March 2012
3 posts
Plastic-Eating Fungi Found in the Amazon May Solve...
A group of students and professors from Yale University have found a fungi in the Amazon rainforest that can degrade and utilize the common plastic polyurethane (PUR). As part of the university’s Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory educational program, designed to engage undergraduate students in discovery-based research, the group searched for plants and cultured the micro-organisms within...
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Zambikes Bamboo Bikes Turn Heads In The U.S.,...
An African bike company builds bikes for the poor, funded by selling you a super-light sweet bamboo ride.
In Zambia, bicycles grow on trees, or rather bamboo, the primary building material for many Zambikes. Groves of it grow outside the company’s factory, which is run by two Zambians and two Americans on a quest to build a local bike for Africans, and employ the “uneducated and...
Can 1 miracle plant solve the world's 3 greatest...
If someone were to tell you that they had a technology — a weed actually — that could sequester huge amounts of carbon permanently while lifting villagers out of poverty by providing both protein-rich food and super-insulated building materials, you might start to wonder if they were, well, smoking a different weed.
But it appears that one retired building contractor, Bill Loftus, has...
November 2011
2 posts
Watch
99% v 1%: the data behind the Occupy movement - animation
It has been the rallying cry of the Occupy movement for the past two months - but is the US really split 99% v 1%? As poverty and inequality reach record levels, how much richer have the rich got? This animation explains what the key data says about the state of America today.
October 2011
1 post
How Many Slaves Are Working For You?
A new website and mobile app looks at your purchases and determines the amount of forced labor that’s gone into everything you own. The number may surprise you.
http://www.slaveryfootprint.org/
It’s not easy to be a socially responsible consumer. Even if you buy mostly local products and diligently keep track of corporate environmental footprints, you may still be leaving a trail...
September 2011
3 posts
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Don't Buy New Patagonia Products Unless You Really...
Tonight, Patagonia and eBay announced a new partnership, the Common Threads Initiative. Together, they asked owners of fleece and Gore-Tex everywhere to pledge to reduce consumption, reuse old gear, recycle, repair what’s broken, and reimagine a world where people don’t stress the earth with purchases.
Yes, you read correctly. Patagonia is asking us not to buy their stuff, or any...
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August 2011
8 posts
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8 Things You Can Compost Today →
Composting is easier than you think, and you’d be surprised what you can toss into the bin. If you’re still unfamiliar with the concept, check out our favorite how-to guide on starting a compost in the summer. Once you’re up and running, start tossing! Here are eight common items from your household that you can throw in your compost.
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“To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing. … You get to make a...”
– Seth Godin, Time to take action
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Bring Safe Water to 8,000 People →
This message is in partnership with Levi’s®
When water is easily accessible, it’s hard to remember just how crucial it is for human life. But for nearly one billion people today, finding safe water is a daily struggle. An estimated one in eight people don’t have access to clean water and nearly 2.5 billion people don’t have access to improved sanitation.
Lacking...
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Save 10 Gallons of Water with a Brick in the... →
Save 10 Gallons of Water with a Brick in the Toilet
The old folk wisdom that says place a brick in your toilet’s water tank is partially correct: It’s an effortless way to save water, but a brick isn’t the best choice of object. Use a plastic bottle filled with water instead.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to turn hippie and “let it mellow if it’s ...
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10 Ways to Reuse Your Morning Coffee Grounds →
Don’t throw them out just yet!
If you’re like me, you like to have a cup a joe every once and awhile, or everyday. So what do you do with those coffee grounds after you get your caffeine fix? Throw them in the trash? Compost? Either way, there are some pretty neat things you can do to reuse coffee grounds. Here are just a few…
1. Fertilize plants. Old coffee grounds are nutrient-rich for...
July 2011
11 posts
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The 3 Big Reasons to Always Use Local Food →
Here are the big three:
1) Buying local foods cuts the distance that the food takes to get to your plate. This means that it omits a lot of the harmful emissions that are associated with transporting goods (via truck, plane, boat, etc.) Additionally, it reduces the invisible waste materials that are used to package and ship.
2) It supports your local economy by giving business to small...
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Creative Culture Building →
5 Rules for a Creative Culture By Ben Chestnut
1. Avoid rules. Avoid order. Don’t just embrace chaos, but create a little bit of it. Constant change, from the top-down, keeps people nimble and flexible (and shows that you want constant change).
2. Give yourself and your team permission to be creative. Permission to try something new, permission to fail, permission to embarrass...
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Kiva - Loans that Change Lives →
Making a loan on Kiva is so simple that you may not realize how much work goes on behind the scenes.
Kiva works with microfinance institutions on five continents to provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. One hundred percent of your loan is sent to these microfinance institutions, which we call Field Partners, who administer the loans in the field.
Kiva...
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Save Energy and Stay Cool →
For a less environmentally destructive way than air-conditioning to stay comfortable in the heat, choose a portable or ceiling fan. Fans use 90% less energy than central air, and make rooms feel seven to ten degrees cooler because of the process of evaporation.
Sure, central air feels great, and, yes, it can help save the lives of the elderly or frail, who are sensitive to high heat. But it...
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Bill Clinton Says "Paint Your Roofs White!" →
Bill Clinton wrote a short piece about what he thinks is the “best way to jump start job creation”. His answer? Painting roofs white.
“Look at the tar roofs covering millions of American buildings. They absorb huge amounts of heat when it’s hot. And they require more air conditioning to cool the rooms. […] Every black roof in New York should be white; every roof...
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Try Going Meatless for One Day a Week →
Why Meatless?
Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.
Read about these benefits. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why Meatless Monday gives you the...
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June 2011
2 posts
WatchCheck out and follow my other site, StopTheDemand:
One Dress. Six Months.
Amy Seiffert wore the same gray dress for six months in an attempt to raise awareness about modern-day slavery.
