Eco-Beat, 7/10

Does Knut the polar bear need an attorney? Wanna watch Greenpeace scale and deface (re-face?) Mt. Rushmore? Looking for a new game to play while driving to work? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Update: Knut Stays in Berlin Everyone's favorite polar bear is at the center of an old-fashion zoo-on-zoo legal smack down. Knut's parents were on loan from another zoo when he was born and subsequently rejected by his mother. Since the Berlin Zoo saved his life, they get to keep him.

Mt. Rushmore Stunt Behind the Scenes OK, so you saw the banner hanging on Mt. Rushmore the other day, and it made you cheer/reflect/yell obscenities. Regardless of how you felt about the guerrilla banner action, you have to admit it took some major cojones. Watch the behind the scenes video.

iPhone App Makes for Blissful Driving An app called Bliss Trek uses GPS signals to gauge you speed, acceleration, etc. to turn your daily commute into a emissions-reducing game. The more efficiently you drive, the more points you get. You can even Tweet your score to show off.

An LEED Platinum Burrito They may serve burritos way too large for the average human, but at least one Chipotle restaurant is working to slash its carbon foodprint. With a wind turbine, rainwater catchment, and LED lighting, the Chipotle in Gurnee, Illinois just received Platinum LEED status.

Trees Get Barcoded In an effort to deter illegal logging, over a million hardwoods around the world have been given a plastic barcode. When harvested, the trees can be tracked from the forest to the lumber yard, even the stumps are barcoded. No barcode = illegal cut logs.

Green in a Flash:

• Mr. Postman's got a brand new eco-friendly ride.
  
• A man was gored to death at Pamplona's running of the bulls. Crazy.
  
• You know you want some crazy green sunglasses made from a recycled Sprite bottle.

Eco-Beat, 7/10 originally appeared on Green Daily on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST 0. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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It's Easy Being Green - Yes, I Changed My Mind

Filed under: Home, Natural Body Care

(Photo by Envirosax)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post complaining about how hard it is to be green. But after thinking about it a little bit while I'm doing my daily life, I take it back: there are lots of things about being green that are easy!

Reusable straws -- I use straws for hot and cold drinks. Even at home. Believe me, the used straws start to stack up quickly. I was feeling guilty about my daily hollow plastic contribution to the landfill when my best friend gave me some cool acrylic straws from Crate & Barrel. I wash them, like cutlery. It's actually no big deal, and one little way to avoid producing needless waste. While still being OCD and orally fixated.

Recycled paper towels -- They are available everywhere, with several choices at all of my local supermarkets. My husband (who objects to "those gross brown ones") has even bought them by accident, thinking he was sneaking contraband virgin paper fiber into the house. Yes, I just said that it's so easy even a husband can do it. By accident.


Earth-friendly laundry practices -- I threw that little laundry experiment (from earlier in the week) together in five minutes without even trying. Most brands offer at least a less-harsh-chemical version for people with sensitive skin, and the truly "natural" brands are increasingly ubiquitous -- and more importantly, the same price as "traditional" detergents.

All-natural and organic makeup -- it's not just rusty, clay-colored "mineral makeup" any more. You can get awesome, high quality, pretty organic makeup. Physicians Formula's organic mascara rocks, and Sephora has a whole natural and organic makeup section of their site. You've probably even bought organic makeup without even realizing. Yes, I just said that it's so easy even a painted hussy like me can do it. By accident.

Bringing my bag to the grocery store -- this is actually convenient! The bags are bigger and easier to carry. I keep them in the car, and don't even have to think about it. Keys, wallet, grocery bag. And probably my favorite green item of all time is my Envirosax bag, that rolls up smaller -- and lighter -- than a deck of cards, and is always in my bag. The best $8.50 I've spent in years.

It's really a glass half-full or half-empty thing. Which one do you want to focus on? Seeing as it's Friday, and a beautiful mid-summer Friday at that, I'm going for the optimistic answer. Since this is a democracy, you are invited to share your opinion through the handy poll below.

It's Easy Being Green - Yes, I Changed My Mind originally appeared on Green Daily on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:07:00 EST 0. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Eco-Beat, 7/9

Is Obama's face already destined for Mt. Rushmore glory? Is your paperback habit destroying the world's forests? Would you fly standing room only? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Greenpeace Goes Guerrilla on Mount Rushmore A few intrepid Greenpeace activists scaled Mt. Rushmore and hung a banner next to Lincoln's face featuring President Obama's portrait and the message "America honors leaders not politicians: stop global warming." Yeah, they got arrested.

T. Boone Pickens Drops "World's Largest" Plans You know we're in a major recession when even billionaires have to go with "Plan B." After numerous setbacks, Pickens has scrapped the pie in the sky "world's largest wind farm" idea and instead is going with a series of less sexy smaller wind farms.

Are Paperback Writers Clear Cutters in Disguise? Not to diss Danielle Steel or Tom Clancy, but I'm willing to bet that at least a couple of their bestsellers won't end up in the canon of English literary masterworks. That said, are these authors responsible for needlessly chopping down forests to print millions of paperbacks?

Flying Standby Takes a Whole New Meaning A discount airline in China has proposed standing room flights to fit more passengers, like on a bus. Sure, it would lower your ticket price and reduce your carbon footprint, but will consumers stand for it (sorry for the pun)? If successful, other carriers will surely follow suit.

Eating Away at Your A/C Bill If you're trying to get by with as little air-conditioning as possible this summer, but the triple digit heat is not cooperating, you can always adjust your eating habits a bit. Avoid the oven at all costs, eat lots of popsicles, and try your hand at some ceviche.

Green in a Flash:

• Check out NASA satellite images of our melting ice caps.
• 350 dogs were seized in the biggest dogfighting raid in US history.
• To underscores its environmental efforts, GM may change its logo from blue to green.

Eco-Beat, 7/9 originally appeared on Green Daily on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST 0. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Bubbles the Chimp Living Happy Ever After at the Center for Great Apes

Filed under: Celebrities, Plants and Wildlife

Embedded video from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video">CNN Video</a>
We've been relatively (some would say blissfully) free of Michael Jackson coverage around here, but I can't resist the opportunity to mention the wonderful work done by the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida. Bubbles the Chimp, who traveled the world with Michael for several years, and learned to moonwalk, is a resident of the Center, and is living out his showbiz retirement in cucumber- and banana-noshing comfort.

Along with Bubbles, 14 orangutans and 27 other chimps enjoy the safety and tranquility of the 100+ acre sanctuary in central Florida. There are different habitats, sleeping areas, and a very cool elevated "tunnel and chute" system that lets the curious chimps and orangs safely wander through the sanctuary's wooded areas.

Some people (like the stupid, ignorant Kardashians) think it's cute and funny to play with baby apes. But as we saw with the Travis the chimp tragedy in Connecticut, cute baby apes grow into strong adults who can't be controlled in domestic settings. However, once they've lived with humans, these chimps and orangs also don't have the skills to live in the wild. Most post-showbiz and abandoned-pet apes wind up in circuses ... or worse.

The Center for Great Apes was founded as a non-profit organization in 1993, by Patti Ragan, with the mission of providing "a permanent sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees who have been retired from the entertainment industry, from research, or who are no longer wanted as pets."

Patti understood the need for this kind of sanctuary from first-hand experience. In 1984, she volunteered for a wild orangutan rehabilitation project in Borneo. Because of this experience, several years later she was asked to care for a baby orangutan. When it came time to find a permanent home for the tiny red ape, she discovered that there were few options -- zoos didn't want a hand-raised animal, and sanctuaries simply didn't exist.

With years of hard work, and the help of generous volunteers, Patti created a safe haven for that orangutan, and many others, but today the Center is at capacity. Even though there are many more apes who need a place to happily grow old, until funds are raised to build more enclosures, there's no room at the sanctuary. They need our help!

And that brings me back to Michael Jackson. Presumably in response to the frenzy of media attention, with the world suddenly asking, "What ever happened to Bubbles?" the Center has set up a "Bubbles and Friends" fund.

If your preferred memory of MJ is his love of animals, consider making a donation to support the Center for Great Apes and help ensure that the sanctuary can continue to do great work for great apes. Bubbles will thank you, and it's really the least we can do to thank him for entertaining us!

Bubbles the Chimp Living Happy Ever After at the Center for Great Apes originally appeared on Green Daily on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:01:00 EST 0. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Eco-Beat, 7/8

Wanna hit the slopes at Bruce Willis' greener ski resort? Does anyone sit in a McDonald's long enough to charge their EV? Why should you hope that the Seattle Storm will be raining threes this season? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Bruce Willis to Build a Greener Ski Resort Bruce Willis will soon be the proud owner of a ski resort that utilizes passive solar heating in central Idaho. Actually, he's owned the lodge on Soldier Mountain for some time, but it recently burned down, giving him the opportunity for a green redesign. Awesome!

Would You Like to Charge Your Vehicle With That? Chances are, if you're stopping in at the Golden Arches for a Big Mac, you're probably not on your way to chain yourself to an old growth tree. Still, in North Carolina, you can now charge your EV while you sit and enjoy your bucket-sized cola.

Seattle Storm Plant A Tree for Every Three Even if Seattle's your team's arch rival in the WNBA, you can still cheer when they hit a three-pointer. That's because they've teamed up with a local Subaru dealership that will plant a tree in a nearby forest for every three the Storm drain this season.

The Ghost of School Lunches Yet to Come Who doesn't have nightmares filled with school lunches from their childhood? Am I the only one? Anyway, the school lunch entrees of the future may be even more unnatural (ribless rib sandwiches?) than the those of the past. If you love your child, please, brown bag it.

MJ Doesn't Go With Eco-Casket While it'd be nice to see a more eco-friendly choice (like maybe the coffin table), the King of Pop was laid to rest in solid bronze, 14-carat gold-plated casket. For all the energy and emissions invested in taking that metal out of the ground, it seems weird to put it right back in.

Green in a Flash:

• Six Flags theme parks are going green.
• Not to be outdone by Mickey D's, Burger King will install energy-harvesting speed bumps.
• Would the climate bill go down a little easier with a heaping spoonful of nuclear power?

Eco-Beat, 7/8 originally appeared on Green Daily on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST 0. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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