Take it off for Climate Change

Supermodels did it in this 350.org video - it's one way to get the message across.

Image Credit: http://www.350.org/

And for 24 MORE compelling reasons why you should be concerned about climate change click here.

COP 15...

...is right around the corner. With thousands of world leaders, activists and scientists attending, just who should you keep an eye out for? Grist has conveniently made some suggestions for you. Watch '15 People Worth Watching in Copenhagen' to learn more.

So what is all the hype about anyway? It's not too late to get informed, read 'Copenhagen 101: The Essentials on the Climate Talks.'

Green MBA's

The Green Economy Post has published an interesting article around green MBA's. Within just a few years it seems that sustainability is the trend in education and with so many programs to chose from it is becoming more and more difficult to determine which porgram aligns with your educational and professional goals.

If you are looking to go back to school "discover the 10 most important factors you should be using to select a green MBA program and how to use them to select the right program to put you on a successful career track" here.

"Changing the World One BITE at a Time"

Image Credit: http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Food Inc., a recent film bringing light to the reality of our industrial food system. If more people stopped to consider where the food on their plate came from they would seriously reconsider their eating habits....(and we would most likely have more vegetarians in the world)!

Uncover the filthy facts about factory farming and learn why eating local and organic food is not only healthier for you but better for the planet.

Go see this movie, then help "change the world one bite at a time."

Why Not Oil Sands?

This video explains precisely why...watch it to learn more about the tar sand debate taking place in Alberta, Canada.

Image Credit: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/_we_have_writte.php

Project Laundry?

That's right, Project Laundry List (not Runway)!

Image Credit: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/08/10/eco-tip-tuesdays-air-your-clean-laundry/

Have you ever stopped to think about just how much energy your modern day washer and dryer consumes?  Consider how often you do laundry, and your neighbors, and all the people in your region, your country and around the globe and well, it adds up pretty quickly.

Project Laundry List is bringing back clotheslines. Why waste electricity to dry your wash when you can hang it out in the sun? And don't forget that cold water washing is more efficient as well.

So, let it all hang out....your clean laundry in the sun that is!

Read more at Grist.

Strategic Sustainability

STACK Coordination:  An up and coming sustainable consultancy with an all around informative website providing useful information on strategic sustainability, regenerative development, needs based design and much more.

Add it to your favorites.

100% Clean Energy by 2030

Is it possible?

Scientist's Mark Jacobson from Stanford and Mark Delucchi from UC Davis believe so. They even created an interactive presentation, Powering a Green Planet, to show how.

They are relying on exisiting technologies that are proven to work, and have devised a plan to phase in a WWS (wind, water and sun) infrastructure.

Image Credit: http://www.topnews.in/wind-water-and-sun-beat-biofuels-nuclear-and-coal-clean-energy-297577

The technology is there, it is a huge investment but one that is economically feasible when considering the long-term...now it is up to politicians to make it happen!

This presentation on Scientific American is the best I've seen so don't skip it! For a ranking of energy sources along with brief explanations, pro's, con's and sometimes audio explanations, check out slide 5.

Stop Putting BPA in Canned Food!

Did you know that the metal liner in your canned green beans contains BPA (Bisphenol A)?

BPA - a compound that is thought to be harmful to humans - used to package our food, where is the logic in that? And not only is it found in the packaging but recent studies have found that it is leaching into the food preserved within the can. Perhaps your canned peaches aren't so peachy afterall!

So what can you do...switch to frozen food or dried products, but most importantly try to purchase fresh food whenever possible.

Read more at Grist

Calculating CARBON

There are numerous on-line Carbon Footprint Calculators to assess your business's or household's green house gas (GHG) emissions....to name a few:

The Seattle Climate Action Plan Carbon Footprint Calulcator

The Sierra Club Clearwater Carbon Calculator

The Berkeley Institute of the Environment Cool Climate Carbon Footprint Calculator

It is not so important which calculator you chose, but that you go through the process itself. The first step to a brighter future is to benchmark where you currently are, and this is an easy and quick exercise that everyone should make time for. From there you can set goals and start taking the necessary steps to reach your envisoned future!

Environmental Impact of your Printer

The Sustainability Calculator developed by Xerox helps you determine the environmental impact of your printer. This tool is a simple and easy to use checklist that considers the energy consumption, GHG emissions and waste generated by your printer.

SourceMap --> Open Supply Chains

In our society, we filter through products like they are going out of style. Do you ever wonder what the environmental impact is of all this stuff that goes from "make to waste" so quickly?  It is more involved than just the products we purchase, each step in the supply chain is a contributer and should be considered.

That is where SourceMap comes into play, "a platform for researching, optimizing and sharing the supply chains behind a number of everyday products."

This tool utilizes a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calulator in determining the full impact of products from raw material distraction and manufacturing through product use and end of life disposal. 

Anyone can join and contribute to the rapidly growing database of assessed products. Read more about this tool at TreeHugger.

BioCITY

What is this interesting graphic you ask....BioCity!

"The biocity is an urban planning model arising from landscape architecture and biological theory that proposes cities be reconceptualised as ‘urban biotopes’ that are supported by a myriad of interconnected ecosystems. The model has a purpose to shift critical debate in city planning away from fossil fuel led decision making to secure a better future for urban areas under climate change impacts. It is built upon a collaborative, transparent, open source intelligence across twelve major urban systems into which critical data is progressively captured. The data is available as a comparative metric to highlight strengths and weaknesses of different urban conditions."

"The model adopts a biomimicry agenda that considers the relative equity of the biotope’s twelve constituent systems as paramount. The biocity concept defines twelve interconnected systems that determine the condition of the urban biotope" (as seen in the graphic above).

Window Farms

Hopefully, in the not so distant future, when I finally attain my dream, downtown loft condo, this is the the first thing I am going to invest in!

Window Farms for the urban dweller - grow your own food, eat healthy and rely less on the industrial food system. "Window Farms are vertical, hydroponic, modular, low-energy, high-yield edible window gardens built using low-impact or recycled local materials."

Create some edible window art in your own apartment! Check out some images and a video of an experiment in urban agriculture.

History, Science, Spirituality...

Guy Dauncey speaks of all this and more in his talk 'Spirituality, Hope and the Future'.

He is a strong voice in the Vancouver, British Columbia community and is worth listening to. His unique persepctive on sustainability involves quantum physics and the power of intention, suggesting that we need to visualize the future clearly to make it happen (similar to the concept of backcasting).

Open Sustainability

"Open-sustainability is an approach that applies best practice principles from modern software development and management consulting to drive sustainable development in complex organizations. Using open source software we are creating Sustainability 2.0, or as we call it FISDev, a Framework for Integrated Sustainable Development. FISDev is a tool for a collaborative, open source methodology for Sustainable Development or simply sustainability that anyone can use."

I have not wrapped my head around this yet as it is quite extensive, but the potential is impressive.

GREEN BUILDING Market and Impact Report

The Green Building Market and Impact Report 2009 suggests that green buildings are the only bright spot in the construction industry...green buildings are more profitable, healthier and provide a better ROI.

With over 7 billion square feet of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) space in 2009, LEED has reached target market saturation. Most LEED certified buildings reside in the USA, though this program is gaining momentum on a global scale.

Most public interest in LEED revolves around energy efficiency - a market in which LEED has provided a transformative impact. Almost 60% of credits are related to energy, based on a broadened definition of energy consumption in buildings - beyond just operational energy (embodied energy, transportation, etc).

LEED buildings DO save energy but not enough...and they recognize this. The USGBC (United States Green Building Council) is currenting developing a zero footprint standard, beyond LEED platinum.

To view a previously recorded webinar on this topic click here, and scroll to the bottom of the screen to register.

SOLAR Shingle unveiled

"The Dow Chemical Company unveiled its line of DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle, revolutionary photovoltaic solar panels in the form of solar shingles that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials. The solar shingle systems are expected to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and projected to be more widely available in 2011, putting the power of solar electricity generation directly and conveniently in the hands of homeowners."

These innovative BIPV's (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) have been long anticipated and are expected to revolutionize the solar industry.

Intro to Green Building

Interested in learing more about Green Building but not sure where to start? Watch this one hour video presented by Green Building Education Services.

Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives

The Green Tax Guide 2009 is your official e-reference for green tax incentives.

There is a fee involved ($29.00), but this small investment will provide a means of big savings for your green-minded business!

It is also worth while to check out DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. Established in 1995, "DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency."

Eco SYSTEM Services Review

The World Council for Sustainable Development, with support from Meridian Institute and World Resources Institute has developed the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR).

"The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment - the first global audit of the world’s forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems - found that ecosystems have declined more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than at any other comparable time in human history. Left unchecked, this degradation jeopardizes not just the world’s biodiversity, but also its businesses. This is because companies depend on the services healthy ecosystems provide such as freshwater, wood, genetic resources, pollination, climate regulation, and natural hazard protection."

"This publication provides corporate managers with a proactive approach to making the connection between ecosystem change and their business goals. It introduces the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review - a structured methodology to help businesses develop strategies for managing risks and opportunities arising from their dependence and impact on ecosystems."

Moms Against Climate Change

"If our children knew the facts we do they'd take action. Shouldn't you?"

Watch this video and think about not only your future but the future generations of our children.

Why we Need HONEY BEES

Honey bees are rapidly disappearing from nature, a phenomenon known as the Colony Collapse Disorder. Honey bees are one of the most important pollinators of both agricultural crops and natural ecosystems and with their disappearance the effects are widespread.

The reason why this is occuring is unknown but some scientists suggest that pesticides play a role...makes sense, we spray harmful chemicals on plants, bees polinate these plants and the toxins are contracted ultimately leading to death.

Whatever the cause, it is an alarming situation, one which requires more research and attention.

A website offering a comprehensive list of green building materials.

Organized by category,  you can search and compare over 2300 products!

Al Gore's new Plan for the Planet

The long awaited sequel to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth has finally arrived in the form of a book, "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis".

An Inconvenient Truth raised global awareness around climate change while his new book provides solutions on how to move forward.

Read this Newsweek article for more in depth information.

Education in Sustainability

Academic programs in sustainability are becoming more common and widespread as interest in the topic soars. The AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) has defined a list of programs in sustainability that is quite comprehensive and useful for those who are interested in studying this topic.