Green Options

State regulators rejected a compromise that would have closed four offshore oil platforms and allowed new drilling for the first time in forty years.

[Creative Commons photo by Russian Doors/Marine Photobank]

Cleanup crews are working to mop up an oil spill off of the Santa Barbara coastline of over 1,100 gallons. The 27 barrel spill occurred at Platform A, the site of a disastrous 1969 spill which killed thousands of sea birds and covered hundreds of miles. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is still doing checks and flyovers to look for injured wildlife, especially sea birds.

Sure, food crop seeds get their own fallout shelter below the ice in Svalbard, but what about wild plant seeds? What are they, chopped liver?

No more. Writing in the October issue of Bioscience, a group of researchers is calling for a new seed bank for wild species. This bank wouldn’t be for conservation, though, but for the purpose of researching wild plant evolution.

I heard the news today, oh boy.

First let me say that I know gas prices are high. I know that not everyone can easily absorb the high prices. But, I thought that we were adjusting…weren’t we adjusting? People are actually driving less, and are turning in their SUVs for more fuel-efficient cars. These were positive steps.

And then, someone (he whose name we do not speak aloud) suggested opening up our coastal waters to drilling and all heck has broken loose. Never mind that the amount of oil available offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a drop in the bucket  compared to demand. Never mind that at best, drilling there will lower gas prices by a few cents, many years from now. Never mind that protections for our unspoiled spaces are always so hard fought for, but so easily given away.

Oakland, California-based architect Michelle Kaufmann has made a career of promoting green homes and green communities through her company, Michelle Kaufmann Designs. But if you’re not in the market for a new house, she still has some pretty cool tips for greening your home on the cheap.

On her blog, Kaufmann features do-it-yourself videos for a neat variety of eco-projects that let you reduce energy costs, recycle objects into useful items and add elements of clean, green living to your home.

Paul HawkenIf you haven’t heard of Paul Hawken’s work, it’s not because he hasn’t tried. In fact, his bio reads like that of someone on a mission, which of course he is. One of this country’s strongest voices on the relationship between business and the environment, Hawken is known as a tireless environmentalist, author, and entrepreneur. The shear scope and volume of his work are remarkable.

His newest book, [...]