The Go Green Debate

In recent years, the declining population of the honey bee in the U.S. has caused a trickle-down effect into other agricultural endeavors. This trickle-down effect doesn’t start with the decline of the bees themselves though. It starts from something known as Colony Collapse Disorder, which is a phrase for the fact that something is causing the entire bee colony to die off but no one really knows exactly why.

Penn State scientists have been analyzing pollen, wax, adult bees and brood (larvae), which led to the discovery of the presence of dozens of environmental chemicals, including pesticides used by agricultural producers to protect crops.

“This raises several complicated questions. Some of these compounds could react with each other to cause toxic effects or could combine with viruses or poor nutrition to weaken immunity and cause colony collapse. With the sheer number of compounds we’re finding in hives, it’s hard to believe that pesticides aren’t contributing to the general decline in bee health.”
- Maryann Frazier, senior extension associate in entomology

AS+GG, a local Chicago architect firm has proposed the Eco-Bridge as part of the city’s Green Initiative. The proposed Eco-Bridge is basically a 2 mile long breakwater that will offer residents and visitors great views from the bridge’s footpaths and futuristic observation tower, as well as a calm spot for boating.

AS+GG plans are intended to showcase the city’s dedication to sustainability and will include building the breakwater foundation on slag, a byproduct of steel-making, and the slag would be permeable, allowing fish to use it as a habitat. Plus the Bridge will house a wind farm to add to the sustainability theme.

The project is also intended to enhance Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. The observation tower is a prominent and central place to house the Olympic flame and the breakwater provides ample space for rowing and sailing events in calm water, which could offer terrific viewer access for these events.

But is the Bridge really Eco? Or is this just part of Chicago’s PR spin to become the “Greenest City in America“?

What is Pangea Day?

Pangea Day is a four-hour film festival of “user-generated films and TED-style short talks from scientists, filmmakers, and global visionaries.” The event will air internationally May 10th, 2008 on television and online.

Below is a video featuring Cameron Diaz urging support for the day & why it is so important.

For more information on how to take part, check out Pangea Day’s official website.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day, April 22, marks the anniversary of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It is an annual celebration of the environment and intended to inspire awareness of & appreciation for the Earth’s environment.

Earth Day was initiated in 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, who started a “teach-in” to protest the government’s environmental ignorance. This eventually led to legislation including the Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1977) and fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.

Mary Lou Jepsen gives an awesome presentation on at the Greener Gadgets 2008 conference in New York on One Laptop Per Child.

“By trying to do the right thing and by designing for the poorest people in the world, we’ve made the greenest laptop in the world. And that’s not just the color!” - Mary Lou Jepsen

In the video below, Mary Lou illustrates how the OLPC laptop, also known as XO or the $100 laptop, is a new model for energy-efficient electronics, consuming just 2 Watts of energy.

The 11th Hour is a new documentary film narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film examines the human relationship with earth from its earliest glimmers of innovation, to the challenges humanity faces in the present, to the possibilities of the future.

The 11th Hour is the last moment when change is possible. This film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment — how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course.

The film features experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet & people.

Check Out The Trailer:

The U.S. population is growing faster then ever despite the lack of resources & the impact it has on the planet. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population will hit 303.15 million on January 1, 2008. This is up 0.9 percent from last year. They also estimate that in 2008, the country will add one person every 13 seconds.

Marlo Lewis & Dennis Avery talk about the problems with government subsidies for ethanol producers on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Is your hometown one of the most eco-friendly cities of the world?
Grist reports the top 15 greenest cities of the world. They compiled a list of cities deserving recognition for making impressive strides toward eco-friendliness, and helping their residents live better, greener lives.

Top 15 Greenest Cities
1- Reykjavik, Iceland
2- Portland, Oregon, U.S.
3- Curitiba, Brazil
4- Malmö, Sweden
5- Vancouver, Canada
6- Copenhagen, Denmark
7- London, England
8- San Francisco, California, U.S.
9- Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
10- Sydney, Australia
11- Barcelona, Spain
12- Bogotá, Colombia
13- Bangkok, Thailand
14- Kampala, Uganda
15- Austin, Texas, U.S.

Runners-up
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Freiburg, Germany
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Quebec City, Canada

Would you choose to not have a family to save the planet?

Well that is exactly what Toni Vernelli & Sarah Irving did.
Meet the women who won’t have babies - because they’re not eco friendly.

Toni at age 27 was sterilized to “protect the planet”. Her boyfriend at the time, now husband, was very supportive, being an environmental activist himself, gave her a card on the morning of surgery saying “Congratulations”.

Sarah at age 31 & after a year of dating her boyfriend, Mark Hudson, started talking about sterilization. At the age of 37, Mark had a vasectomy and the couple felt incredibly relieved there was no chance of them having a baby.