon faced with the difficult task of explaining why we recycle, even though it requires extra work and we aren’t required to do it.

Read More »

Safer than Nuclear – Renewable Energy, Natural Gas, Energy Efficiency

“In 88 minutes, the sun provides 470 exajoules of energy, as much energy as humanity consumes in a year.” In Scientific American, Ramez Naam adds, “In 112 hours – less than five days – it provides 36 zettajoules of energy – as much energy as is contained in all proven reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas on this planet.” …

Read More »

New Hands-Free Inductive Charging at Google

Google makes innovative use of electric vehicles and charging stations. For employees, Google took an early lead in converting Toyota Prii (yep that’s the official plural of Prius) to be plug-in hybrids. Then Google installed beautiful solar covered parking including charge stations so that electric cars can be charged with sunlight. At its headquarters, Google is now showing us how …

Read More »

Rethinking the Power Pole

If there’s one segment of the energy sector that you’d think might be beyond significant technological innovation, it would be power transmission poles. And you’d be wrong! As profiled in a recent article in The Economist a novel transmission tower design called the Wintrack pylon has been co-developed by TenneT, the operator of the Dutch electricity grid, and KEMA, a consulting and engineering firm.  …

Read More »

Japan’s Crisis Hurts Sales of Hybrid Cars and EVs

The people of Japan are courageously moving forward after the devastation of a 9.0 earthquake, a tsunami that ripped apart buildings and roads, and a nuclear crisis that now threatens their food and water. The Japanese economy depends in no small measure on the success of its automotive industry and its complex eco-system of component suppliers and service providers. Just …

Read More »

The Landfill Wars

Guest blog by Don Willis I have been to recycling conventions all across the country. It never fails that all of them have programs dedicated to landfill operators. Somehow recycling companies have not yet gotten the message. Landfill Operators are NOT recyclers. They may dabble around the edges of recycling so that the various levels of government give them a …

Read More »

Tesla Roadster Test Drive – Smooth and Stealth

John Addison Unplugs for a Test Drive It’s easy to slide behind the steering wheel of this Tesla Roadster because the top’s removed for this January day. I don’t mind. It’s 70 degrees here in Palm Springs, California. A perfect day for a test drive. Tesla gives me the ground rules for the drive – have fun. Yes, I can …

Read More »

Ways For Your HR Department to Go Green – Part Two (going deeper)

Human resources departments have begun to give phone interviews to decide whether an applicant is qualified for the job and is a fit candidate. This gives the employer a chance to get to know the person and to find out if it is worth their time to bring them into the work location for an in-person interview. In an interesting way, this is also a way that human resources departments are going greener. By finding out if a candidate is fit for the job before they come in, it saves gas and pollution into the air by not calling them in for an interview if they are not qualified.

Read More »

Ways For Your HR Department to Go Green – Part One

Today’s guest post is a good one that deals with how your company and HR department can implement green practices to everyday business standards. This is something that can be simple to do and yet have far ranging impact if we all set it up in the way we do daily business. A large multitude of human resource management departments …

Read More »

Nuclear Radiation – Miso Soup To Counter Exposure

The horrific Japanese disaster and nuclear power plant failures have many of us around the world worried about fallout. Personally the more the TV commentators tells us there is nothing to worry about the more I worry because they are just regurgitating what they are fed by authorities. Let us see what really happens. So to that point we should …

Read More »

Does Your Dentist Practice Green Dentistry?

Great strides have been made in recent years in the effort to make the field of dentistry more environmentally friendly. Green dental practices are cropping up everywhere, not only in an attempt to attract conscious customers but also as a result of genuine concern for the environment on the part of dentists and their staff. These practices use new technology, different procedures, and green materials as part of a complete process.

Read More »

To Boldly Go Where No-One Wants To Go

I am appalled at the state of the public discourse on oil and gasoline prices. Between the newspapers and the talking heads, there is an increasing cacophony that the government should do something, just about anything, to halt the increase in oil and gasoline prices. From the lefties:  Release stocks from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve!  Stop Big Oil from gouging …

Read More »

The Greenest Cities in America

The growing Green movement in America There is no set formula to determine how green a city is. A lot of different elements come into play: recycling, public transport, pollution control, sustainable building, even neighborhood and citizen empowerment programs. Maybe that’s why a new list of America’s greenest cities comes out every few months, each one different, based on the …

Read More »

Living Green Saves the Environment and Money

After living in the city for seven years, my husband and I decided to move out – in search of lawn, sure, but really in search of a much healthier lifestyle for our family. We got our lawn (organic fertilizer only, and thus, tons of weeds, but they’re green!) on a two-acre parcel that’s mostly wooded. That first night in …

Read More »

Environmentally Friendly Eyewear

A little different take on Green and alternative energy today as we host guest post from Sara dealing with eco-friendly eyewear. A nice shout out to Sara for contributing today. The reasons for individuals and companies alike to adopt mindful and environmentally friendly behaviors are compelling. Increasingly, businesses are joining the cause to promote best practices that support and protect …

Read More »

Your Green Living Room: Redecorating for the Modern Era

Keeping your home in sync with environmentally-sound initiatives isn’t always an easy undertaking. Sometimes you have to spend a little more to get organic produce or take the extra time to sort recyclables. But you do what you can to make the planet greener for future generations because that’s what a responsible adult does. And you’ve likely attempted to incorporate …

Read More »

5 Great Reasons to Skip Plastic Bags When Shopping

Green living has come to dominate the corporate landscape, so much so that most grocery stores now offer three options for bagging your purchases. You can choose paper, plastic, or buy reusable cloth bags for a couple of dollars a pop. Unfortunately, most people select plastic in a misguided attempt to stop deforestation, never realizing that the damage wrought by …

Read More »

Plumbing Going Green

Have you thought about making your plumbing green? I’ve been trying to see my world through a new lens. I no longer think of my needs or even my family’s needs first, but of the Earth’s needs. It’s kind of radical. It feels unnatural. Hopefully it won’t feel that way forever. But I’ve found that my family can operate day …

Read More »

Green Living On Campus – UCSD

By Rex Graham “Wind scoops” pull Pacific breezes into the energy-efficient rooms in UC San Diego’s newest student apartments, cooling them the old-fashioned way in buildings aligned to capitalize on wind and solar rays. Non-potable “recycled” water nourishes native outdoor plants through an efficient drip-irrigation system. The apartments’ plaster, paving, carpet and metal wall studs are made from recycled material, …

Read More »