Archive for 2009

New Year's Resolutions for a More Sustainable World in 2010

December 31, 2009 3 Comments Edit

The beginning of the new decade is a good time make a resolution for a more sustainable world. During the holidays we collectively generate mountains of waste. According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board and Recycle Works, the US alone purchases over 2.6 billion holiday cards each...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water

December 30, 2009 2 Comments Edit

Vertical Farming: Valcent, a company based in El Paso, Texas, is pioneering a space efficient hydroponic-farming system that grows plants in rotating rows, which expands food supplies without using more land. The rotation gives the plants the precise amount of light and nutrients they need, while the...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Education

December 30, 2009 Add Comment Edit

Climate Change Video: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has produced a film about the reality of climate change in the Pacific island of Kiribati. The film clearly shows how people’s lives are being affected right now by rising sea waters. This powerful video shows how Climate Change is...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Miscellaneous Consumer Goods

December 29, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The Environmental Toothbrush: Developed in Australia, this toothbrush uses bamboo and biodegradable polymer bristles rather than plastic. These brushes break down into compost, leaving no residue. Hundreds of millions of non-renewable plastic toothbrushes are discarded annually, adding 1,000 tonnes...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Transportation

December 29, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The Nissan Leaf: Launched in August, the Leaf is the first fully electric mass production vehicle built for the global market. Nissan has developed a worldwide network of partners focused on building a recharging infrastructure. The car's top speed is more than 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h), and its range is...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Energy Efficiency

December 28, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The Smart Thermostat: The EnergyHub Dashboard communicates wirelessly with your furnace and your appliances and monitors energy consumption and costs. It can also turn appliances on and off and raise or lower the temperature in your house. The EnergyHub device provides detailed spreadsheets for programming...

The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Energy Production

December 28, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The Solar Shingle: The Dow Chemical Co. has developed a new roof shingle that doubles as a solar panel. The new shingle incorporates thin-film solar cells and can be installed alongside regular asphalt shingles. The innovative shingle is expected to cost 10% to 15% less than traditional solar panels...

December 27, 2009 Add Comment Edit

There were a host of greener inventions in 2009 and they include everything from tooth brushes to a planetary nervous system.The term "eco-inventions" is composed of "eco" the short form of ecology, defined as the branch of biology concerned with the relations of organisms to one another and to their...

October 20, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The Japanese have been leading providers of greener vehicles for decades. In the seventies Japan was well known for their fuel efficient vehicles, now they are known for hybrids, soon it will be the hydrogen fuel cell.The interest in hybrid cars is growing exponentially. By March of 2007 there were...

Social Media and the Green Message: WWF Global Online Event

September 23, 2009 Add Comment Edit

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is using Twitter to stage a global online event today. Titled "What a Difference a Day Makes," the goal of the event is to encourage people to share the ways in which they help to make the world more sustainable.The WWF is an international non-governmental organization...

Curbing Banker's Bonuses and Climate Change

September 06, 2009 Add Comment Edit

Heads of state are responding to the widespread public outcry over the perception of excessive compensation in the banking industry. The French president Nicolas Sarkozy is leading the way with strict new bonus rules.In Australia bank executives stand to lose more than $50 million in annual bonuses...

The Princeton Review Green Schools Honor Roll

August 30, 2009 Add Comment Edit

Clearly there is increasing interest in attending colleges that practice, teach and support environmental responsibility. As reported in The Princeton Review two-thirds of university applicants say that they are interested in a school's environmental report card, this is a 4 percent increase over...

Top 10 US College Environmental Programs

August 29, 2009 2 Comments Edit

There are an increasing number of Green college degrees in an ever widening array of disciplines. As reported in a recent TreeHugger article here are the 10 Best Environmental Programs in the US.1. Northland College, Ashland, WIsconsinNorthland College, Ashland, Wisconsin At Northland College, environmental...

STOCK MARKET REVIEW June/July 2009: Making Sense of All the Economic Data

July 28, 2009 1 Comment Edit

The recovery is being obscured by a daily barrage of mixed reports and conflicting analysis. To provide context for my next post on sustainable investing and to help illustrate the lingering disagreement between the bulls and the bears I have published excerpts of The Green Market's bi-monthly review...

July 08, 2009 Add Comment Edit

Green is increasingly part of almost every survey measuring consumer interests and/or buying behaviour. A well informed public is asking businesses to make more responsible choices and rewarding those that do with their patronage. In response businesses of all sizes are finding ways to make their operations...

July 03, 2009 Add Comment Edit

Fourth of July festivities may be toned down this year, but America still has reason to celebrate. According to the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for 2009 America has more sustainable companies than any other nation on earth..The G100 includes companies from 15 countries encompassing all...