By Leah Karpus on February 9th, 2010
With only a few days left before the 2010 Olympic Games officially begins, there is a buzz around the streets of Vancouver. Being a resident of the city, I can certainly say it has undergone some radical changes in the past few months. Regardless of whether or not you support the games, it seems everyone has something to say.
Recent talk has surrounded the issue of sustainability. Considering, at the very least, the carbon emissions created by all the flights into the host city (and some residents’ flights out of the city) the Olympics can never be genuinely environmentally-friendly. However, Vancouver 2010 has been promoted as “the greenest Olympics ever” (official website: http://www.vancouver2010.com/sustainability/).
Interestingly, David Suzuki recently awarded Vancouver 2010 a bronze medal for sustainability (full article: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/latestnews/dsfnews02031001.asp). He writes: “achievements of the 2010 Olympics include building energy-efficient venues, using clean-energy sources, relying on public transit during the Games, and offsetting part of the Games’ emissions.” However, several areas were lacking. For example, the David Suzuki Foundation admits that “opportunities to create lasting reductions in transportation emissions in the region have been missed.” In addition, the carbon-offsetting accounted for less than half of the overall emissions.
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By Leah Karpus on January 30th, 2010
Chances are, you already do quite a few of these already. These ideas certainly aren’t new or ingenious. However, they are simple, easy and attainable. So if you see something new on the list, give it a go. There are always things we can work on.
Your Two New Best Friends…
…are your reusable shopping bag and stainless steel thermos, of course. The thing about shopping trips and coffee runs is that they’re often unplanned, so you can’t realistically say no to plastic bags or paper cups. The problem is that these one time slip-ups really add up for the planet. But its easy to avoid if you always keep these two essentials with you. Never leave home without them!
Go Veggie Once a Week
It’s probably no surprise that meat production and processing requires an immense amount of water and land—more than is required to produce any other form of food. So even if it’s just once a week, eating a vegetarian meal makes a difference. As an added bonus, a plant-based diet has countless health benefits, including lower cholesterol and a reduced chance of heart disease.
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By Liz Thompson on April 16th, 2009
Fresh air and sunshine (and the vitamin D it provides) are good for you. But too much sun exposure can have adverse effects on the health of your skin. Premature aging, dryness, sun spots and even skin cancer can result. But this time of year we are all itching for a bit of summer glow.
The chic and safe way to sun these days isn’t the natural way. In this case, fake is better. So, rather than laying in the sun or going to the tanning bed to get your bronze on, check out the safe, nontoxic tanning creams on the market.
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By Liz Thompson on March 20th, 2009
Though we were sad to see Plenty Magazine (and website, too) come to an end, there is good news. The Mother Nature Network (MNN) is stepping up to the plate, glad to welcome all PlentyMag.com viewers to their site. Plenty’s existing content is being merged with MNN’s information and visitors to the Plenty site will be redirected to MNN.com. Plenty reached all of their subscribers last week, notifying them to stay tuned to MNN for up to date coverage in the world of green.
MNN, a new environmental site founded by Rolling Stones keyboardist (and tree farmer) Chuck Leavell, offers up big servings of green info on everything from climate matters to beauty & fashion and the latest happenings in Ecollywood.
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By Liz Thompson on February 26th, 2009
Many tend to think of going green as being more expensive. This idea may come from a tour of their local green market or a glance at a high end online retailer of organic products. But this does not necessarily have to be the rule. As a matter of fact, going green can go hand-in-hand with saving money.
That’s right, you can actually save a little green while switching to a more sustainable and organic lifestyle.
Let’s start with the most obvious choice; food. To make your eating habits healthier and more environmentally sound does not mean you have to purchase all of your food from a health food store, which is usually more expensive. Most large supermarkets now have a wide selection of organic products at rates comparable to conventional food products. The first step is to know what is most important to buy organic. Produce, meats and dairy are at the top of the list. If your grocer doesn’t stock these items, make your usual purchases and swing by the organic grocer on your way home to stock up on apples, eggs and milk. It may be one more stop but well worth it.
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By Liz Thompson on December 10th, 2008
Purchasing and using nontoxic skincare and personal care products is of the utmost importance for our health. Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs approximately 60% of what we put on it, and if that is harmful chemical/synthetic ingredients….you get the general idea.
While healthy skincare products equals better health overall, how much does it affect our appearance? After all, we all like to look good and spend a fair sum on products that we feel help us achieve this goal. But we need to take a look at the bigger (and, yes, slightly more scientific) picture.
Our toxic body burden lends a huge hand in the premature aging of our skin, more so even than sun, stress or gravity. “No matter how many anti-wrinkle serums you rub into your face, your body is crippling under the weight of the industrial toxins that have entered our food, air and personal care products in the last fifty year,” says Julie Gabriel, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, in her new book, The Green Beauty Guide. (more…)
By Kim Rowe on April 28th, 2008
Hi everyone!
Maria and I just got back from Hawaii and it was amazing!!! We are two very lucky girls to have gone to such a beautiful place and talk to so many inspiring people. First off I want to thank Stacey Angeles, our camera woman extreme. She flew out there from NYC to film episode two and she did an amazing job capturing Hawaii at it’s best.
So I am just starting to go through all of our footage and the first segment that I am working on is The Kokua Festival. If you ever have a chance to go to Hawaii and attend this concert please do! The Kokua Festival is sponsored by “The Kokua Foundation which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawai’i. Their mission is to provide students with exciting and interactive encounters that will enhance their appreciation for and understanding of their environment so that they will be lifelong stewards of the earth,” kokuahawaiifoundation.org.
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By Kim Rowe on April 10th, 2008
Hi!
My name is Kim Rowe and I am the Co-Creator and Producer of golivegive.com, a green volunteer travel show.
We want to show people how they can vacation green and volunteer while traveling. We shot our first episode in Los Angeles and provided viewers with a green hotel, organic restaurant, eco-friendly fashion and a volunteer option they can do in a day.
We will, from now on, be publishing our episodes right here on Green Blog for you to enjoy. You can check out the first episode below or on golivegive.com.
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