Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit.

Coal and oil paved the way for the developed world’s industrial progress. Fast-developing countries are now taking the same path in search of equal living standards. Meanwhile, in the least developed countries, even less sustainable energy sources, such as charcoal, remain the only available option for the poor.

Our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a significant build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put the final nail in the coffin of global-warming sceptics. We know that climate change is happening, and we know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we emit are the cause.

We don’t just burn carbon in the form of fossil fuels. Throughout the tropics, valuable forests are being felled for timber and making paper, for pasture and arable land and, increasingly, for plantations to supply a growing demand for biofuels. This further manifestation of our carbon habit not only releases vast amounts of CO2; it also destroys a valuable resource for absorbing atmospheric carbon, further contributing to climate change.

The environmental, economic and political implications of global warming are profound. Ecosystems — from mountain to ocean, from the poles to the tropics — are undergoing rapid change. Low-lying cities face inundation, fertile lands are turning to desert, and weather patterns are becoming ever more unpredictable.

The cost will be borne by all. The poor will be hardest hit by weather-related disasters and by soaring price inflation for staple foods, but even the richest nations face the prospect of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources. Mitigating climate change, eradicating poverty and promoting economic and political stability all demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit. This is the theme for World Environment Day 2008. “Kick the Habit: Towards a Low-Carbon Economy”, recognizes the damaging extent of our addiction, and it shows the way forward.

Often we need a crisis to wake us to reality. With the climate crisis upon us, businesses and Governments are realizing that, far from costing the Earth, addressing global warming can actually save money and invigorate economies. While the estimated costs of climate change are incalculable, the price tag for fighting it may be less than any of us may have thought. Some estimates put the cost at less than 1 per cent of global gross domestic product — a cheap price indeed for waging a global war.

Even better news is that technologies already exist or are under development to make our consumption of carbon-based fuels cleaner and more efficient, and to harness the renewable power of sun, wind and waves. The private sector, in particular, is competing to capitalize on what they recognize as a massive business opportunity.

Around the world, nations, cities, organizations and businesses are looking afresh at green options. At the United Nations, I have instructed that the plan for renovating our New York Headquarters should follow strict environmental guidelines. I have also asked the chief executives of all United Nations programmes, funds and specialized agencies to move swiftly towards carbon neutrality.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Environment Programme launched a climate-neutral network — CN Net — to energize this growing trend. Its inaugural members, which include countries, cities and companies, are pioneers in a movement that I believe will increasingly define environmental, economic and political discourse and decision-making over the coming decades.

The message of World Environment Day 2008 is that we are all part of the solution. Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a Government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is a message we all must take to heart. 

Courtesy of 7th Space Interactive

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But now I’m changing my old habits to a new game: how high can I push my mpg? A little digging around has found a few things you can do to increase their mileage above your car’s E.P.A. rating:

1. Accelerate gradually. That lead foot uses a lot of gas in a very short time. In fact hard braking and acceleration can cost you as much as 30% in fuel. 30%!

2. Keep your car clean: changing filters and oil regularly keeps your engine efficient. Use the recommended oil - heavier oil equals less efficiency.

3. Remove the roof rack - that consumes about 5% more fuel.

4. Keep your tires at full pressure - they roll more efficiently. Underinflated tires can cost you 2% in fuel economy if 5 pounds low. A 2001 Department of Transportation study found that 40% of passenger cars had at least one underinflated tire.

5. Obey those speed limits. The faster you drive, the more fuel you burn due to aerodynamic drag. It ranges about 10% more to go 65 miles per hour versus 55 and 17% more to go 70 mph. I know this can sometimes be hard!

6. Park so you can pull forward instead of backing up. Backing up consumes much more fuel. I know that’s not always possible, but something to take advantage of when the opportunity is there. The little things really do add up.

7. Use cruise control on the highway - it’ll avoid unintended fluctuations in speed, which uses more fuel.

8. Combine those trips. Did you know that 90% of car pollution occurs in the first 90 seconds at start up?

9. For manual shifters, shift up to the next gear as soon as possible.

For additional info, check out the following sites: www.fueleconomy.gov and Canada’s Autosmart Guide 

When you’re considering whether to replace your car or keep it, consider the benefits of maintaining and driving your car to 200,000 miles or more. While we love what hybrids do for the environment and clearing the air in your local economy, manufacturing the lithium batteries they require produces a significant amount of carbon.

According to the June, 2008 issue of Wired Magazine, you’d have to drive your new Prius 100,000 miles before seeing the environmental benefit over driving a late 90’s Toyota Tercel. Now if you have a gas guzzler, that’s a different story. And if your car’s dying, a hybrid should definitely be on the list. It’s also not uncommon to drive a Prius for 250,000 miles or more. 

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Did you know that power mowers pollute much more than cars? 93 times more in fact on a per gallon basis. If you’re looking for alternative mowers, consider a manual push-mower or electric mowers. The other polluter is from water runoff carrying all those fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides right into our lakes and streams. 

But many of us love our lawns and would be hard-pressed to give them up. Especially families whose kids depend on them for their Slip ‘n Slide or sprinkler dash. There is hope, however. Alternatives exist in the form of more natural. lower maintenance grasses - each part of the country has native sods requiring much less mowing and maintenance. 

Buffalo grass is one alternative and some grasses can work well at a longer length, requiring just a few cuttings per year compared to 35 or more for regular lawns. So here’s a short list of ‘greener’ lawn alternatives - more like a sedan or economy car rather than SUV.

West Coast: California Meadow Sedge (Carex praegracilis) and Seashore Bent Grass (Agrostis pallens)

Pacific Northwest including Northern California: Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis)

Midwest: Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pennsylvania), Appalachian Sedge (Carex appalachia)

Northern states: Red fescue (festuca rubra)

Texas and New Mexico: Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis)

Southeast: Florida meadowsedge (Carex alba-lutescens), Texas hill sedge (Carex perdentata), Texas sedge (Carex texensis)

Check your local nurseries and/or your landscape designer for sourcing. And if you like to have a lawn for looks but don’t need the functionality, consider massing low-growing plants like Irish moss, Thyme or other ’steppable’ ground covers. This list is merely a start - if you have recommendations for your area, please add them in the comments!

Here’s to a greener green lawn.

Join the Million Faces Project at Thinkfrog. We’re making it easy for you to help stop global warming - just $10 and your photo!

 
The average temperature in Greenland is 7.2 degrees warmer than it was in 1991. Lakes that form on melting ice have been increasing by 13 percent yearly and the Arctic ocean at the end of Summer, 2007 had 23 percent less ice cover than in Summer  2005. 
 
So, why does the melting pick up the pace? As the ice melts, it creates dark open water that absorbs heat rather than reflecting it back - similar to what happens in cities. Imagine losing an area of land the size of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas combined - that’s how much ice has been lost in the Arctic - and how much more dark open water there is to absorb heat. 

The climate change models don’t account for the effects of such a rapid ice melt. While we know it’s bad - and that it’s causing the sea levels to rise - we don’t know exactly how high they’ll go. But it’s looking worse than the 2 feet projected in this century, impacting many large cities and millions of people. 

That’s why we have to save the trees and why we need you to join the Million Faces Project at Thinkfrog. Together, we CAN make a difference. Together, we NEED to make a difference. And we’re making it easy for you to start - just $10 and your photo!

Those bright, cheerful bottles of cleaners promising to strip our homes of evil dirt and bacteria and make them sparkle are not so innocent. Did you know that the government protects cleaner manufacturers from needing to reveal their ‘proprietary’ ingredients? Here’s a rundown on ten chemicals found in most cleaning and scented products at your grocery store:

 

There are many, many activities happening in honor of this place we all live on and focused on making a difference. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, take a moment and reflect. Write down three changes you can make in your daily life, no matter how small, to change your impact on it. Then get three people around you to do the same. Maybe it’s as simple as using cloth napkins instead of paper. Or maybe it’s installing a rainwater collection system in your home. What matters is that you’re taking positive action. Earth will thank you for it. Happy Earth Day. Make it everyday.

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“Washington,” replied carrot.

So this evening I was making chicken soup from scratch. It’s an easy recipe, but as I shopped for the ingredients, I noted where each item came from to get a sense on how far food really travels. It’s something I never used to think about. Want a mango? Go to the grocery store. Want fresh tomatoes in winter? Go to the grocery store. Oranges? Same answer. I took for granted that we can have pretty much any kind of food fresh year round. 

So where did the ingredients in this simple chicken soup recipe - and it was simple (it came out ‘Chic Simple’ Cooking) come from? While I tried to get them from as close to home as possible (Portland, Oregon), they’re from Oregon, Washington, California and New York. What traveled 3,000 miles for this simple soup? The chicken stock! Most ingredients came from California. In light of rising oil costs and global warming - it’s a sobering thought!

Looking around the grocery store - you quickly realize it takes work to choose food close to home. You can read about a couple who spent a year trying to get all of their food within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, British Columbia - click here. Or check out their book, “Plenty”

Imagine how much fuel we would collectively save if we all made a little effort to buy most of our food as close to home as possible. You could say it’s food for thought!

Interested in helping fight global warming? Join the Million Faces Project at Thinkfrog.org here - it’s easy!

By Suburban Bloke, Flickr

This could be the tip of the proverbial iceberg . . . 

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Pangea day is coming May 10, 2008. The mission, “to help people see themselves in others - through the power of film.” On this day, a live program from locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro will be broadcast in seven languages via the internet, television and mobile phones. In addition to the films, there will be live music and a variety of speakers including Queen Noor of Jordan and CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. It’s a way to connect locally as well as globally. 

We all have much in common - desire for family, friends and home as well as shared emotions. It’s easy to lose sight of that. Earth is absolutely the one thing we have in common - and what happens on the other side of the world affects us here. The Million Faces Project is also about community - bringing people together for a common cause - saving the trees that help the earth breathe. 

To learn more about Pangea Day - and find out about local events or organize your own, click here. To join The Million Faces project, just click the link below. We also invite your comments about the project and ideas for fostering community.

 

 

Is what people will ask in the future when they view the Grand Canyon? The Colorado river, supplying much of Nevada, Arizona and Southern California (about 28 million people) with water, is drying up. In fact it no longer runs to the ocean and is a mere trickle through a Mexican Village that used to rely on it’s fish. And the demand continues: Arizona added over 1 million people between 2000 and 2006

I just saw Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk, an Omnimax film that follows an expedition down the Colorado River, showing the excitement of white water rapids while showing why it’s in trouble. The film points out:

Lake Powell has lost 50% of it’s water in the last eight years.
Lake Mead has lost nearly 50% of it’s water during the same time.

Lake Powell, Airzona - Wolfgang Staudt, Flickr

Will these lakes be gone in another 8 years? Imagine what would happen to these areas should they run out of water - 28 million people displaced. While we have a surplus of water in the Northwest, the Southwest has very little.

In the 12th century, the Anasazi were displaced from the Southwest due likely to drought, overpopulation and depleted resources. Let’s not let that happen again.

Check out the movie - and join the Million Faces Project: our effort to help fight global warming.

 

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