Healthy and Green Living » Green 101

Sustain-a-Quote For Sustainable Home Design

Ronnie Citron-Fink — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:07:03 +0000

Designers like to have the absolute last word. One only has to watch the reality TV design shows to see how far self-assurance will get you in the design field. Wishy-washy designers don�t make the cut - Auf Wiedersehen. As more and more designers are choosing to use eco-friendly furnishings and materials, they [...]

Homemade Bows for the Green Gifter!

Megan Zehnder — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:05:42 +0000

Can you cut out wrapping paper completely this holiday season? After searching some green crafting websites, I�ve decided it�s easy to do away with wasteful gift wrap AND still make a very lovely gift presentation. Perhaps one of the easiest alternatives to wrapping paper is newspaper. Think that wrapping a gift in newspaper just isn�t as classy [...]

Global Warming: An Ode to the Early Leaders

Jurriaan Kamp — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:05:10 +0000

Almost twenty years ago I lived in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Our neighbor was an artist, a painter–an interesting man with a great passion for the environment. Years before I met him he had given up his car. He only used public transport. And he only bought organic food and he had become a vegetarian. As [...]

Global Warming: The Biochar Solution

Jurriaan Kamp — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:05:56 +0000

The Ode team that is distributing our special issue with solutions to global warming in Copenhagen (you can get a free digital copy of this issue here) ran into an old friend– Thomas Harrtung, who was recently named by Time magazine “hero of the environment.” We featured Thomas Harttung in our November 2008 issue. [...]

Renewable Energy: Enough to Fight Global Warming?

Jurriaan Kamp — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:36:48 +0000

The shift from our current fossil fuel based economies to sustainable renewable energy economies is usually presented as a great challenge. That is also the message coming from the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Oil companies tell us that it can be done but that we need decades to get there. The numbers tell a [...]

Global Warming Was Not Created by Developing Countries

Jurriaan Kamp — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:39:19 +0000

Leaders of developing countries walked out of the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen yesterday to protest what they called an attempt to kill the Kyoto Protocol. Rich nations are trying to reach a new climate agreement that includes emissions targets for the developing world. Developing countries are not legally bound by Kyoto emissions targets and [...]

Can Garlic Stop Climate Change?

Megan, selected from Ode magazine — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:17:11 +0000

From Ode Magazine Over 20 percent of methane gas, a greenhouse gas, is emitted by cows. There are about a billion cows in the world, and their methane emissions total more than the methane gas produced by all the cars, planes, ships and trucks in the world combined, according to Springwise. UK company Mootral thinks they have [...]

5 Ways to Do Less and Accomplish More

Megan, selected from Experience Life — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:09:48 +0000

By Marc Lesser, Experience Life What do I mean when I say that you can do less and yet accomplish more? The guiding principle is that when we approach any task in the right spirit, we become more successful and efficient at it. When we engage in fewer self-defeating behaviors, we accomplish more of whatever we [...]

Give Peace A Chance: Make a Peace Wreath!

Ronnie Citron-Fink — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:08:12 +0000

During this holiday season, each and every one of us has the opportunity to build peace in our lives - locally and globally. Each culture and religion celebrates the winter holidays in its own unique way. Believe me, as someone who blends together two diverse traditions, peace binds it all together. Share your sentiment [...]

Fake vs Real: Which Christmas Trees are Greenest?

Melissa Breyer — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:01:37 +0000

As a kid growing up in Los Angeles I was always attracted to the Christmas lots that had trees frosted with pink or turquoise fake snow. (What were they thinking?) I have yet to see those special specimens since, but it�s no surprise that as an adult I lean toward non-traditional trees. Part of that is just my stubborn attraction to the unique, but much of it stems from my feelings for trees.

Although I know that Christmas trees are farmed like any other harvested plant, it still makes me sad to think of those noble little guys whacked down for my temporary pleasure. But my humble homemade feather tree is starting to molt�and I wonder if it�s time to join the 29 million American households who will buy a fresh cut tree this year? Or should I opt for an artificial tree? How about a living tree that will take a Christmas miracle of its own to actually end up planted in my garden? To forego a tree altogether is way too bah-humbug for me, so what is the greenest Christmas tree option?