Algae lamps have the abilityto collect more CO2 than trees.  Energy production through algae plants is being researched, and there are products like lamps being designed and developed to harness this energy. Researchers at Stanford have been studying the electrical current that algae plants produce during photosynthesis, a plants way of creating energy by converting sunlight into chemical energy.  Scientists have been developing lamps that will generate electricity from algae, and are revolutionizing the way we produce energy. So Cool!

These lamps work by collecting CO2 and sunlight, which causes the algae to undergo photosynthesis. During the photosynthesis process, the algae lamp charges a battery that will then release light. I think lamps like these will be a great way to reduce electricity consumption from dirty energy like coal, oil, and gas. The lamps even look cool, while at the same time making the air cleaner and lighting the world.

http://www.earthtechling.com/2010/06/light-up-latro-algae-pet-lights-looks-like-beaker-of-green-goo/

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/april/electric-current-plants-041310.html

One man in China created a bike that provides him with clean air to breathe while cycling.  He calls it the Breathing Bike.  It is powered by his own muscle (an environmentally-friendly form of energy), and uses a wind generator which is turned by the wheel of the bike.  Interesting idea!  Would you ride a bike like this?

I love Girl Scouts!  Not only do I love the organization and what they are doing for girls, but I also love their cookies.  After all, who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies?  However, I now have a new reason to love Girl Scout Cookies.  For those of you who have already purchased them this year, you may have noticed new packaging:

In the past Girl Scout Cookies were purchased by the box, but this year they are being sold as packages.  For most varieties of cookies, the only difference you will notice is the package in place of a box.  However for two varieties of Girl Scout Cookies, Thanks-A-Lot and Lemonades, you will notice that the cookies come in actual recyclable film, which is similar to the film cookies are normally bagged in, inside the paperboard boxes.  ABC Bakers, which is one of two licensed bakers of Girl Scout Cookies, started the new packaging in 2010 with only the Thanks-A-Lot Girl Scout Cookie.  They estimate that this change saved 150 tons of paperboard from the trash!  It also allowed them to ship more cookie packages per truck saving approximately 2,600 gallons of diesel a year!  However don’t worry too much about the paperboard packaging, as it is recyclable as well.

Turning to the side of the cookie package, you will notice a GreenPalm Sustainability logo.  This means that both ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers are official members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is committed to producing sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible palm oil.  This means that all of the palm oil used in Girl Scout Cookies is sourced from RSPO.

In addition to sustainable packaging and palm oil, some varieties of Girl Scout Cookies made by ABC Bakers are also vegan.  Vegan food is more environmentally-friendly because it doesn’t have the large carbon-footprint made by animals.  Our vegan cookie-lovers will be please to know that they can enjoy the Thin Mint, Thank-A-Lot, Lemonades, and Peanut Butter Patties Girl Scout Cookies.

And there is one more environmentally-friendly reason to love Girl Scout Cookies: when a Girl Scout Troop in the Eastern Mass Council (which is most of the SouthCoast Energy Challenge area) sells at least 24 packages of cookies, Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass (GSEM) will symbolically adopt a dolphin from the National Wildlife Federation!  Now what did you say your favorite Girl Scout Cookie was?  Mine is Carmel DeLites!

http://www.abcsmartcookies.com/

http://www.abcsmartcookies.com/earth-friendly-practices

http://www.abcsmartcookies.com/out-of-the-box

http://www.girlscoutcookies.org

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/pdf/2012_new_cookie_box.pdf

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/faq.asp

http://www.girlscoutseasternmass.org/cookies/Cookie-Book.pdf

Did you know:

“Becoming vegetarian is one of the most important and effective actions you can take to ease the strain on our Earth’s limited resources, protect the planet from pollution, prevent global warming, and save countless species from extinction”?

Breading animals for food consumes huge amounts of water, grain petroleum, pesticides and drugs.

The meat industry is a major cause of fresh water depletion. According to Ed Ayres, of the World Watch Institute, “Around the world, as more water is diverted to raising pigs and chickens instead of producing crops for direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry. India, China, North Africa and the U.S. are all running freshwater deficits, pumping more from their aquifers than rain can replenish.” [1]

According to Ayres, “Pass up one hamburger, and you’ll save as much water as you save by taking 40 showers with a low-flow nozzle.”

In addition, the rainforest is being destroyed at an alarming rate in order to make room for cattle ranching.

“It is estimated that for each hamburger made from rainforest beef, members of life forms from approximately 20 to 30 different plant species, 100 different insect species, and dozens of bird, mammals, and reptile species are destroyed.”

Click here for more info on how vegetarian diets help the planet:  http://www.chooseveg.com/environment.asp

Above: a six-pack resued as a condiment carrier.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  We’ve all heard it, but what does it really mean.  If you’re like most people you’ll toss your empty can and bottles in the recycling bin, and try to use less paper plates.  However we always seem to forget about Reuse.  Like instead of tossing an old T-shirt that is stained, you could make it into a grocery shopping bag (See the first link below).   There are a lot of fun and creative ways to resuse items, just check out the links below.  And next time you go to throw something out, because it’s old, ruined, served it’s purpose, or no longer needed, try to be creative and think of a way that you or someone else can reuse it.  I’ve included some links with pictures and ideas of ways you can reuse objects.  Enjoy, and be creative!  Let us know if you try any of the ideas below, and how they worked for you.

http://www.instructables.com/id/FASTEST-RECYCLED-T-SHIRT-TOTE-BAG/

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/06/creative-ways-to-repurpose-reuse-and-upcycle-old-things/

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/01/50-life-hacks-to-simplify-your-world/

Across the country on February 17th there will be a massive uprising, standing up to big oil. Thousands will gather in Washington, DC for a monumental action lead by 350.org, The Sierra Club, and the Hip Hop Caucus against the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline that will extend a pipeline carrying tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast . Will you be there? It is time to stand up to big oil and special interests once and for all. The American public does not need decades more of investment in foreign oil and dangerous extraction projects that will only lead to more spills, destruction of the natural environment , and natural disasters.

We must stand together and tell Obama, Congress, and anyone else who hasn’t rejected the pipeline’s plan that drilling for MORE oil and endangering MORE of the natural environment are not the solutions to the energy crisis. The solution is investing in renewable energy like solar, wind, rain, geothermal, waves, and tides. We must take greed and corporate lobbying out of the discussions about the future of energy and change the conversation to include what is most sustainable, renewable, and environmentally sound for generations to come. Will you be there?

*When: February 17th, at 12 Noon
Where: The National Mall, Washington D.C.
Who: 350.org, The Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus

Why: To tell Barack Obama it’s time to lead in the fight against climate change, beginning with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. 

For more information about rides, housing and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit http://forwardonclimate.org

*http://act.350.org/signup/presidentsday

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ” -Margaret Mead

Gerard Moliné, a product designer in Barcelona has designed a more environmentally-friendly way to leave the planet, and transition to the next life, nothingness, or whatever else awaits our bodiless spirits.  It’s called the Bio Urn (or Urna Bios in Spanish) and it’s made of composted coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose, with tree seeds inside.  After the ashes are added, the urn is then planted and a tree grows in memory of the deceased.  Personally, I’m intrigued by the possibility of tree cemeteries (or should I say forests) instead of our current tombstone cemeteries.  What do you think?  Could you see yourself using a Bio Urn?

http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/this-awesome-urn-will-turn-you-into-a-tree-after-you-die

http://www.gerardmoline.com/

Lately I’ve been realizing that I seem to be going to the gas station a lot more often than I was a few months ago.  At first I thought it was because I was driving more, but then I looked at my car’s computer and realized that my MPGs were lower.  Has anyone else ever realized that your car used more gas in the winter?

I did some research to try and found out why.  I learned that there are three main reasons for lower MPGs in the winter.  I also included a link to a useful article below.

1.  In the winter the many people start up their cars earlier before driving so that the car will be warm, and in order to help melt the snow while cleaning off their cars.

2. Oil is thicker increasing friction and decreasing engine efficiency.

3. Gasoline is a mixture of different chemicals, and in the winter gasoline tends to contain more butane while lowers efficiency.

As for increasing MPGs, check out the second link with tips for pumping gas.  Let us know if they work?

http://www.lockergnome.com/technobabble/2013/01/18/winters-effect-on-the-fuel-efficiency-of-the-toyota-prius-ford-c-max-and-other-hybrids/

http://onemansblog.com/2007/12/12/tips-on-pumping-gas/

Our dependency on petroleum is filthy and has caused irreversible destruction, yet as a nation we are still trying to find ways to get deeper into the ground and pump more oil into our homes, cars, and industry.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed 1700 mile pipeline that if approved would pump 700,000 barrels of dirty, carbon heavy tarsands oil from  Alberta Canada through the U.S. , to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The construction of this pipeline would have a horrible environmental impact. The tarsands pipeline will spill, threaten fragile environments, increase American dependency on oil, and it won’t created nearly the number of jobs it promised.

The current Keystone XL pipeline that had been up and running since 2010 has leaked more than a dozen times including one leak that dumped 21,000 gallons of tarsands crude. The new Keystone XL pipeline would carry 35 million gallons of oil every day. A pipeline carrying that much oil has the potential for any leak to be catastrophic. That much oil could begin passed through hundreds of miles of precious forests, landscapes, and bodies of water. For example, the Ogallala Aquifer is at risk for contamination if the tarsand pipeline is built , which is drinking source for millions of people. Also, the pipeline will aid in the destruction of Canada’s boreal forests. These ecosystems are too fragile to put at risk.

At what cost can we keep feeding our addiction to fossil fuels? How can we afford to use 3 gallons of water to produce one gallon of oil? The deeper we dig for oil, the more dangerous it is. Can we afford another ExxonMobil or BP spill? We need tell Congress Keystone XL is NOT in the public interest and we want to reduce our carbon emissions, invest in sustainable energy, and lessen the impact of climate change.

Great change has happened in our world because the people have come together to advocate and fight for change.  Get to an action or a protest to stand up for our environment!

The SouthCoast Energy Challenge is NOW HIRING students and local residents for the Community Outreach & Organizing Internship: WINTER / SPRING 2013!

This is a PAID INTERNSHIP!

About the Challenge:

The Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEAL) has launched the SouthCoast Energy Challenge to engage and mobilize residents to become more thoughtful and efficient energy consumers. The program aims to reduce energy consumption by 15% among 35,000 SouthCoast households over three years. This approximately 120 million pound reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equivalent to taking about 10,000 cars off the road! The Challenge promotes individual action as well as friendly competition among towns, schools, businesses, congregations, and non-profits.

Internship Description:

The primary focus of the SouthCoast Energy Challenge Outreach & Organizing Interns will be community outreach through canvassing and tabling at events to spread awareness and increase participation in the Challenge. The successful interns will work closely with the Program Coordinators to organize and promote the Challenge in the Greater New Bedford area, with an initial focus on Dartmouth. While some of the work will be in the SouthCoast Energy Challenge Dartmouth Initiative office, the Organizing Team will be expected to work predominantly in the community at large. We are seeking college aged or older applicants for these positions, and requesting a one semester (4 month) commitment with the possibility of staying on into the Spring and Summer of 2013.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Doing outreach by attending special events and neighborhood canvassing sessions 2-3 times a week.
• Meeting agreed upon numbers of the new Challenge registrations per week.
• Weekly Blog posts about related topics.
• Contact/Registrant database maintenance and expansion–including entering hard copy registrations into the system. Some web maintenance.
• Social Media and Marketing contributions.

Desired Qualifications:

• A demonstrated interest in energy and sustainability-related issues.
• Eagerness for learning and practicing grassroots organizing skills.
• Excellent social skills–ability to fearlessly talk to anyone!
• Ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders, both individually and as a team.
• Persistence, flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm.
• Valid driver’s license and personal transportation.
• Aged 18 or older.

Timeline & Compensation:

Internship days will be primarily Monday-Friday, with flexibility in consideration of school schedules. Interns will also be required to work up to 3-5 weekend days a month (mostly Saturdays). Internship hours negotiable upon hiring–but will require 10-15 hours per week. For more information, go to www.southcoastenergychallenge.org or contact aerickson@seeal.org. Phone: 508-910-1871.

Please submit resume and cover letter no later than January 30, 2013 to:

Andy Erickson, Community Organizer, info@southcoastenergychallenge.org or mail to: SEEAL attn: SouthCoast Energy Challenge Community Outreach & Organizing Internship, 63 Union Street, New Bedford, MA 02740.