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Don't Go Toward the Light
Compact fluorescents can cause health problems, say groups |
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04 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:22 AM on 04 Jan 2008 As Australia, Britain, and the good ol' U.S. of A make plans to phase out traditional energy-sucking light bulbs, health concerns are being raised about compact fluorescents, the most popular alternative. The British Association of Dermatologists says CFLs can cause rashes on folks with photosensitive skin, the U.K. Migraine Action Association suggests that the bulbs can trigger ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, health, news (all these topics) |
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The Midem Touch
Live Earth will be honored with music industry green award |
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03 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:46 PM on 03 Jan 2008 Midem, an annual international trade show for the music industry, has created a new green award that it will bestow upon Live Earth later this month in Cannes, France -- because Al Gore can never have too many awards. Also honored will be Denmark's Roskilde Festival, which serves all drinks in returnable plastic mugs, and Switzerland's Paléo Festival Nyon, which is powered entirely by win ... |
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| Topics: green living, music, news (all these topics) |
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End It, Beckham
David Beckham has world's biggest carbon footprint, says group |
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03 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:22 AM on 03 Jan 2008 David Beckham. Photo: Robert Mora/WireImage The member of the human race with the biggest carbon footprint is (drumroll please ...) soccer football golden boy David Beckham, according to green group Carbon Trust. The hottest star in the Galaxy and wife Victoria-but-please-call-me-Posh have won the dubious honor for the second time. The duo have 15 gas guzzlers; Becks' flights in the l ... |
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| Topics: air travel, celebrity, ecological footprint, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Nice Knowing You, 2007
New-Year-heralding ball will be energy-efficient |
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31 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:04 PM on 31 Dec 2007 As promised, the ball that will drop in Times Square tonight to herald the new year will be dazzling both in its brightness and its energy efficiency. On the 100th anniversary of the tradition, the 1,415-pound ball with a circumference of some 6 feet will glow with more than 9,500 energy-efficient LED lights. Its descent will be viewed by an estimated million people in the square, who will a ... |
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| Topics: green living, holiday, New York, news (all these topics) |
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Ride, Valley, Ride
Off-road vehicle use has surged in Western wilderness areas |
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31 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:42 AM on 31 Dec 2007 Motorized outdoor enthusiasts are converging in increasing numbers on Western public lands -- not only in areas marked for such outdoor enthusiasm, but in wilderness areas where rules against off-roading are nearly impossible to enforce. Registration of all-terrain vehicles and motorbikes in four Western states tripled from 1998 to 2006. The surge is traceable to the booming outdoor-r ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, sports, wilderness (all these topics) |
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Retail Oriented
Consumers shopped less this holiday season, testing brand loyalty |
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27 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:52 PM on 27 Dec 2007 Holiday retail sales took a hit this year, even at stores like Starbucks, Coach, and Target that enjoy strong customer loyalty. Expensive gas, dropping home prices, and an uncertain economy -- or a society-wide trend toward reduced consumerism? Hey, we can dream. source: The New York Times From the Archives Building Anticipation. Portland, Ore., green-bui ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, holiday, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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Shop, Collaborate, and Listen
Online shopping better for the earth than going to the mall, says study |
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21 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 12:04 PM on 21 Dec 2007 Online shopping is better for the planet than multiple trips to the mall, says a somewhat ill-timed study. (Start your online shopping today, spend $3,000,000 for shipping.) "Using several assumptions and data from several authoritative sources, we can reasonably estimate that nearly [500,000 metric tons] of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere by ... |
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| Topics: climate, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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Ogle Cranky Academics Instead
Top British scientist tells women to stop drooling over gas-guzzling males |
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19 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:18 PM on 19 Dec 2007 Hey ladies, wondering how to help fight climate change? It's simple: just stop encouraging men who waste resources! In particular, said U.K. climate scientist David King this week, "stop admiring young men in Ferraris." King's comments were immediately pounced upon -- not by feminists, but by Ferrari owners, who protested that their vehicles spew le ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, energy, funnies, green living, news, sex, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Lard Have Mercy
Fat-fueled speedboat will undertake second circumnavigation attempt |
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19 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:35 PM on 19 Dec 2007 One of our favorite heroes is back in action. Pete Bethune, who attempted to set a global circumnavigation record in a biodiesel-powered speedboat in early 2007 -- and donated his own ass fat to the fuel mix to garner publicity -- has announced a second attempt, kicking off in March 2008. Baby got back onboard. sources: Agence France-Presse, The Guardian see also, in Gristmill: ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, funnies, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Gone in a Lash
Minnesota will ban mercury in cosmetics |
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14 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:10 PM on 14 Dec 2007 On Jan. 1, Minnesota will become the first state to ban mercury from mascara and other cosmetics. Which begs the question: Why the hell is there mercury in mascara in the first place? From the Archives I Was the Walrus. Walruses trampled as a result of climate change -- no, seriously. What Is It Good For? War ain't good for the planet, says new report. Are You From Tennessee? 'Cause ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Sears of Joy
Sears and KMart will phase out PVC, Wal-Mart accused of eco-naughtiness |
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13 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:36 PM on 13 Dec 2007 Big-box behemoths Sears and Kmart have agreed to phase out nasty plastic PVC from all products in their 3,800 stores. While admirable, the announcement merely makes those stores the lemmings of PVC abandonment; IKEA, Wal-Mart, and Target have all previously agreed to go PVC-free. In other big-box news, the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency has accused Wal-Mart of sour ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, greening biz operations, greenish companies, logging, news, shopping, toxics, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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In the Flick of Time
Big ideas come out of Hollywood Goes Green summit |
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12 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:21 PM on 12 Dec 2007 "Hollywood has gone from the capital of conspicuous consumption to the cutting edge of conspicuous conservation," Arianna Huffington declared recently. Case in point: A two-day Hollywood Goes Green summit that wraps up today. At the summit, tech giant IBM announced a plan to design new technologies that will increase computing capacity by a factor of 10 while using 50 percent less p ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, movies, news (all these topics) |
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Go Tell It on the Mountain
Canadian outdoor-goods retailer won't sell plastic water bottles |
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10 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:59 AM on 10 Dec 2007 Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada's largest outdoor-goods retailer, has yanked Nalgene bottles and other polycarbonate plastic containers from its shelves, concerned about toxic bisphenol A leaching from the plastic. MEC -- the Canadian equivalent of U.S.-based retailer REI -- has been one of Canada's largest sellers of the bottles. Canada's health agency is currently stud ... |
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| Topics: business, Canada, green living, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game
Green group tests toys for toxins, publishes results online |
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05 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:34 PM on 05 Dec 2007 You may remember that a child's plaything or two has been recalled for high lead levels recently -- and by a plaything or two, we mean millions. So it's a tad troubling that in testing 1,268 toys, the Michigan-based Ecology Center found that 35 percent contained lead, mercury, cadmium, and/or arsenic -- and only 23 of the toxic toys had been recalled. Seventeen perce ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Where the Streets Have No Name -- But the Skyscrapers Do
Environmentalists upset over Dublin's planned U2 Tower |
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05 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:14 AM on 05 Dec 2007 Bono and his fellow U2-ers are stuck in a melee (and they can't get out of it) over a plan to construct a skyscraper in band members' native Dublin. The tower, monikered U2 Tower in the name of self-love, would be the highest building in Ireland. Ian Lumley of heritage group An Taisce says the building is not the sweetest thing -- it would "be an ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green living, Ireland, music, news, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Without a Hitch
Divorce is bad for the planet, says research |
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04 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:07 AM on 04 Dec 2007 Breaking up is hard to do -- and bad for the planet too, says new research. Divorce rates around the world are rising, with the consequence of multi-person homes dissolving into multiple residences, which use more land, water, and energy. Ecologist Jianguo Liu, publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that in 2005 in the U.S. alone, divorced households used 73 billio ... |
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| Topics: green living, news (all these topics) |
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Right Club
Brad Pitt wants you -- to help with his NOLA green-building project |
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03 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:27 PM on 03 Dec 2007 Brad Pitt -- OMG he's so dreamy! Sorry, reflex. Where were we? Brad Pitt today unveiled designs submitted by architecture firms for his Make It Right campaign to build 150 affordable, sustainable, storm-safe houses in New Orleans. Architects were asked to design a 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom house for about $150,000. Pitt also unveiled a display of pink fabric "houses" ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green building, green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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That's So Hot Right Now
Apparel companies hire climatologists to predict consumer trends |
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03 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:15 AM on 03 Dec 2007 In the good old days, the only constant that the fickle fashion industry could rely on was the changing of the seasons -- now, it can't even rely on that anymore. A run of unseasonably warm winters has led some apparel companies to hire staff climatologists who help predict when consumers will be in the market for cold-weather clothes. Because, darling, buying a winter-antic ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change impacts, fashion, green living, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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So That's Why It's Called an Evergreen
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be efficiently lit |
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21 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:40 PM on 21 Nov 2007 The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is up; once it's lit on Nov. 28, we can no longer deny that The Holiday Season is in full swing. We can, however, ogle the tree guilt-free, as the towering evergreen will be lit by energy-efficient LED bulbs and powered in part by solar energy. sources: Associated Press, amNewYork see also, in Grist: Times Square New Year's Eve ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency, green living, holiday, news (all these topics) |
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Something Comes From Nothing
Celebrate Buy Nothing Day on Friday; no purchase necessary |
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20 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:48 PM on 20 Nov 2007 Thousands of people the world over plan to celebrate what's usually the biggest shopping day of the year by ... not buying anything. That's right, it's almost time for Buy Nothing Day, celebrated Nov. 23 in the U.S. and Canada and Nov. 24 in the rest of the world, drawing attention to how easy it is to stop, drop, and not shop. The poor, the hungover, and the lazy aren't the ... |
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| Topics: business, consumerism, green living, holiday, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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Go and Greenwash No More
Green products largely guilty of greenwashing, says study |
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20 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:46 PM on 20 Nov 2007 A study of 1,018 "green" products from big-box stores has found that all but one were marketed with false or misleading eco-claims. Researchers from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing called out products for committing the "Six Sins of Greenwashing": a hidden tradeoff (e.g., toxin-loaded electronics touting their energy efficiency); no certifiable verification ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, green products, greenwashing, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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A Toy Named Sue
California sues over lead-tainted toys |
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19 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:00 PM on 19 Nov 2007 The state of California, which never met an environmental fustercluck it didn't want to litigate, has filed a lawsuit accusing 20 companies -- including Mattel and Toys R Us -- of making or selling products containing "unlawful quantities of lead." source: Los Angeles Times see also, in Grist: An illustration and explanation of tainted toys From the Archives They Were Co ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, litigation, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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We Only Read Local Dictionaries
Locavore is New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year |
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16 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:48 AM on 16 Nov 2007 The word "locavore" has received the esteemed honor of being the New Oxford American Dictionary 2007 Word of the Year. For you non-locavores, the word is defined as "a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced food." It was coined about two years ago by four San Francisco women who popularized the idea of the 100-mile diet. The eco-friendly ter ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, local food, news (all these topics) |
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Wicked Smart
Eensy-weensy Smart car getting a big embrace from U.S. drivers |
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12 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:08 PM on 12 Nov 2007 The Smart car ForTwo is coming to a dealer near you this winter -- or at least, semi-sorta-near you. About 70 dealers around the U.S. will sell the eight-foot-long two-seater starting in January, and more than 30,000 people have put down $99 to reserve theirs. Drawing comparisons to a golf cart and eagerly awaited by urbanites frustrated by tight parking, the Smart car -- sold in 36 coun ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, news (all these topics) |
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Take a Hike
Exercise can combat both obesity and global warming, says CDC |
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12 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:54 AM on 12 Nov 2007 Americans facing the triple threat of climate change, obesity, and what-can-I-do-ness can tackle all three by walking or biking instead of driving -- even if just for a half-hour per day -- and eating less red meat. So says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is considering public promotion of everyday exercise as a way to mitigate the challenges of our time. source: Ass ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, health, messaging, news, vegetarianism and veganism (all these topics) |
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