Environmentally

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Global Warming: Fact or Fiction = Democrat or Republican

Forget that scientific research totally supports it, and the rest of the world is trying to find ways to combat it: In the United States, global warming is debatable.
We’ve thrown science out the window, and especially at government levels, it’s become purely a political issue. The “fact” vote is avidly democrat supported, while […]

Popularity: 45% [?]

27Jun2008 | Lisa | 17 comments | Continued
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Fluorescent Light Bulbs Can Now Be Recycled at Home Depot

Home Depot has just announced that they’ve started a recycling program in the USA for compact fluorescent light bulbs.
For those of you not yet aware, these bulbs each contain 3-5 mg of mercury. The EPA has determined that this level of mercury is high enough to be considered a health hazard, especially with repeated […]

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24Jun2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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NASA Meets Trash, and a Poetic Moment on Trash With Shel Silverstein

News Flash

In an attempt to solve the world waste problem, U.S. Congress, in a bipartisan moment, has voted to commission the U.S. Space Program to develop a method for shooting our garbage completely off the planet.
Where it goes once it’s off the planet, well, no one really cares.
 

OK, I’m joshing ya. But I wonder […]

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18Jun2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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Does Your Lawn Really Need to Look Like Astroturf?

 
 
My grandfather was named the neighborhood “lawn manicurist.” I don’t think he particularly enjoyed the title. It was a little,um, feminine, for him.
 
 
 
And I don’t think the neighbors particularly enjoyed his lawn. It wasn’t the lawn itself - even though it rivaled Fenway Park’s turf - if […]

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23May2008 | Lisa | 5 comments | Continued
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How Politics Can Mess Up a Perfectly Good Environment

Here’s just one example. If you breath air, you might want to take a look.
The Bush administration and EPA have developed a reputation for interfering with resultant policy based on scientific research.
The latest-
March 11th, 2008 - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proudly announces that it has reduced ground level ozone ( smog […]

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17May2008 | Lisa | 5 comments | Continued
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Support the United States Post Office With Your Own Junk Mail

A Tip From Uncle Mike:
I am sure that you are inundated with continual mail for you to switch credit cards. This and others. Here is what you do.

And, as you know, I always want more than one advantage from what I do.

a. When you receive a junk mail solicitation do […]

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13May2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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My Personal Carbon Footprint

I wanted to find out what my personal contribution to global warming is.
This is called a carbon footprint - a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated and released to the environment. Carbon footprints can be calculated for anything- individuals, products, businesses, industries, communities, countries.
They’re computed either as a “Life Cycle Assessment […]

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9May2008 | Lisa | 4 comments | Continued
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Going Paperless: The Post Office Fights Back

The Washington Post reports that the US Postal Service (USPS) says they need junk mail to survive, and are working to thwart legislator’s proposals that would allow consumers to set up blocks on unwanted mail.
The USPS says the economic benefits of standard - their term for junk- mail outweigh the environmental benefits, and claim […]

Popularity: 44% [?]

8May2008 | Lisa | 3 comments | Continued
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How Long Could You Go Without Buying Something New?

I can’t buy my free range chicken hot dogs used, but what about everything else?
Would it be that hard? Wouldn’t one of the the golden rules of a sustainable planet be to make less garbage-? I have nightmares of floating around in the ocean surrounded by big white trash bags.
I found this on […]

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25Apr2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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Remember the Tomatoes? Heirloom Seeds

In between discussions of high blood pressure, and the upcoming dreaded first colonoscopy, those of us of the “I owned an 8-track once” generation, will sometimes sit around reminiscing about the good old days. One sunny spring afternoon recently, amidst the usual memories of the firsts- first communion, first part time job, first […]

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22Apr2008 | Lisa | 3 comments | Continued
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Shall I Take the Hummer or the Bicycle?

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (AS) directly challenged Rajendra K. Pachauri, the head of the Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), and it wasn’t pretty.
“Going Green Can be Fun” said the governor, at a recently held climate change conference at Yale University. Stating that he “isn’t about to give up his jacuzzi, […]

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21Apr2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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Sparks Fly Between White House and EPA Over Recent Smog Standard Reduction

I hate to wish the summer away, but the November presidential elections can’t come fast enough for me.
The recent lowering of the smog standard sounded good initially (see my recent article.) The EPA lowered ground level ozone (smog) standards from 80 ppb to 75 ppb. 4000 lives per year would be saved, […]

Popularity: 55% [?]

11Apr2008 | Lisa | 4 comments | Continued
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Meet The Greens

Have your kids checked out WGBH’s new kid website, Meet the Greens? The kid in me is enjoying it. And for the older kid in me: I’ve been on LiveScience. Well, I guess for the geeky older kid in me, I’ve been on it.
By the way, not to toot my own horn, […]

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3Apr2008 | Lisa | 0 comments | Continued
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Trashion Phashion Passion

“Found Object” Fashion. Youth meets sustainability head on, and runs with it. One of my step-daughter’s, who’s twenty-four and just out of college, is a leader in this genre.
Here’s the definition, for all you neophytes:
Trashion- noun. sub-category of upcycling. “a philosophy and an ethic. Encompasses environmentalism and innovation, and respects the human creative […]

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2Apr2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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Planet Overload

“By 2050 or so, the world population is expected to reach nine billion, essentially adding two Chinas to the number of people alive today,” says Andrew Revkin, reporter for the NY Times. “Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where, scientists say, humans are already shaping climate and […]

Popularity: 45% [?]

1Apr2008 | Lisa | 3 comments | Continued
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