There are an insane amount of cons to the manufacturing and use of plastic bags. To name a few:

While these are only a few cons of plastic bags...

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
9:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.New York State Capitol, Albany, NY

Can’t make it to Albany? Don’t fret! You can support this important day by pledging to call your legislator on the 23rd and provide back-up to the advocates pounding the halls of the capitol. 

If you’re signing up to call, we will give you all the information you need to easily make the call! 

This year's Earth Day Lobby Day will focus on critically important environmental issues such as expanding solar ener...

Upcycling is a method in which old or discarded materials are converted into something reusable.

The difference between upcycling and recycling is simple. Recycling takes consumer materials such as plastic, paper, metal, and glass and breaks them down so that they can be made into a new consumer product (usually of lesser quality). When you upcycle an item you aren’t breaking down ant materials, just purely refashioning it.  Additionally the quality of the upcycled item has same or even ...

As stated in our “How Methane Heating Works” article, “Natural gas derives from animal and plant matter that was heated and pressurized in earth’s layers (hence why it is referred to as “fossil fuel”).” Within the last century, the burning of these fossil fuels combined with other human related activities, has released heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. In effect it has caused the Earth’s temperature and sea levels to rise.

This rise in sea level is linked to thermal ...

Coral reefs are structures that have merged together into limestone. It consists of a collection of biological communities that make up one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Corals themselves are actually small immobile animals that belong to the group cnidaria. They sustain themselves by catching prey, such as small fish and planktonic animals, with their tentacles. Corals generally live in colonies. Together these colonies secrete a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, which is wha...

Geothermal energy can also be captured from heat pumps. Heat pumps tap into the heat near the Earth’s surface. This type of energy capturing can be used to heat water supplies or heat/cool buildings. Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat by pumping water or a refrigerant through pipes (also known as heat exchangers) below the Earth’s surface. During the winter months the water and refrigerants absorb heat from the Earth and deliver it to buildings and such. During summer months pumps are ...

Geothermal energy is heat derived from the Earth. It is both clean and sustainable. It can be excavated from shallow ground, hot water, hot rocks, and magma. Geothermal energy can be extracted through power plants and heat pumps.

There are three types of geothermal power plants. The first type is called dry steam and uses heat from deep within the Earth to generate steam, which produces electricity. Wells drill into the Earth and pump hot water to the surface under high pressures. Once at...

Food waste is categorized as food that has been discarded or gone uneaten. It can consist of raw, cooked, edible, and inedible (bones, etc.) materials. In the United States more than 34 million tons of food waste is generated and 1.3 billion tons globally.

Generating this type of food waste has both economical and environmental consequences. No matter who you are, a portion of your income goes to buying food. Therefore, you are throwing away money. By taking part in simple practices you ca...

• Provided workshops for over 250 students in the US and Brazil
• Participated in the reforestation drive for almost 400 rare species of Pau Brasil# trees with our social entrepreneurship partner organizat...

Prime Minister Naoto Kan reiterated in a speech to parliament that Japan was grappling with its worst problems since World War II."This quake, tsunami and the nuclear accident are the biggest crises for Japan" in decades, said Kan, dressed in one of the blue work jackets that have become ubiquitous among bureaucrats since the tsunami. He said the crises remained unpredictable, but added: "We will continue to handle it in a state of maximum alert."

The Cancun international climate negotiations defied low expectations by producing a set of modest “Cancun Agreements,” which delegates argue provide a strong base for a comprehensive agreement next year. Key outcomes included:

• Creation of a new “Green Climate Fund” (with the The World Bank as “Trustee”) that aims to disburse $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries adapt to climate change impacts and assist with low-carbon developme...

Here's some good news for New Yorkers who are tired of West NY getting attention for their (amazing) wind farms.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has applied to develop an off shore wind farm 24km off the coast of Long Island that would begin pumping 300 MW of energy into the region, but whose capacity would be 700 MW (to be achieved by 2016).

According to Newsday (subscriber's only), the project comes with a price tag of about $1.5 billion.

No...

The U.S. recycling rate for post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is 28 percent in 2009, marking the sixth straight year that the nation’s recycling rate has increased, despite a four percent decrease in the availability of PET containers, by weight, according to a new report.

The report, “2009 Report on Post Consumer PET Container Recycling Activity” (PDF), also details the end uses for a record 937 million pounds of recycled PET used in manufacturing applications, reflecti...

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley recently announced plans for the installation of solar on the roof of the White House residence. The plans are for two solar panels that will provide electricity, and a solar hot water heater that will heat water for use in the residence.

The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of President Obama's Executive Order (EO) 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Ene...

Participating in the ceremony together with the CEO and General Manager of Enel, Fulvio Conti, were, among others, the Minister for the Environment, Stefania Prestigiacomo, the President of the Province of Syracuse, Nicola Bono, and the Mayor of Priolo Gargallo, Antonello Rizza. ...

Courtesy of the IRS via email - Summertime Tax Tip 2010-21

Did you make a donation to a charity this year? If so, you may be able to take a deduction for it on your 2010 tax return. Here are the top 10 things the IRS wants every taxpayer to know before deducting charitable donations.

Can the poorest be reached with finance? “Ultra poor” members of society face a series of constraints and deprivations that distinguish them from the general poor. Limited social networks, chronic malnutrition, and reliance on patronage systems characterize a socioeconomic class that is hard to “bank.” Research now indicates that most microfinance institutions serve poor and lower-income customers, but not the poorest. A new FAI Framing Note on “Targeting the ...

Our colleague and good friend Steve Schneider, the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, died on July 19, 2010, while traveling from a meeting in Stockholm to London. Steve was not only a man of formidable intellectual depth and breadth, but also a committed and compassionate advisor, mentor, teacher and friend. ...

Providing access to safe water is a priority for all nations, as water is a limited resource essential to human health and economic activity. For many people in Africa, there is little or no access to safe drinking water. Water scarcity in Africa is expected to increase in the near future due to economic growth and increasing populations. By 2025, 45% of the populat...

While these results may be encouraging to those concerned with how economic growth will affect the environment, they do not sit well with the environmental real...

In the United States, electricity is generated in many different ways, with a wide variation in environmental impact. Electricity generation from the combustion of fossil fuels contributes toward unhealthy air quality, acid rain, and global climate change.

Many electricity customers can choose their provider of electricity or can purchase green power from their utility. In fact, you might now have the option of choosing cleaner, more environmentally friendly sources of energy.

The Tool Power ...

I was sitting at the great Irish pub across from the office watching the Yankees game, when a clip of Sean Penn came on.  Turns out he’s in Haiti now.  (I thought he was in jail, but I don’t keep up like I should.)  Sean has set up a clinic or a school, or something, and Haiti is  doing much better now, thank you very much.  Somehow this didn’t surprise me.  I thought that’s ...

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has authorized a measure that would add a fee of between $4 and $34 per ton of carbon dioxide to electricity generated from coal-fired power stations in North Dakota that is exported to Minnesota. By adding this fee to coal power, it is hoped that it will spur the further development of renewable energy sources.

Coal Creek Station, Underwood, ND. (Actually owned by a Minnesota electric utility) Source: Great River E...