Ecuador Gives Nature Rights in Constitution

This is just freaking awesome: Ecuadorians believe that nature ought to be protected by their constitution.

While the the new constitution has many ramifications for how the country will now be governed, the pro-nature aspects of the constitution have their roots in Ecuador’s resentment toward international companies that have exploited the country’s natural resources and left pollution and poverty in their wake. Currently Ecuadorians are in one particularly nasty lawsuit with Chevron (formerly Texaco). The oil company polluted a huge area with oil waste and did not clean it up, causing extreme pollution to ecosystems and deadly health problems for numerous communities. It has been described as the “Amazon Chernobyl.”

Save the Planet: Plant More Trees

Simple stuff really: forests are good for the environment and we ought to have more of them.

The researchers’ calculations suggest that carbon storage in Midwestern forests could offset the greenhouse gas emissions of almost two-thirds of nearby populations, and that proper management of forests could sustain or increase their storage capacity for future generations.

Based on measurements taken between 1999 and 2005 at a forest study site in northern Michigan, the scientists have determined that similar upper Midwest forests covering an estimated 40,000 square miles store an average of 1,300 pounds of carbon per acre per year.

Factoring in effects of climate, history and tree type, the researchers developed an equation suggesting that a heavily forested region in northern Michigan could store more than 350,000 tons of carbon per year. With the area population emitting about 573,000 tons of carbon annually, the forests would sequester approximately 62 percent of the region’s human-caused carbon emissions – the equivalent of yearly emissions from about 225,000 cars.

Amazing Eco-Friendly Bra!

thanks yahoo!Chopsticks are made of wood, which means, like paper towels, they are made from trees. Trees are really good for the environment and saving them is great. A Japanese lingerie maker has found a way to promote reusable chopsticks in a sexy way.

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan unveiled the “My Chopsticks Bra” on Wednesday in Tokyo in a bid to promote the use of reusable chopsticks instead of disposable ones.

Japanese bin an estimated of 25 billion wooden pairs of chopsticks a year, many of them already made from recycled wood chips, but a growing number of environmentally aware consumers want to combat this “throw away” culture.

“It’s a small step, but because many Japanese chopsticks are disposable, big chunks of forests are being cut down,” said Hiromi Shinta, spokeswoman for the company.

Save Paper Towels by Using a Sticker

these cme from trees

This simple sticker can make people aware that the toilet paper and paper towels come from tree. Apparently reminding people of this (also apparently) oft-forgotten fact can help protect the environment. Go order some stickers and put them up in your local coffee shop.

    Testing shows a “These Come From Trees” sticker on a paper towel dispenser reduces paper towel consumption by ~15%
    A typical fast food restaurant with two bathrooms can use up to 2000 pounds of paper towels a year
    The average coffee shop uses 1000 pounds of paper towels a year
    A single tree produces around 100 pounds of paper

Natural Architecture

Natural Architecture

Using trees to create shelter is nothing new, but it’s something neat when the trees are grown in a way that provides shelter while the trees can continue to live. Indeed, regular readers may remember that furniture has been made out of growing trees in particular ways. Arborsculpture can also be taken further into actually making large buildings, and this is called natural architecture.

the ‘natural architecture’ movement aims to expand on ‘land art’
by acting as a form of activism rather than protest. this new
form of art aims to capture the harmonious connection we
seek with nature by merging humanity and nature through
architecture. the core concept of the movement is that
mankind can live harmoniously with nature, using it for our
needs while respecting its importance.

Scroll To Top