Environment & Ecoliteracy

NEW SEARCH ENGINE SEEKS TO BUILD A GREEN FUTURE!

mhaney — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:13:38 -0500

The first Flash Search Engine is an Environmental Search Engine!! http://www.greenplanetsearch.com is now live!

When Mike Haney first presented the idea behind the technology behind

www.greenplanetsearch.com, he was laughed down. Virtually, of course. “Everyone can

dream,: scoffed one, erroneously.

A few people were intrigued. The combination of Haney’s vision of a Flash-driven search

engine, and the plan to create a dazzling environmental education resource, eventually

attracted a loose-knit corps of collaborators, most of whom have never met in person first

among them Andre Roussille, a French computer programmer, and now part owner of the

company.

The upshot from this collaboration, apart from the stunningly beautiful homepage, is the

only people involved in the creation of the search engine, is that the only people involved

in the development devoted environmentalists, who genuinely wish to disseminate good

information to students and educators.

Later, through a similar serendipity, Mr. Haney teamed up with a veteran journalist who

agreed to lend his services to the site, building from scratch a source of environmental

news and policy analysis.

Advertisers will be strictly vetted by the companies shareholders, limited to companies

that are making a meaningful contribution the planet’s health.

The final result, which was launched this week, is the culminating of thousands of

hours of work, and more than a few false starts.

It boasts easily navigable information, experiments, lesson plans, presented in an interactive and graphically enhanced format,

and has an exclusive global climate change resource section for teachers and kids.

If you would like more information about greenplanetsearch.com, or to schedule an

interview with Mike Haney, please call Mike Haney at 305.531.3746 or e-mail info@greenplanetsearch.com.

My Eco Goals

ecogreenglobe — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:12:16 -0500

My eco friendly dream is to have my an eco friendly home. A building that works with the environment instead of against it. I'm currently designing the features I want to include into it. Whether it be a home that I will renovate or build from scratch everything will be 100% eco. I definitely want a green house/ green room which will either be attached to the house or separate so I can grow my own food. Solar panels on the roof are a must. With skylights, letting natural light in to the home. Ground heating, rain collecting for flushing toilets and watering plants. Wind turbines on the roof and maybe even extend it out into the back yard making a mini wind farm. My goal is to produce enough power from all these sources so that I no longer exist on the energy radar. Going off the grid is one of the top goals of this project. All materials will be recyclable or sustainable. This is a longer term goal and all depends on my financial situation. Too bad building eco isn't cheaper!

Lizards, whales inspire high-tech biomimicry

11thhouraction — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:01:56 -0500

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO (Reuters) - Whale hearts hold clues to making pacemakers and lizard skins are showing how to cut friction in electrical appliances as companies mimic nature to develop high-tech goods, a U.N.-backed report said on Wednesday.

Among other advances that could save hundreds of millions of dollars, the wings of desert beetles could improve water collection and the drought-resistant African "resurrection plant" indicates ways to store vaccines without refrigeration.

READ MORE
Site provided by www.reuters.com

The Campaign and the Environment

marij — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:17:34 -0500

The US race for the presidency is one of the focal points of the nation and for the rest of the world. Whoever wins the nomination will have a direct impact on the state of the environment for the next 4+ years. If you’re like me, on top of all the other important issues, the environment is a critical factor when you’re deciding who to vote for. Here is an article from Newsweek that discusses Obama, Clinton, and McCain’s history and voting records on the subject. http://www.newsweek.com/id/130624?from=rss

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your feedback to who would be the “greenest” president and why.

Best,
Mari

11th Hour Action Intern

Trees

Tuaa — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:21:37 -0500

In my area there are many construction work is goin on....Its really sad fact that they are showing no mercy to the trees. They are keep on cutting the trees.. No one is planting one......

They have no idea what they are doing...They are making a big mess for the future.......

We must do something........

Take Action!!

jen_b28 — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:10:02 -0500

I just joined this group, because i was looking for an action group close to me, so we could work together, share the same values and goals. I'm really hoping we can put our ideas together, and get things accomplished.

Lorain County action group

My contribution and easy things others can do to help.

mdh678 — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:08:27 -0500

Instead of telling you mindless, meaningless things about myself, I'm going to tell you what I'm doing to help our environment. For starters, I drive a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 which I bought used and paid cash for. It's a small compact car and gets excellent gas mileage, it doesn't have any A/C or even a CD player, but it runs good. Of course I'd love to have a nice new Toyota Prius, but I just can’t justify getting rid of my economical car while it's still in good running condition, perhaps when it finally dies I'll upgrade to a Prius. Aside from the car itself being "recycled" it is also shared by my boyfriend and I, and on top of that, we carpool as often as possible to avoid putting more miles on it then we have to. Kansas City has a horrible public transportation system, or we'd take advantage of that more, but for now the carpooling is a good start.

Currently I'm a college student working toward a degree in computer sciences with a Cisco emphasis and I'm about to complete my CCNA courses to become Cisco Certified. While in school I have made sure to buy used books whenever possible and I make sure and sell them back at the end of the semesters. I don’t buy newspapers, I do read them, but I make sure to read them in a public environment, generally my school library. I also try to take Internet or hybrid courses whenever possible because the amount of paper homework is minimal to none since most assignments and tests are submitted and taken online.

As a consumer, I'm very frugal. I don’t see the point in buying bottled water when I can get filtered water from my tap that is not only better quality but also decreases the amount of waste dumped into our landfills. Furthermore, I don’t buy soda for the same reasons, not only is it bad for your health but the waste created not only from the packaging but also from the production is detrimental to our environment. With the exception of my computer, every major item in my house is second hand, and 90% of it I didn't pay a dime for, from my bed and couch right down to my silverware and dish towels. There are a few items of clothing that I buy new, but for the most part I get my clothes from second hand stores, and when we no longer wear it, we donate it right back! I only buy environmentally friendly cleaning products and laundry soap and stick to biodegradable toilet paper and dryer sheets. It's important to me to look for items that are made from recycled materials and I always try to find the ones that are from post consumer waste. I also make sure to unplug my small appliances and cell phone chargers when they're not in use, and set my thermostat high in the summer and low in the winter to conserve my energy use.

Recently, I switched to an almost paperless billing and banking system, and I haven't written a paper check in months! I also reuse printer paper and don’t send it for recycle until both sides have been used. And as far as ink goes, I refill my cartridges instead of buying new ones.

Now, I wasn't raised to be like this, in fact, my mother is in my opinion the worst kind of consumer... With her addiction to shopping and keeping up with the Joneses mentality, I watched her trade her car in every year because she thought she had to have the latest and greatest, heck she was driving an SUV before it was the "in" thing to do. Now, I can't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with the environment because I was way too young to remember, but I do remember when I realized that I could make a difference, I was 7 years old and my Girl Scout troop went and cleaned up some neighborhood parks... We picked up all the trash and planted trees and laid recycled tire bits around the playground in place of the wood chips... We took parks that used to be nothing more than a nighttime hangout for punk teenagers and turned them into pleasant, family oriented destinations that people actually enjoyed spending time at. Now, I've made it my responsibility to pass my environment mindedness on to my daughter, and she has not only embraced it, but she’s taking it to levels that I only wish I had and I am so very proud of her... She not only represents our future, but she represents the future of our earth, and THAT my friends, is the single most important and beneficial thing I have ever done for our environment.

A French website concerning energies, the sustainable use of water, the domestic rubbish management and the domestic air quality

jeanpauldufard — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:59:34 -0500

Hi everyone!

I'd like to present you a French website that deals with four major issues that are:

energy savings, domestic rubbish management, domestic air quality management and sustainable use of water.

Those issues are treated deeply, dedicated to the general public.

For the moment, the website is written in French but in a few weeks, this website will concern all european countries: all major themes will be treated in a local aspect (national market, local regulation...).

It is really interesting and objective (no brands...).

I really hope you'll enjoy it!

See you on http://www.economiedenergie.fr

Don't forget the blog if you want to react http://blog.economiedenergie.fr/

Dalai Lama XlV: Buddhism and the Global Environment

Bohemian — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:04:59 -0500

SPIRITUAL WISDOM Dalai Lama XIV
Buddhism and the Global Environment
Abridged & arranged from Collected Statements on the Environment (2007)

An Ethical Approach to Environmental Protection
Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed and
lack of respect for the Earth’s living things. This lack of respect extends even to the Earth’s human descendants, the future generations who will inherit a vastly degraded planet if world peace does not become a reality and destruction of the natural environment continues at the present rate. Our ancestors viewed the earth as rich and bountiful, which it is. Many people in the past saw nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which we now know is the case only if we care for it. It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past which resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically what we have inherited, what we are responsible for and what we will pass on to coming generations. Clearly this is a pivotal generation.

At the Earth Summit
Human beings irrespective of our ability, knowledge and technology are basically a product of nature. So therefore, ultimately, our fate very much depends on nature. Sometimes we get some kind of wrong belief that we human beings can control nature with the help of technology. Therefore now the time has come to be aware of the importance of nature, the importance of our globe. You see, one day we might find all living things on this planet – including human beings - are doomed.

Ecology & the Human Heart
I deeply believe that we should not only maintain gentle, peaceful relations with our fellow human beings but also that it is very important to extend the same kind of attitude towards the natural environment. We need to teach people that the environment has a direct bearing on our own benefit. If you think only of yourself and forget about others, ultimately you will lose. That is also something like a law of nature. If our generation exploits everything available—the trees, the water, and the minerals—without any care for the coming generations or the future, then we are at fault, aren’t we? But if we have a genuine sense of universal responsibility as our central motivation, then our relations with the environment will be well balanced, and so will our relations with our neighbours, both domestic and international.

A Green Environment for Now and the Future
Now the adverse effects on forests through over-population and the development of various chemical elements in the atmosphere have led to irregular rainfall and global warming. This global warming has brought changes in climate, including making perennial snow mountains melt, thereby adversely affecting not only human beings but also other living species. Older people say that these mountains were covered with thick snow when they were young and that the snows are getting sparser which may be an indication of the end of the world. The harmful effect on the atmosphere brought about by chemical emissions in industrialized countries is a very dangerous sign.

Universal Responsibility and our Global Environment
Ignorance of Interdependence has not only harmed the natural environment, but human society as well. Instead of caring for one another, we place most of our efforts for happiness in pursuing individual material consumption. We have become so engrossed in this pursuit that, without knowing it, we have neglected to foster the most basic human needs of love, kindness and cooperation. This is very sad. We have to consider what we human beings really are. We are not machine-made objects. It is a mistake to seek fulfilment in external development alone.

This blue planet of ours is a delightful habitat. Its life is our life; its future our future. Indeed, the earth acts like a mother to us all. Like children, we are dependent on her. In the fact of such global problems as the greenhouse effect, individual organizations and single nations are helpless. Unless we all work together, no solution can be found. Our mother earth is teaching us a lesson in universal responsibility.

A Clean Environment is a Human Right
If I were actually to vote in an election, it would be for one of the environmental parties. One of the most positive developments in the world recently has been the growing awareness of the importance of nature. Since we human beings come from Nature, there is no point in our going against Nature, which is why I say the environment is not a matter of religion or ethics or morality. These are luxuries, since we can survive without them. But we will not survive if we continue to go against Nature. It is up to us as individuals to do what we can, however little that may be. Just because switching off the light on leaving the room seems inconsequential, it does not mean that we should not do it

The Himalayas & Mt Everest seen from space (courtesy NASA)

Universal Responsibility and the Environment
Our belief in reincarnation is one example of our concern for the future. If you think that you will be reborn, you are likely to say to yourself, I have to preserve such and such because my future reincarnation will be able to continue with these things….the idea of reincarnation gives you reason to have direct concern about this planet and future generations. Our planet is our house. If we think of the planet as our house or as our mother, Mother Earth, we automatically feel concern for our environment.

The Buddhist attitude is one of contentment, and there may be some connection here with our attitude toward the environment. We put a limit on our consumption. Our ancient scriptures speak of the container and the contained. The world is the container – our house and we are the contained – the contents of the container. From these simple facts we deduce a special relationship, because without the container, the contents cannot be contained. Without the contents, the container contains nothing, it’s meaningless. Everything has its limit. Too much consumption or effort to make money is not good.

Thinking Globally: A Universal Task
Scientific predictions of environmental change are difficult for ordinary human beings to comprehend fully. We hear about hot temperatures and rising sea levels, vast population growth, depletion of resources, and extinction of species. Human activity everywhere is hastening to destroy key elements of the natural eco-systems all living beings depend on. These threatening developments are individually drastic and together amazing. The world’s population has tripled in the 20th century alone. The global economy may grow by a factor of five or ten, including with it extreme rates of energy consumption, carbon dioxide production, and deforestation. It is hard to imagine all things actually happening in our lifetime and in the lives of our children. We have to consider the prospects of global suffering and environmental degradation unlike anything in human history.

The earth is our home and our mother. We need to respect and take care of her. That is easy to understand today. Important is the simple practice of getting to know and better appreciate ourselves and our natural surroundings, whether we are children or adults. If we have a true appreciation for others and resist acting out of ignorance we will take care of the Earth. We can share the Earth and take care of it together, rather than trying to possess it, destroying the beauty of life in the process.

If people begin to act with genuine compassion for every one, we can still protect each other and the natural environment. This is much easier than having to adapt to the severe and incomprehensible environmental conditions projected for the future. On close examination, the human mind, the human heart, and the environment are inseparably linked together. In this sense, environmental education helps to generate both the understanding and love we need to create the best opportunity there has ever been for peace and lasting co-existence.

Bodhisattva: Ajanta Caves, India

Practical Steps Toward Protection of the Environment
At this time it is extremely important that every human being, according to his or her ability, consistently puts effort into ensuring the conservation and protection of this planet’s environment and its inhabitants. The drawbacks of a polluted environment include a decline in the pure, cool qualities of the oceans and lakes, so that the creatures dwelling in those places are disturbed. The loss of vegetation and forests causes degeneration in the earth’s nourishment. Rain does not fall when it is needed. Unprecedented fierce storms rage, and so on.This is a request that, through understanding the interdependent nature of the world and its inhabitants, people will implement practices based upon unmistakenly accepting the correct means to cherish the potential of the vast natural realm.

Politics and Environment
At present there are six and a half billion human beings on earth [2007 data]. If the living standard of the southerners were raised to the level the northerners are presently enjoying, what would happen to the world’s natural resources? This situation would not be sustainable. China, for example, has a population of 1.2 billion. If each family were to have two cars, the environmental damage would be unimaginable. Nine hundred million people live in India.

The Western concept of increasing the GNP each year must change, and fast. The principle itself contradicts all natural and logical laws. Westerners certainly need to develop a sense of contentment and more consideration towards others. In the meantime, the birth control question must also be addressed. The southern countries must curb their population growth. To tell you the truth, I think the first thing the southerners must do is recognize the negative consequences of the present Western concepts of life and economy. We have to correct or remould this erroneous belief in the value of an ever-increasing GNP.

It seems quite simple. First, it is important to realize we are part of nature. Ultimately, nature will always be more powerful than human beings, even with all their nuclear weapons, scientific equipment, and knowledge. If the sun disappears or the earth’s temperature changes by a few degrees, then we are really in trouble. Morally, as beings of higher intelligence, we must care for this world. The other inhabitants of the planet—insects and so on—do not have the means to save or protect this world. Our other responsibility is to undo the serious environmental degradation that is the result of incorrect human behaviour. We have recklessly polluted the world with chemicals and nuclear waste, selfishly consuming many of its resources. Humanity must take the initiative to repair and protect this world.

The Natural World
If there is one area in which both education and the media have a special responsibility, it is, I believe, our natural environment. This responsibility has less to do with questions of right or wrong than with the question of survival. The natural world is our home. It is not necessarily sacred or holy. It is simply where we live. It is therefore in our interest to look after it. This is common sense. But only recently have the size of our population and the power of science and technology grown to the point that they have a direct impact on nature. To put it another way, until now, Mother Earth has been able to tolerate our sloppy house habits. However, the stage has not been reached where she can no longer accept our behaviour in silence. The problems caused by environmental disasters can be seen as her response to our irresponsible behaviour.

All this points to the need to recognize the universal dimension of our actions and, based on this, to exercise restraint. I believe that family planning is important. Couples do have a duty to consider the impact our numbers have on the natural environment. This is especially true given the impact of modern technology.

The fact that the air we breathe, the water we drink, the forests and oceans which sustain millions of different life forms, and the climatic patterns which govern our weather systems all transcend national boundaries is a source of hope. It means that no country, no matter how rich and powerful or how poor and weak it may be, can afford not to take action in respect of this issue. It is time for all those living in the industrially developed nations to give serious thought to changing their lifestyle. The cost to the planet, and thus the cost to humanity, of ever-increasing standards of living, is simply too great.

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso is the spiritual leader and head of state of Tibet. He was born in 1935 in Takster, N.E. Tibet into a peasant family. He was recognized at age 2, and enthroned in Lhasa in 1940. In November 1950, he had to assume full political power following the Chinese communist invasion. When the Tibetan national uprising spread to Lhasa and was brutally crushed by the Chinese army, he escaped to political asylum in India. He resides in Dharamasala, India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, he is now an international spiritual leader, speaking and teaching all over the world.

Taken from: http://www.ecobuddhism.org/spiritual-wisdom.php?id=13

ForestEthics Campaign: Sign petition to end junkmail!

11thhouraction — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:37:27 -0500

SIGN FORESTETHIC'S PETITION TO STOP JUNKMAIL: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/281/petition....