Inspirational and good news.
WebUrbanist has put together a collection of green roofs and how they look around the world. There is the coolest green roof from Japan and the more mundane, but equally (or maybe more?) useful, green roofs in Scandinavia that have been in use for centuries.
Bizarrely, a bomb shelter has been designed with a green roof.
Starting small, Beijing has reserved a 1 km swathe on the capital’s fringe for parkland and recreation. It may not seem like much, but remember that Beijing has phenomenal development pressure, soaring land prices and not much more land to work with.
Do the Green Thing is an online community dedicated to doing green things. What is a green thing? You can probably get an idea by looking at good news involving green things and the environment. Remember that living green is good for you and the planet!
Green Thing is a community that’s here to help as many people as possible in as many countries as possible to do the Green Thing. A community of Green Things across the world will not only make a sizeable CO2 saving, it will encourage governments and businesses to do the Green Thing too.
Here in the province of Ontario there’s the Hillside Festival, and it has been the greenest event I’ve ever been to (their website shows that they have tons of energy). Going to a place to hear great music, exchange great ideas, and help the environement while doing it is more fun than it sounds 😉
The idea of running a green concert has caught on and now a company, Sustainable Waves is helping to make sure that the (green) band keeps playing.
But can the green message be at odds with a rock extravaganza? Festival organizers know that outdoor concerts leave a big footprint, and they’ve worked hard to reduce Echo’s impact. Electricity for sound and lights at one of the five stages will be provided by an array of solar panels; generators at other stages will run on bio-diesel fuel.
Even the temporary fencing around some stages and tents will be built out of an Earth-friendly product — in this case fast-growing bamboo harvested by Franklin of the nonprofit enviro group Change of Atmosphere.
A fraction of the price of each ticket will be contributed to a tree-planting project, and, for an extra $4, patrons can buy green tickets that pay for “carbon offsets” elsewhere — an investment in 500 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, such as wind energy.
This is exactly what you think it is: 50 Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond
A nice reminder of all the things you can do on a daily basis to make the world a little better.
Some samples from the list:
14. Go to your local library instead of buying new books.
18. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or for small trashcan liners.
21. Consider organic cleaning products like vinegar, borax, and baking soda.
33. Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a “navy shower,†shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.
46. Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade coffee.