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Author |
Published |
Section |
Sip 'n' Skip
California won't ban BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups |
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19 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:58 PM on 19 Aug 2008 With 22 legislators abstaining, the California Assembly voted 31-27 Monday not to ban chemical bisphenol A in baby products. BPA is one of those things you'd like to keep out of your kid; the bill would have banned it from bottles, sippy cups, and other containers for tots. Legislators also voted 36-33 (with 11 abstentions) against a bill that would have banned equally icky chemical PFOA from food ... |
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| Topics: California, food, green living, health, legislation, news, parenting, politics, state politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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BPA: A-OK?
Common chemical in food containers not a health threat, says FDA |
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18 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:15 AM on 18 Aug 2008 Food containers made with common chemical bisphenol A pose no health threat, according to a draft assessment by the Food and Drug Administration. More than 100 government- and university-funded studies have linked BPA to cancer, diabetes, behavioral disorders, and reproductive problems, and an April report from the National Toxicology Program declared there was "some concern" a ... |
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| Topics: food, Food and Drug Administration, green living, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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The Swede Hereafter
IKEA invests in cleantech, may soon stock solar panels |
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08 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:43 PM on 08 Aug 2008 Heading to IKEA for some meatballs and easy-to-assemble furniture? You may soon be able to pick up solar panels as well. The Swedish manufacturer plans to invest some $75 million in a handful of cleantech startups, focusing on the areas of solar energy, lighting, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, and water conservation. Ultimately, IKEA has a goal of stocking its shelves with prod ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, energy at home, green living, green products, greening biz operations, greenish companies, news, renewable energy, shopping, Sweden (all these topics) |
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Ped Antics
Colleges, high schools move to be more bike- and pedestrian-friendly |
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07 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:06 AM on 07 Aug 2008 High gasoline costs as well as concerns about the environment have been prompting schools across the country to make their campuses more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Pressure from parents and students is one big factor in the shift, but another key seems to be a growing awareness about sustainability. A number of colleges are launching bike-sharing programs, some U.S. high schools ... |
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| Topics: education, gas prices, green living, news, United States (all these topics) |
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To Everything: Term, Term, Term
Wal-Mart urges Federal Trade Commission not to define 'carbon offsets' |
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07 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:52 AM on 07 Aug 2008 In comments to the Federal Trade Commission earlier this year, Wal-Mart asked the agency not to define the terms "carbon offsets" or "renewable energy certificates" in order to keep the terms flexible and to retain their "less tangible nature." The Federal Trade Commission has been in the process of updating its green-marketing gui ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, green living, news, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Vocation, All I Ever Wanted
Employers scramble to make commutes less costly |
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05 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:43 PM on 05 Aug 2008 Recognizing the very real possibility of losing quality employees to jobs with shorter, cheaper commutes, employers across the country are scrambling to help their workers save on gas. Many companies have started to strongly encourage telecommuting, even paying for at-home workers' laptops, Blackberrys, and/or wireless connections. Microsoft has leased extra office space miles from its W ... |
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| Topics: business, gas prices, green living, greening biz operations, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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The Life of Py
Common, EPA-OK'd insecticides causing health problems |
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01 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:57 PM on 01 Aug 2008 More than a quarter of all significant pesticide-related health problems reported to the U.S. EPA in 2007 involved a class of insecticides deemed safe by the agency, says a new report from the Center for Public Integrity. Naturally occurring pyrethrins and their synthetic counterpart, pyrethroids, have been touted as safe alternatives to nasty organophosphates. In the past decade, they have inc ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Turf's Up
Artificial turf found not harmful to children |
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30 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:47 PM on 30 Jul 2008 Artificial field turf does not expose young children to harmful levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded Wednesday. "Our message is: go out and play," says a CPSC spokesperson. Because it's durable, easy to maintain, and doesn't require pesticides, synthetic turf has increasingly replaced grass fields across the U.S. Manufacturers insist that the lead that gives the gr ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, sports, toxics (all these topics) |
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Practice What You Teach
Princeton Review rates green colleges |
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30 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:15 AM on 30 Jul 2008 With the Princeton Review's newly released college rankings and ratings for 2009, prospective students can suss out a school's academics, dorm quality, party scene -- and greenness. In partnership with marketing agency ecoAmerica, the review rated 534 U.S. colleges on their commitment to environmental responsibility, provision of "healthy and sustainable" campus life, and preparation of stud ... |
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| Topics: education, green living, lists, news (all these topics) |
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This Makes Us Crabby
Is your favorite beach polluted? |
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29 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:08 PM on 29 Jul 2008 Photo: Tom Twigg American beaches "continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk," concludes the Natural Resources Defense Council in an annual report. There were 22,571 pollution-related closures or warning advisories on 3,516 beaches in 2007, says the report, second only to the all-time high 25,643 closures or warnings in 2006. NRDC attributed the decline to less rainf ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, NRDC, placemaking, water pollution (all these topics) |
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A Sporting Chance
Beijing skies clear a little, but Olympic athletes still wary |
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29 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:03 AM on 29 Jul 2008 After a disconcertingly smoggy weekend, wind and rain cleared some haze from Beijing's skies on Tuesday. But with just a week and half left until the Olympic Games begin, officials are considering emergency measures to keep the smog at bay. The city has already kicked half the cars off its roads, halted construction, planted trees, and closed down some factories; officials said Monda ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, China, green living, health, news, Olympics, sports (all these topics) |
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Diode Another Day
Advocates pushing LEDs into the spotlight |
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28 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:45 AM on 28 Jul 2008 Compact fluorescents have had their time in the sun; it's time to herald the era of LEDs, say advocates. Light-emitting diodes are bright, extremely long-lasting, über-efficient, and can color-shift by remote control (fun!). The bulbs shine in many traffic lights, colored the Times Square ball on New Year's Eve, may soon light up the Empire State Building, and are becoming the bulb of choice for commerc ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Quick Study
More school districts consider four-day week |
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25 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:22 PM on 25 Jul 2008 As energy costs rise, rural school districts across the country may follow the lead of the 100 or so schools in 16 states that offer classes just four days a week. Cutting out a day of heating, cooling, and transportation fuel -- which can be significant in spread-out districts where school buses might travel 100 miles round trip each day -- allows schools to put funds toward valuable programs and staff. A ... |
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| Topics: education, energy, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Who Needs a Microwave?
Your granite countertop may emit radon and radiation |
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24 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:02 AM on 24 Jul 2008 Heads up, yuppies: Must-have granite countertops may emit worrisome levels of radon and radiation. While granite is known to contain radioactive uranium, which emits radon gas as it decays, the vast majority of countertops emit far less radiation than what we're constantly exposed to from outer space and the earth's crust. But as demand for granite countertops soars and vendors expand th ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Invade in the Shade
Trees win in California solar panels vs. redwoods dispute |
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23 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:40 AM on 23 Jul 2008 Trees have emerged victorious in a California dispute that pitted redwoods against solar panels. Six months ago, Silicon Valley residents Richard Treanor and Carolynn Bissett were criminally convicted because their redwoods shaded the 10-kilowatt solar system on neighbor Mark Vargas' roof. Ultimately, Treanor and Bissett were forced to trim their trees and paid $37,000 in legal fees. T ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, energy, energy at home, green living, insanity, litigation, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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I Wonder How to Wander
Google Maps adds walking directions |
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22 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:40 PM on 22 Jul 2008 Taking another step toward complete indispensability, Google Maps on Tuesday became the first service of its kind to add walking directions. In addition to searches for car and transit travel, pedestrians -- and, hell, Segway-ers too -- can now find the most direct and flat route from Point A to Point B. The function works for trips up to 6.2 miles long, and recognizes that one-way streets only apply to ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking, tech, travel, websites (all these topics) |
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Flak and Tan
Most sunscreens ineffective or pose a health risk, says group |
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22 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:12 PM on 22 Jul 2008 Some 85 percent of 952 sunscreens tested are ineffective or contain potentially harmful chemicals, says this year's annual sunscreen review by the Environmental Working Group. Of 144 sunscreen products distributed by the top three leading brands -- Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena -- only one meets EWG's criteria for safety and efficacy. The group raises especial alarm about common ... |
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| Topics: green living, green products, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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All Your Base Are Belong to Us
Major League Baseball going, going, green! |
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21 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:20 PM on 21 Jul 2008 Eco-friendliness has been seeping into pro baseball for a while, and now it's pretty much official: America's pastime has gone green. Major League Baseball partnered with NRDC at the start of the season to encourage teams to, um, win at sustainability. Head to a ball game near you, and chances are you'll toss your plastic beer cup into a recycling bin, gaze upon a solar-powered scoreboard, ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, NRDC, sports (all these topics) |
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Netroots to go green in '09
Event planners announce location, greening plans for next year's conference |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Near the end of this year's Netroots Nation, event planners announced that next year's gathering will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa., a spot selected for its green merits. One of the main reasons is that Pittsburgh has the first and largest LEED gold-certified convention center in the country. 'We have a goal of making 2009 the most environmentally-friendly gathering ever,' wrote event planners in an email last night. They're also planning to start a carbon-offset pro ... |
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| Topics: green living, Muckraker, news, Pennsylvania, politics, websites (all these topics) |
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Take a Short Walk, and a Long Peer
Major U.S. cities ranked by relative walkability |
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17 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:31 PM on 17 Jul 2008 Software company Front Seat has released a ranking of the most walkable U.S. cities, rating the relative distance to and density of businesses like grocery stores, bars, book stores, and coffee shops to calculate an overall walkability score. San Francisco took top honors, followed by New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia; the lowest scoring cities were Jacksonville, F ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, news, placemaking, Smartish Cities, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Making Degrade
Pope talks to youth about consumption, environmental degradation |
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17 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:32 AM on 17 Jul 2008 Pope Benedict XVI addressed over 150,000 people in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday as part of Whirled-Youth Day World Youth Day, a massive Catholic get-together meant to infuse the church with the energy of its youth. The pontiff commented on the beauty of the natural world as he saw it from aboard the papal plane. That Pope's-eye-view, he said, was a source of inspiration and wonder. ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, politics, religion and spirituality (all these topics) |
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A Hole-istic Approach
Wal-Mart, mining companies team up to trace path of jewelry supply chain |
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16 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:31 AM on 16 Jul 2008 Retail giant Wal-Mart is joining with Conservation International as well as mining companies Rio Tinto and Newmont Mining to launch a pilot project that lets customers trace the path of their jewelry from mine to mega-store. Marketed as Wal-Mart's "Love, Earth" brand jewelry, the items stand out from others in that once they're purchased, customers can go to ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, mining, news, shopping, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Saved By the Bellwether
Some school fundraisers start hawking greener products |
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15 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:39 AM on 15 Jul 2008 Some school and nonprofit fundraisers recently have turned to greener options to generate needed cash. Instead of sending youngsters out into the community to hawk items of questionable greenness like candy, magazines, and virgin-forest wrapping paper, some schools have instead turned to greener wares such as fair-trade coffee, metal water bottles, hand-made soaps, and recycled-conten ... |
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| Topics: business, education, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Goode grief
Virginia candidates split on personal transit choices |
Kate Sheppard |
09 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Rep. Virgil Goode, the incumbent Republican in Virginia's 5th District, appeared in a Scottsville, Va. Fourth of July parade last week accompanied by a Hummer H3. His opponent in this year's House race, Tom Perriello (D), appeared on a float pulled by a biodiesel-fueled tractor. Perriello fans put together a video highlighting the candidates' automotive choices: |
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| Topics: cars, Congress, elections, green living, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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Hitting the Wall
R.I. court reverses ruling, says paint companies not responsible for lead cleanup |
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01 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:41 PM on 01 Jul 2008 Three paint companies should not have to clean up lead contamination in Rhode Island homes, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision reverses a landmark 2006 ruling in which the state was victorious in alleging that Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc., and Millennium Holdings LLC created a public nuisance by manufacturing and selling lead-based pain ... |
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| Topics: green living, litigation, news, Rhode Island, toxics (all these topics) |
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