Green Options

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Some people are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to promote environmental alternatives, demonstrating just what is possible in a world that has long been reliant on fossil fuels.

I recently wrote of a Swiss family who are at the half way point of an epic round the world eco journey travelling only by foot, bicycle and wind power. During this journey they aim to cross seven seas and climb seven of the world’s highest mountains.

Now, a Swiss doctor is undertaking an adventure of similar proportions. Matrin Vosseler, in a bid to raise awareness on climate change has walked across much of Europe and the Middle East, sailed a solar powered boat across the Atlantic, and is now walking across the United States from West to East.

On April 25, 2008, designated the first World Malaria Day, 3,000 children or more in sub-Saharan Africa, majority of them under the age of five years, will die from malaria, one of the deadliest preventable diseases on the planet, global health data indicate.

Malaria, the dreaded and life-threatening disease continues to kill between 1 million and 3 million people each year, many of them pregnant women in Africa.

A two-month long 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) expedition on the Zambezi, one of Africa’s longest rivers, that begun on 29 March 2008 led by two adventurers, Helge Bendl, a journalist, and Andy Leemann, a boating enthusiast, partnering with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, covering six nations in southern Africa aims to put a spotlight on the plight of malaria-stricken communities on the continent which contributes 90 percent of the global annual death toll.

British actress, Dame Judi Dench, who played Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love, protests building an eco-town Stratford-on-Avon.

The 73 year old actress is furious over British government’s plans of a carbon-neutral village about six miles (9.65 kilometres) from Stratford upon-Avon.

Photo Courtesy Miramax Films

It’s income tax time again. Just like other special occasions, one would expect the green blogosphere to erupt in lists of eco-advice (see Five Super-Simple Steps to Green Trick-or-Treating or The 12 Green Days of Christmas). Since I can only think of one method to green up tax time (e-file), I will share my thoughts on income taxes and how they could/should benefit the environment instead of creating a list of 5 ways to green your taxes.

Unlike many people I know, I actually don’t mind paying taxes. The problem I have with taxes is that I don’t agree with how the money is spent by the government. In return for my payment of taxes, I expect peace and health for all world citizens, as I do feel this is our responsibility as a wealthy nation engaged in a global economy. These expectations are clearly tied to the environment, of which I expect my tax dollars to consider in every expense.

Cida University is the first virtually free university in South Africa. Located in downtown Johannesburg, it serves young people from previously disadvantage backgrounds, but who are academically deserving. It offers a Bachelor of Business Administration and students can learn skills like bio-intensive farming.

This university has a special program, called the Nelson Mandela extranet. In this program, Students go back to their communities and teach them about HIV/AIDS , bio-intensive farming, and money management. Remembering your ancestors and going back to the community to raise the consciousness level of the society is a fundamental principle of ethical leadership.

[Update: H.R. 1016 has passed the House by a vote of 278-140. There is a similar version awaiting action in the Senate]

The House is scheduled today to vote on H.R. 2016, the National Landscape Conservation Act. And a broad bipartisan coalition ranging from such groups as the Wilderness Society to Republicans for Environmental Protection, is asking you to call your Representative and demand that they support […]

As has been reported on the Green Options network in the past, enviros and music festivals go together like peanut butter and jelly. The synergy between the two may be no more evident than on July 4th weekend 2008, when the town of Rothbury, Michigan will play host to a “party with a purpose.” The four-day ROTHBURY music and camping festival is being promoted as a “cultural assembly; one where music fans, artists and progressive thinkers gather to celebrate much more than music.” It is Rothbury’s goal to harness the unique energy of the live music community into a durable social movement toward an important cause: Climate Change and Clean Energy Alternatives.

Promoters say that ROTHBURY is committed to producing a near zero-waste concert. The first to tackle a green program of this magnitude at an around-the-clock (camping) concert in the USA.

Springtime has arrived in the northern hemisphere. To the hippest of energy hipsters, that means cold shower season is here! I took my first cold shower of 2008 today after a run and found it refreshing and invigorating.

Of course, showering cold isn’t only for greenies and energy genies. Roanne Weisman writes about some of the purported health benefits of showering cold in her blog, here.

Still, it’s not for everyone. Check out […]

This cartoon popped in my head after reading colleague Tim Hurst’s article “Feds Issue Waiver of Environmental Rules for Border Fence” in Red Green and Blue last week.

Other motivation for this cartoon comes from the historical (and current) treatment of native Americans, and this unsourced quote from MAD Magazine: “The suburbs are where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them!”

In my experience as an eco-fashion and textile design instructor I have always been in awe of the trend reports and style forecasting that move this growing field forward. One of the first steps designers take when starting off a new line for a season is clip what inspires them and create a “vision”, “mood”, or “inspiration” board. Here is a simple one I made with a few eco-designs that inspire me this spring:

going clockwise:  
1. Love tube dress by Katherine Hammett. She is a clothing activist by placing her messages in bilboard letters on tees for men and women. Very well known for her activism in the fashion industry. With her profits she worked on and commissioned research to find out the real impact the clothing industry has on the planet and discovered a complete disaster. Tens of thousands of deaths a year from accidental pesticide poisoning from growing cotton, millions with long-term acute poisoning, slavery type conditions across the industry, pollution and long-term contamination to rivers and aquifers. Katherine’s long held vision has powered into this century with new campaigns and these hopeful slogan tees, dresses and gear now sold on her re-invented site.
2. Darling designs like this moon-swing top from William Good  are so cute! Go Good Will with the new initiatives to re-sell by re-vamping the reject piles that mostly go to landfills. William Good is the name for this start-up that will sell styles to the masses.

The top 10 headlines in international environmental news for the week of March 24 - 30.

1. World — Earth Hour 2008

As the clock struck eight in the evening, people across each time zone turned off their lights on March 29. It’s activism en mass and it’s called Earth Hour. The purpose: to inspire people to take action on climate change and to demonstrate that massive and immediate action is possible.

Earth Hour began as a city-wide voluntary blackout in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This year, they’ve moved the date ahead two days and invited the world to join in. Even Google’s joined in. People from roughly 35 countries participated in this global event, which has become a yearly call to action. Read more: EcoWorldy, CNN.

2. Asia — Japanese Man Crosses Pacific with Wave-Powered Boat

A Japanese man named Kenichi Horie is attempting to be environmentally friendly by boating across the Pacific without sails and without fossil fuels.

How does he do it? With a wave-powered boat. Wave power has been discussed quite a bit recently, with a lot of applications including traditional grid energy generation. However, Kenichi is taking things to the next level by powering his ocean going vehicle with the very thing it bobs atop. Read more: Gas 2.0.