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"Natural" Cleaners - New Standards

You may have noticed that there are more "natural" products available at supermarkets, discount stores, and drugstores. As a consumer it is becoming more difficult to decipher which products are actually derived from renewable resources and are better for the environment. In some cases, manufacturers state that their products are made with natural ingredients when they are actually made from synthetic ingredients -- that's a prime example of greenwashing (check out http://stopgreenwash.org/ for more info on greenwashing).

There ...

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Global Warming Science

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Those that dispute and deny global warming will look to anything to justify their stubborn beliefs. One of their most common defences is pointing to the current weather happening in the world. The anti-climate change group claims that the science is as simple as looking outside--it's winter, and it's cold. This argument is all too common yet not at all surprising by a group that ignores the scientific method and research. Looking through such a narrow scope and small sampling is not only impractical ...

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Cell Phones for Haiti

sustainable design, green design, e-waste recycling, social design, cell phones, phones for haiti, earthquake, phones

Many people around the world continue to watch in shock at the horror that is still unfolding in Haiti. We all wait as the outpouring of good will and aid slowly arrives and is distributed in the ravaged country. Donations have been paramount, with the Red Cross reporting unprecedented support. Money is being sent in many ways and forms, and awareness and charity has been seen in every community in life.

For ...

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Green Martin Luther King Jr.

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As we continue to try to solve the problems caused by global warming, we should realize that not all activists are those who live today. Many past intelligent minds and powerful leaders too saw the importance of taking care of the environment.

Today the United States observes the birthday of one history's great leaders. Martin Luther King Jr. preached equality under the law and nonviolence during a time ...

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Have you heard of the No Impact Experiment?

I hadn't. Or maybe I had in passing but never really considered taking part in it until I read more.

"The No Impact Project was conceived by Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, following the success of his blog, book, and film, which chronicle his family’s year-long experiment living a zero-waste lifestyle in New York City. Central to his thesis is the notion that deep-seated individual behavior change leads to both cultural change and political engagement. Living low-impact provides a clear entry point into the environmental movement. ...

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Reinventing the Wheel, Efficiently

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The bicycle may be one of the simplest ubiquitous environmentally-friendly inventions around, but that hasn't stopped scientists from making it even better for eco-enthusiasts.

Researchers at the Senseable City Laboratory at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology have created a new energy efficient bicycle wheel. Dubbed the Copenhagen Wheel, ...

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The Greatest Gift To Give: Carbon Dioxide

Peter DaSilva

As the holiday season winds down, a growing shopping trend has emerged among those who strive to be environmentally friendly: giving carbon reduction certificates. To some it may just be a piece of paper, but to many it is an effective mean to limit carbon emissions and another way in which an individual ...

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Woman to Row Atlantic Ocean for Environment

Photo by Laura Watilo Blake

All of twenty-two years old, endurance athlete Katie Spotz will attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone in order to raise funds for a clean water initiative. The Row For Water campaign for the Blue Planet Run Foundation will take Spotz from Dakar, Senegal, over 2,500 miles and anywhere from 70-100 days across the ocean to French Guiana ...

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Green Moral Licensing

For all those that take time to do their part to help the environment, be mindful of what you do with the rest of your time.

A new study at the University of Toronto concludes that people who often act in a 'green' and eco-friendly way on a day to day basis, are more likely to practice acts of subversion and social deviance, such as cheating or stealing.

Two professors from The Rotman School of Business, Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, initiated the study, an idea they had based ...

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Home Insulation is "sexy"

That is according to one President Barack Obama. The U.S. leader visited a Home Depot in Alexandria, Virginia this past Tuesday to give a speech promoting job creation, energy efficiency, and tax incentives. In particularly, Mr. Obama addressed ways in which families and individuals could do part to not only help the environment, but help themselves. He said:

"In our nation's buildings -- our homes and our offices consume almost 40 percent of the energy we use and contribute almost 40 percent of the ...

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