Is Your Hamburger Destroying the Amazon?
Beef is not the most environmentally friendly food, as meats go- but things potentially just got a whole lot worse in August of 2016. This is when the US opened up beef imports from Brazil following an earlier import ban after concerns over Mad Cow Disease in 2012. The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil has...
Plant Power: How Photosynthesis May Be the Next Big Thing in Energy
While it may seem like technology out of a science-fiction film, plants may just be the next big thing in energy in the real world. Here is what we know about this new energy right now. Photosynthesis 101 That week spent covering photosynthesis in middle school was a long, long time ago, so here’s...
Donating a Car for Charity – What to Look For
Choosing a Car Donation Charity Generally, there are three different outcomes when donating your car to charity: It will be used and operated by the charity It will be given to a person in need It will be passed on to a 3rd party for a flat fee or percentage for resale/recycling Unless your...
Where Is Geothermal Energy Growing the Most?
Although the world is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, promising developments have appeared in renewable energy and sustainability. Geothermal energy resources are located within hot water reservoirs below the Earth’s surface. Although technicians must sometimes drill down a mile or even further, they can use water and steam from those reservoirs to generate...
Renewable Energy from Drinking Water Pipes
New clean energy sources don’t just come along everyday, but a new technology is combining turbines with gravity fed water pipes to generate hydroelectric power. While traditional hydroelectric energy generation is clean, it usually comes with some environmental impacts from interrupting waterways (endangered species, salmon spawning and eco-system health to name a few). This...
Make a Green Move: What to Look for in a City to Be More Eco-Friendly
After living in your current city for a while, you might be ready for a change. Fortunately, in terms of deciding where you want to move, you pretty much have carte blanche. You are confident that you can find work wherever you live, you are great at making friends and your family is welcome...
Why We Should All Care About Food Labeling
A little war over food labeling has been going on in our food aisles, and it is much more important than you may think. You may be asking, “what’s the problem, isn’t everyone for the labeling of our foods?” Well, many conventional food producers contend that labeling will cause confusion and fear – and...
How Rubber Is Revolutionizing Recycling
Rubber has gotten a bad rap from critics, but true to its nature, it has a way of bouncing back. Concerns about discarded tire accumulation have prompted a rubber recycling renaissance since 1991, when the EPA first began promoting use of recycled tire material for playgrounds and sports turf as a way of combating...
Harvesting Rainwater, Grey Water, & Landscape Water Recycling
So you’ve replaced your lawn with drought resistant natives, installed low-flow shower heads and faucets, upgraded your appliances to water saving efficient washing machines and dishwashers, and cut your water usage. What’s next? Well that’s where minds (and laws) are changing due to the long drought. Here in California, as with most of the...
Reservoir Floating Black Shade Balls – Saving Water Secondary
Making a big splash this year are millions of black plastic balls tasked with shading sunlight from the water, but it’s main purpose isn’t for saving water. The UV rays in sunlight can accelerate a chemical reaction between bromite, which is naturally found in groundwater, and chlorine, which is added to disinfect and kill...