A sustainable life doesn’t mean an impoverished existence, it creates abundance by eliminating waste. Social change agent and Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, who first promoted the blue marble photo taken by the astronauts on Apollo 17. Brand wrote in Whole Earth Discipline that “Europeans and Californians use half the energy per person of most Americans, and they are […]
The military is built to keep citizens safe, but often, the environmental hazards associated with military operations pose unseen risks, not only to service members but also to civilians who live on base and in the vicinity. One of the many concerns is the prevalence of toxic substances discarded in these facilities. The health risks for those working on a […]
In the face of escalating urban pollution and the urgent need to conserve fuel, automotive start-stop systems have emerged as a beacon of green technology. These systems, which automatically turn off a vehicle’s engine at stoplights or during idling, promise a future of reduced emissions, quieter streets, and a more sustainable relationship with our environment. The allure of start-stop systems lies […]
Nature is a continuous cycle that, when humans break it, ceases to function correctly. Xenophon, a contemporary and friend of Socrates, recognized the integral role we can play in nature when we steward and care for the environment. More than 2,500 years ago, Xenophon wrote in Oikonomikos, “The earth willingly teaches righteousness to those who can learn; for the better […]
Have you ever wondered how your waste management and recycling program performance compares with other municipalities? Have you tried to find a set of objective criteria that can consistently evaluate the performance of these programs and found no basis for comparison? After a program has achieved initial goals, have you ever wondered what your city or town could do next […]
“Recyclable” labels are popping up everywhere, but companies seldom provide the information needed to actually recycle or reuse a product or its packaging in our communities. Join Earth911’s more than 2,000 volunteer curators to help your community identify what materials every local option, from the blue bin and transfer stations to private recycling and nonprofit reuse programs — we need […]
Change is hard. Change takes courage. And change starts with turning to face the challenge. Author James Baldwin is reported to have once said “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” What is a change you want to make? Face it and start that change today, the future will thank […]
Reducing the number of solo commuters in and around cities and the emissions associated with going to work and the store make a positive difference for the environment and human health. Meet Nanci Fitzgerald, President and CEO of The Rideshare Company. This nonprofit organization develops ridesharing services for companies, governments, and residential facilities. Founded in the 1980s, The Rideshare Company […]
A reusable cotton shopping bag can be a salve for environmental guilt, but a collection of them can be a carbon emissions and water use disaster. According to various research, it takes about 150 uses to offset the embodied carbon footprint of a cotton bag. When you account for water use and other environmental impacts, researchers in Denmark and Britain […]
Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed: An Untold Story, explores the relationship between climate and human civilizations. He points out that over millennia, people have responded to climate changes by fighting over limited resources. This weeks inspiration quote calls for a new approach to conflict: “Climate change won’t kill us, we’ll kill each other over the remaining scraps of civilization. We […]