By Sean Sullivan •
January 10, 2009
Mark the date.
Planners and volunteers met yesterday to brainstorm for this year’s annual Boston GreenFest, a celebration and education of all things environmental. The fair at City Hall Plaza, which will take place Friday and Saturday this August 21 and 22, includes hundreds of exhibitors and sponsors and promises to be the greenest and fullest showing yet for the Massachusetts festival.
Bright, abundant sunshine and strong winds pervaded the city during the late-morning meeting, natural resources that seemed good omens for the summer festival and that will undoubtedly be featured in solar and wind power exhibits there.
The informal Boston GreenFest committee, comprised of occupations and talents as varied as insurance professional, fundraiser, student and community activist, discussed the character and message of the event, as well as its participants.
“The broadest scope possible is the answer,” said Dr. Karen Weber. “We believe the message has to get out in the broadest sense possible.”
Weber heads Foundation for a Green Future, the organization hosting Boston GreenFest.
Here’s a heart-warming story about a great kid with an eco-conscience: “Recycle Boy to the Rescue.”
Featured on the blog at Modern Eco Homes, the story describes how a young boy in the Boston area has become a one-kid recycling industry.
Ben, a fifth-grader, spends his post-school afternoons and weekends bicycling around his neighborhood in search of bottles and cans. He’s become such a regular sight in the area that some residents put out all their recyclables in their backyards until Ben can come and pick them up.
By Joel Bittle •
November 13, 2008
South African Anglican Archbishop and renowned anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu will give the keynote address at Greenbuild 2008, to be held in Boston on November 19 through 21. Tutu’s appearance marks a continuation of the US Green Building Council’s commitment to tie green building to world issues. Last year in Chicago, former President Bill Clinton gave the keynote address, which can be viewed here. Archbishop Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, worked for social justice in South Africa as the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, pushing for reconciliation after the end of apartheid, as well as using his clout to fight poverty, human rights abuses, and AIDS. “Bishop Tutu’s life, work, and message demonstrate the power of transformational change,” commented Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, and Founding Chairman of the USGBC. “Bishop Tutu’s role in ending apartheid in South Africa and bringing reconciliation to its people will inspire us toward the transformation of our buildings to a sustainable future, and will give us an extraordinary example of social justice in action.”
When the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo opens in Boston next week, many members of the public will get their first glimpse of Project FROG’s revolutionary, zero-energy and fast-deploying FROG Zero classroom.
Based in San Francisco, Project FROG plans to showcase the FROG Zero structure in Greenbuild’s “School of the Future” exhibit.
By Jake Kulju •
July 16, 2008
Rather, IzzitGreen.com, the new Boston-based web site is asking that question all over the city. Regular columns, reviews and business spotlights give information about how green the places Bostonians frequent really are.
By Joshua S Hill •
July 8, 2008
As the environment continues to gain more and more attention, so does the need to stay green and environmentally friendly. We’re seeing these qualities become more and more relevant and important in a variety of fields; from automotive to architecture.
The latter has long been a focus of the green development. One need only look at the mass of stories coming out of the Middle East and Asia to see that a green focus on design and architecture is now more important than ever.
Why have gas prices risen to nearly $4 a gallon (or more) in the U.S.? Is it oil speculation? Rising demand? Or the first signs of peak oil?
Whatever the cause (and there’s good reason to blame all three to some degree), most so-called experts these days aren’t expecting oil prices to drop anytime soon. In fact, Newsweek this week features a sobering article titled, “The Coming Energy Wars,” that predicts we’ll soon see oil prices top $200 a barrel. When that happens, the authors warn, we can expect everything about our daily lives to change.
Editor’s note: We’re excited to hear that King Corn is coming to the small screen, and that its creators have a new film coming out. Thanks to our friends at Eco-Libris for sharing this post with us; it was originally published on Saturday, April 5, 2008.
Two weeks ago Eylon Israely conducted an interview with King Corn’s Director and Producer, Aaron Woolf . Today we’ve got interesting updates on the film and its creators.
Firstly, If you haven’t seen this documentary yet, here’s your chance - King Corn airs on PBS on April 15! So mark it down in your calender.
And there’s also a new film from the creators of King Corn - The Greening of Southie. The film will have its world premiere on the Sundance Channel on Earth Day, April 22 at 9:40PM. This time, the filmmakers explore green building, and they’re focusing on the first green residential project in one of the favorite neighborhoods: South Boston, or Southie as everyone calls it. Here’s a little bit more about it:
By Rebecca Carter •
April 20, 2007
It's Earth Day weekend, so get on out there and celebrate this greenest of holidays!
Atlanta: Arms Around Atlanta sounds like a blast. It's all going down at Grant Park on Saturday & Sunday.
Boston: Clean Up the Charles on Saturday, April 21!
Chicago: Check out Green Festival happening all weekend long! Green vendors & organizations galore!
Dallas: Run, don't walk to downtown today for EarthFest from 10am - 2pm.
Denver:
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By Michael dEstries •
February 20, 2007
Taking aim at wasteful large developments, the city of Boston approved several new amendments forcing all major new and rehabilitation construction projects exceeding 50,000 square feet to earn a minimum 26 LEED New Construction points.
LEED (which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the premiere certification for eco-friendly construction in the U.S. as determined by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. The Boston requirement of 26 points is the minimum for
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