Mayor in California Orders Solar Power for All Homes

The mayor of the small desert town of Lancaster, California, is on a mission to brand his community the solar capital of California, and beyond that, as the solar energy capital of the world.  Lancaster soaks up an intense amount of desert sun rays, and Mayor R. Rex Parris has decided to ensure his citizens […]

BP On Trial: “Gross Negligence” in Oil Spill

Yesterday in New Orleans, a trial began to assess whether BP was grossly negligent during the 2010 BP oil spill.  Suffice to say, BP was not only grossly negligent, but the spill itself was grossly gross.  The federal government estimates that 4.1 million barrels of oil were spilled into the gulf of Mexico, making it […]

New Bikes out of Old Cars

There are few things sadder than a junk yard full of broken down old cars.  They’re like rusty souvenirs of the failed (and continuously failing) American dream.  Not only did these poor machines unknowingly burn up our skies, but they weren’t made to last or have second lives. That’s why this  company’s project is so […]

UPS Sends Out New 100% Electric Trucks

UPS is making Green waves in California.  They’ve just released 100 brand new 100% electric trucks to make their delivery service more environmentally friendly. “These all-electric vehicles remind us that California continues to be a dynamic center of innovation,” said Governor Jerry Brown. “These trucks were built here, they’ll be driven here and they’re already […]

Sweden’s Remarkable ‘Waste-to-Energy’ Program …and why Canada should be taking notes!

While most people would probably consider the United States the most wasteful of all the developed nations, you might be surprised to learn that Canada throws away more trash than the U.S.  “Canada generates more municipal waste per capita annually than any of its peer countries. Canada earns a “D” grade and ranks in last […]

Solar Power can be Cheaper than Coal?

Let’s face it, why are our governments (and the voters they answer to) continuing to push for dirty energy at a time when it is known that a 2ºC increase in global temperatures would drastically change the world as we know it?   Money.  Coal and fossil fuels have been the cheap energy source we’ve been […]

‘Selling Nature to Save It’? The Story of Environmental Change

Everywhere we look today, we are inundated with facts about how the world is facing environmental catastrophe.  Climate change, rising sea levels, deforestation, desertification, drought; the statistics are staggering.  These troubling realizations have led to the creation of large international bodies: international organizations, environmental summits like Copenhagen and Rio+20, and a number of protocols and […]

A Real Life Hobbit House! Sustainable and Cheap Living

This real life ‘Hobbit house’ is astounding.  The owner, Simon Dale, built it in 4 months and spent under $5,000 in total.  It is built with all natural and reclaimed materials, and generates its own electricity through solar panels.  There is a naturally cooled refrigerator in the house, and the residents enjoy fresh spring water […]

Bicycle Culture in Copenhagen: An Example To All Cities

In the pursuit of sustainable cities, we have much to learn from the Danes.  The post-World War II development boom in North America was based around cheap oil and the automobile, so our cities today remain designed around an automobile economy.  Sustainable urban planning, however, needs to make alternative, low-impact transportation both easy and desirable.  […]

Eat Your Greens, Toronto

Reducing your ecological footprint doesn’t have to be a sacrifice.  Eating healthy and responsibly can be divinely delicious, with the added satisfaction of knowing you are not contributing to the ecological and social malpractices of meat production. Toronto is quickly becoming a vegetarian-friendly city.  Many places now offer both meat and vegetarian options, and many […]