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Edwards Campaign Goes Carbon Neutral and Helps Voters Do It Too!

Edwards Campaign Goes Carbon Neutral and Helps Voters Do It Too!: "

John Edwards is the first presidential candidate to go carbon neutral. Not only has the campaign taken steps to offset its carbon footprint and conserve energy, they have also launched ReduceYourCarbon.com a site that lets people pledge to reduce carbon emissions through concrete steps like changing incandescents to fluorescents, adjust the thermostat, improve fuel economy through reducing driving or keeping tires inflated.

Yahoo has gone carbon neutral also!

Support Net Neutrality

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How to recycle your computer

How to recycle your computer | Salon.com News is a great article on how to recycle those pesky computers we all have on our desks.

Technorati Tags: recycling, environment

10 Things You Should Never Buy Again

1. Styrofoam cups  
Styrofoam is forever. It's not biodegradable.  
Alternative: Buy recyclable and compostable paper cups.  
Best option:  Invest in some reusable mugs that you can take with you.

2. Paper towels  
Paper towels waste forest resources, landfill space, and your money.  
Alternative: When you do buy paper towels, look for recycled, non-bleached products. Search the National Green Pages™ for recycled paper products.  
Best option: Buy dishtowels or rags to wash and reuse.

3. Bleached coffee filters  
Dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate groundwater and air and are linked to cancer in humans and animals.  
Alternative: Look for unbleached paper filters.  
Best Option:  Use reusable filters such as washable cloth filters.

4. Overpackaged foods and other products  
Excess packaging wastes resources and costs youmuch more. Around thirty three percent of trash in the average American household comes from packaging.  
Alternative: Buy products with minimal or reusable packaging.  
Best Option: Buy in bulk and use your own containers when shopping.

5. Teak and mahogany  
Every year, 27 million acres of tropical rainforest (an area the size of Ohio) are destroyed. Rainforests cover 6% of Earth's surface and are home to over half of the world's wild plant, animal, and insect species. The Amazon rainforest produces 40 percent of the world's oxygen.  
Alternative: Look for Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.  
Best Option: Reuse wood, and buy furniture and other products made from used or salvaged wood.

Learn how to become WoodWise at home and in your office »

6.Chemical pesticides and herbicides  
American households use 80 million pounds of pesticides each year. The EPA found at least one pesticide in almost every water and fish sample from streams and in more than one-half of shallow wells sampled in agricultural and urban areas. These chemicals pose threats to animals and people, especially children.  
Alternatives: Buy organic pest controllers such as diatomaceous earth.  
Best Option: Plant native plants and practice integrated pest management. Plant flowers and herbs that act as natural pesticides.

7. Conventional household cleaners  
Household products can contain hazardous ingredients such as organic solvents and petroleum-based chemicals that can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your indoor environment, positing a particular danger for children. The average American household has three to ten of hazardous matter in the home.  
Alternative: Look for nontoxic, vegetable-based, biodegradeable cleaners.  
Best Option: Try making your own green cleaner using vinegar, water, and castile soap.

Find safe, green cleaners in the National Green Pages™»

8. Higher octane gas than you need  
Only one car in ten manufactured since 1982 requires high-octane gasoline. High-octane gas releases more hazardous pollutants into the air, and may be bad for your car.  
Alternative: Buy the lowest-octane gas your car requires as listed in your owner's manual  
Best option: Make your next car purchase a hybrid.  Or ditch the car and take public transportation, ride a bike, or walk.

Learn more about green transportation »

9. Toys made with PVC plastic  
70% of PVC is used in construction, but it is also found in everyday plastics, including some children's toys. Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives, such as lead and cadmium, are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down; these additives can be particularly dangerous in children's toys. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.  
Alternative: Avoid plastics that are labeled as "PVC" or "#3." Look for #1 and #2 plastics, which are easier to recycle and don't produce as many toxins. Use sustainable construction materials.  
Best option: Take action to tell manufacturers to stop using PVC plastics, especially in children's toys.

Find safe toys in the National Green Pages™ »

10. Plastic forks and spoons  
Disposable plastic utensils are not biodegradeable and not recyclable in most areas.  
Alternative: Use compostable food service items. Companies such as Biocorp make cutlery from plant materials such as corn starch and cellulose.  
Best option: Carry your own utensils and food containers.

How to be an Activist

Great article by the ED of Sierra Club Canada on the essence of being an activist. 

There is no formal school for activists. No university degree qualifies the graduate to practice grassroots organizing. Environmental activists, like many other practitioners of social change, come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and even from all political parties. And all of us learn from experience. On the other hand, we should be able to benefit from the experience of others. Unfortunately, more often than not, people suddenly find themselves in a situation that requires a certain moral heroism. They had not planned to become activists.

Building Social Movements

Charles Dobson's summary of what works in social movements (10 page PDF) is a refreshing piece of work. If you're not familiar with the scholarly literature on effective social movements, then this would be a great place to start. He explores preconditions for success, individual inducements, the ingredients of micro-mobilization, and the maintenance of movements.

Drop that Nalgene Bottle

STUDIES SHOW THAT THE POPULAR WATER BOTTLE MAY POSE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS By Brenna Doheny, Daily Barometer (OR), Feb. 18, 2004

Studies show that the popular Nalgene water bottles may pose serious health risks, breaking down and contaminating their contents. The bottles are made of Lexan polycarbonate resin, the same material used in bulletproof windows, compact discs and DVDs. From outdoor enthusiasts, to athletes, to students at OSU, the hydration method of choice is a colorful Nalgene water bottle.

While these durable, lightweight and undeniably trendy bottles seem like the perfect choice for the health-conscious consumer, scientific evidence indicates that the very plastic which makes the bottles so ideal may pose serious health hazards.

Options:

http://www.kleankanteen.com/

Food Alliance

Link: Food Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable
agriculture by recognizing and rewarding farmers who produce
food in environmentally friendly and socially responsible ways,
and educating consumers and others in the food system about
the benefits of sustainable agriculture.

Environment Polling

Various polling results on the environment and associated issues.

Car free and silent for 17 years

Amazing piece and interview with John Francis, a "planet walker" who lived car-free and silent for 17 years.

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/05/10/hertsgaard-francis/index.html