Category: Direct Action

Clinton Cities are Green

Former US president, Bill Clinton, has managed to get 5 billion dollars to green some of the world’s largest cities. The money comes in the form of loans and will double the world market for energy saving retrofits within 18 months.

Toronto is one of 16 cities which will be part of the project.

The project, organized by the Clinton Foundation, will involve replacing heating, cooling and lighting systems with energy efficient technology.

It will also involve turning roofs white or reflective to deflect heat from the sun, sealing windows to prevent heat from escaping, replacing windows to allow for more light and setting up sensors that will make lighting and air conditioning more efficient.

Thanks, Arvin!

Playgreen: a Wiki for Being Green

Wikis are dandy things that have been used to make entire encyclopdeias. Well now you can join a group of people that are trying to create a great online resource of how to be green, it’s called Playgreen.

You can learn how to become more environmentally friendly and you can help others learn what you know by writing your own entries or contributing to others.

Their bottom line:

‘We’ are smarter than ‘me’. The central premise of this assumption is that large groups of people (‘We’) can, and should, make a fantastic resource site to foster responsible consumption habits in our daily life, economy, industries.

Save Money, Save the World

MSNBC has a quick and simple list on things that you can do to help you save money and the planet. They have a list of 10 carbon-reducing actions that you can take if you own a house and a car. Those who have neither may not find this list that useful, but there is a bonus tip #11!

From the list:

10. Think about your refrigerator. Don’t locate this particular appliance in direct sunlight or next to the stove or dishwasher. Also, unplug that extra fridge, especially if it’s just keeping a six-pack cold.

Mother’s Day Gifts That Make a Difference

Granted, Mother’s Day may be a “Hallmark Holiday” (or not), but that doesn’t mean that the holiday can’t be used fro good.

OneWorld US has launched a gift guide for Mother’s Day that let’s you purcahse gifts that can make the world a better place!

If you have any ideas on gifts for Mom that make the world better, leave a comment to let everyone know!

Greenpeace Influences Apple

Here’s more proof that trying to make a difference does work. Greenpeace, who scolded Apple for not being green, has been effective in getting Apple to change its way.

Steve Jobs, the man behind Apple, has released a statement that Apple is going to be greener.

Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products. Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well.