Archive for carbon dioxide
Green News of the Week – Coca-Cola, 10 Green Bikes, Recycling Fridges and More
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back for another edition of green news of the week featuring various stories from around the blogosphere that we wanted to share. This weeks’ highlight’s: Coca-Cola’s billboard goes green, 10 eco-friendly bikes, 25% of global power is from renewable energy resources, recycling refrigerators and reusable notepads. If you see a headline that interests you, just click on it to read the full article.
Greening Urban Landscapes With “Eco-Friendly” Billboards
Bravo to Coca-Cola who has introduced a green billboard as part of their CSR and sustainability initiatives. The 60-by-60-foot sign is comprised mostly of living plants, which absorb carbon dioxide. Imagine how much businesses would be helping the environment if they all developed policies that incorporated a ‘green billboard’ concept. Even advertising can better the planet. Plus it looks totally cool.
10 Green bikes that have non-metallic frames
Greener transportation is at the forefront for many eco-enthusiasts. Walk, bike, take public transport, carpool, anything you can do to help reduce carbon emissions and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels is a positive step toward a more sustainable future. Biking is great because promotes both physical health and the health of the environment. If you’re a cycling fan, check out this article for 10 unique eco-friendly bikes.
Renewable Energy Reaches 25% of Global Energy Capacity
Renewable energy sources like solar, water, wind, biomass/biofuels and geothermal, supplied an estimated 25% of global energy consumption according to the REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report. Renewable energy policies and incentives continue to be the driving force behind the continued growth.
DTE Energy Recycles 35,000th Refrigerator as Part of a Home Energy Efficiency Program That Pays Customers $40 Reward
“DTE Energy is offering to pay customers $40 to recycle their old refrigerators and freezers, as part of the company’s Appliance Recycling Program. The program, which is part of the Your Energy Savings initiative at DTE Energy, has recycled 35,000 older refrigerators and freezers since it began in 2009. All of the recycled collected appliances are taken apart at a recycling plant in Livonia, operated by JACO Environmental. Ninety five percent of the materials in the refrigerators are recycled, and various hazardous materials properly handled.”
Lustables: The Ceramic Notepad
One thing all of us can do to help reduce waste is to cut down on unnecessary paper use. Start with a more sustainable approach to taking notes? The ceramic notepad from YoYo ceramics enables you to take notes and wash them off with a damp cloth or a quick cycle through the dishwasher with your regular dishes. Consider adding this handy reusable ceramic notepad to your sustainable lifestyle.
And that’s our short list of green news this week. I hope you found some of the articles interesting and/or helpful. Until next week, happy green news reading.
July 27, 2011
Tags: biofuels, carbon dioxide, carbon emissions, ceramic notepad, coca cola, Coca-Cola CSR, CSR, eco-friendly bicycles, eco-friendly bikes, eco-friendly billboards, Fossil Fuels, geothermal, green bicycles, green bikes, green billboards, Recycling, recycling appliances, recycling fridges, recycling refrigerators, reduce carbon emissions, reduce consumption, reduce waste, renewable energy, Renewable Energy Resources, Renewable Energy Sources, solar, solar power, sustainability, sustainable lifestyle, sustainable lifestyles, wind powerAn eco-friendly Garry Marshall movie – Valentines Day
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that the mega-successful movie Valentines Day, directed by the incomparable Garry Marshall, is the first movie ever to go green? Well, it was. Garry said that even in the beginning Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema were both behind the idea of an eco-friendly movie set. Marshall explained that both the studio and production company understood that this might cost more, but that it needed to be done. However, in the end, Marshall says that it turned out that they were able to break even, in the sense that the addition cost incurred was nullified by the savings that an eco-friendly production like this can yield.
So how did they merge the idea of social responsibility with an eco-friendly focus? It was done in ways both big and small. Marshall mentioned that they did something as simple as change the plates used by craft services to biodegradable plates. Ashton Kutcher, One of the many stars of the movie, explained to Mother Nature Network’s Ecollywood that “there was a lot of dedication on this movie to using solar panels and clean energy and recycling. The fact that the movie was shot in L.A. actually made that easier to make happen. I think that every opportunity we have in our industry to make what we’re doing a more environmentally conscious effort is a good thing.”
The film utilized reusable set pieces, solar-powered lighting, hybrid or biodiesel vehicles, solar and biodiesel generators to achieve an eco-friendly movie set. Warner Brothers estimates that it reduced the carbon dioxide emissions by 67 metric tons. This all showcases the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because every level of this production understood why they should be implementing these changes. Garry Marshall has been quoted as saying “there are a lot of things wrong with our environment, so to ‘go green’ seemed to be a very good thing. It’s not that big and effort; if we could do it, others can do it”.
Tags: an eco-friendly, an eco-friendly movie, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Biodegradable, biodegradable plates, biodiesel, biodiesel generators, biodiesel vehicles, Bradley Cooper, carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide emissions, clean energy, corporate social responsibility, CSR, Eco Friendly, Ecollywood, Emma Roberts, environmentally conscious, Eric Dane, Garry Marshall, George Lopez, green movie, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Julia Roberts, Kathy Bates, New Line, Patrick Dempsey, planet forward, Queen Latifah, Recycling, romantic comedy, Shirley MacLaine, Social Responsibility, solar panels, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Topher Grace, Valentines Day, Valentines Day movie, Warner BrothersThe Climate Killers Part Four – The Powerful Unknowns
Posted by: | CommentsThis is part four of an eco-friendly look into the controversial Rolling Stone story by political columnist Tim Dickinson aptly titled “The Climate Killers: Meet the 17 polluters and deniers who are derailing efforts to curb global warming”. So far we have delved into 8 of the 17 “Climate Killers” in this series of blogs. We hoped to try and ask a few questions that weigh public perception vs. the findings of the list, however, as previously stated, in some cases the facts seem to speak for themselves. So for those of you who have missed out on the article, here is a recap that will hopefully continue to spark dialogue.
Number nine, Dick Gephardt CEO of Gephardt Group. Unfortunately it seems that the first line from Dickinson’s entry says it all “the former House majority leader now uses his considerable political clout as a lobbyist for Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private-sector coal company.”
ABC pundit and Climate Killer George Will
Tenth on the list is George Will, a commentator on ABC. Dickinson claims he is the most recognizable pundit and he is known now for giving disinformation on climate change. Though he may be able to sway public opinion and spread harmful misinformation, this is not the most aggressive of eco-friendly crimes.
Number 11 is Tom Donohue President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce an eco-friendly offender because he is “the biggest lobbying presence on Capital Hill” and is using that power to block the implementation of “ limits on carbon pollution”. The interesting aspect of this entry is that “The extreme anti-climate position staked out by Donohue runs counter to the position of his own members. Of the 23 companies on the Chamber’s board that made their position on climate legislation public, only four are against it — and three of those are coal companies.” As a result of his stance on the environment many companies have resigned from the board – one of them being Nike.
Next is Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy. This is one CEO who does not even pretend to have an eco-friendly conscience. One quote from his entry on the list should give a fairly apt portrayal of him “He enjoys inveighing against the “greeniacs” — including Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Al Gore — who are “taking over the world.” And he has even taken to tweeting about climate change: “We must demand that more coal be burned to save the Earth from global cooling.”
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