climate change

Online Retailers: Help Your Customers Offset Their Carbon Emissions

jplatt — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Studies have shown that shopping online is, on average, greener than driving around and shopping at a bunch of retail stores. But even shopping online creates carbon emissions, and many people feel guitly about buying anything that needs to be shipped.

GreenWorld's ShopGreen can help alleviate that buyer's remorse.

ShopGree is a free program that online retailers can download and install. It integrates with your shopping experience, and gives your customers the opportunity to make a voluntary additional contribution -- up to 1% of their total purchase -- to offset the carbon emissions created by the shopping exerpience.

In addition to paying a little bit extra, ShopGreen gives your online customers a very powerful user experience, allowing them to see how much carbon their shopping creates, and what is being done to offset it:

Customers receive tracking ID numbers that can be used to view records of their carbon offset investments at any time
They can also see statistics that show the cumulative ShopGreen™ impact for your site therefore and increase the likelihood of future transactions

How does it work? GreenWorld is working with EcoSecurities, "a company in the business of sourcing, developing and trading carbon offsets from greenhouse gas emission reduction projects throughout the world, to offer both Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) from a range of domestic and international projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry and methane capture."

So if you've got an online business, and want to do a little bit of good for the environment every time you sell something, give GreenShop a try. It might add a lot to your customer experience, and earn you some customer loyalty in return.

Cut Emissions 88% by Downloading Software

jplatt — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

I had to buy some new software recently, and when I did I found that I had two options: have the program shipped to me or download it directly to my computer. I chose to have it shipped. Boy, did that turn out to be the wrong decision.

According to a recent survey by Microsoft, in cooperation with Accenture and WSP Environment and Energy, downloading a single program saves the equivalent of a gallon of gas.

The savings comes not just from shipping costs, but also from the manufacture of software disks and packaging.

Microsoft initiated the study so it could visualize the impact of its Office 2007 suite. They found that 80% of their sales came from traditional retail outlets. If they could convince those 80% of buyers to download the program instead, it would be the same as taking 13,008 passenger cars off the road for one year.

The ultimate message: "Through electronic software distribution, technology companies, like Microsoft, are supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy."

So think about that the next time you need to order a program. Do you really need that CD-ROM to sit to on your shelf for the next five years, or will a simple download do the job? I'm guessing "Download Now" is going to be your best option.

Get Ready for Spring with an Electric Lawn Mower

jplatt — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Well folks, Spring is in the air, and so is the pollen. The grass is getting greeners, and starting to get tall. Any day now, it will be time to start mowing the lawn -- if you haven't started already!

But did you know that lawn mowers contribute to an amazing five percent of pollution and climate-change emissions in the United States? Yikes! That's a lot of dirty air for the pleasure of a green lawn.

Now, gas-powered mowers will need to be much more efficient and less polluting in a few years, starting in 2011, when the EPA will require new mowers to have 35% fewer emissions than today's models. But you don't need to wait until 2011 to lower your own impact on the air, and on the planet.

Electric mowers -- there are quite a few models on the market -- use less energy, produce fewer emissions, make less noise, and provide an excellent cut to your finely manicured lawn. Hand-powered push mowers are even better, offering zero emissions while you get lots of good exercise!

Want to see a wide selection of electric and push mowers? Check out Clean Air Gardening for dozens of models, plus tons of other great gardening supplies. Or try your local hardware store -- you might be surprised at what is available right around the corner.

Don't Forget Earth Hour This Weekend!

jplatt — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Who knew the brightest idea in fighting climate change was sitting in the dark?

This weekend, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their support in the fight against climate change.

The Earth Hour event takes place this Saturday, March 28th. Everyone who signs up is encouraged to turn off every light in their homes from 8:30-9:30 pm (that's your local time).

Earth Hour started two years ago, when 2.2 million people participated. This year, sponsor WWF is trying to take it to the next level, with a goal of 1 billion participants in 1,000 cities. So far, they have signed up more than 1,100 cities in 80 countries.

Time is running out, but there's still time to sign up for this year's event, so go ahead and send a message about our impact on the planet and fight climate change!

Refugees from Planet Earth

citizengoat — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:38:59 -0500

by Sarah at ProgressiveKid

War, disease, economic devastation, and catastrophic geologic and climate events create refugees every day. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants’ World Refugee Survey 2008, worldwide there are currently over 14 million. An additional 25 million people are displaced internally and so are not considered in refugee totals. In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, the advances of Tutsi Rebels have displaced 200,000 people since August.

But those are just numbers. And they’re so big, it’s hard to understand what they even mean on a personal level, to the people who are refugees—and to the people who are not.

People Without a Place

To be a person without a place is to be

a burden to someone else. As such, the refugee is unwanted.
rootless. The refugee is bereft of the social support of community, job, home, friends, school, place of worship, connections. In short, all he or she has left might be a bundle of personal possessions, a few family members, and, if fortunate, daily access to food and water.
on hold. Until the refugee again has a place in the world, he or she faces an immense challenge in raising a family, in making a meaningful contribution to society, in feeling worthwhile, and in establishing meaningful connections within a community.
in a power imbalance. Other people wield control over the refugee’s life. The refugee cannot vote, cannot complain, cannot work to change his or her circumstances, cannot demand basic civil rights.
in danger. Being a refugee means being subject to violence, to climate-caused hardship, to starvation, to illness, to rape, and to enslavement. In the three Somali refugee camps in northeast Kenya, the 100,000 refugees are subject to frequent attacks from bandits and militias. Their possessions are often stolen. The women are raped when they leave the camp to collect firewood or during bandit invasions. More than 300 rapes have been documented, 10 of them blamed on Kenyan police. In the Saharwi camps near Tindouf in the Algerian desert, where nearly 90,000 Saharwi have lived for 30 years, many refugees are enslaved, having become the property of other refugees in the camps. In August, Spanish police across the country freed 600 Russian sex slaves, economic refugees who had come to Spain for the promise of work picking strawberries. These are just a few examples of what a refugee faces.

Your New Neighbors

The United States has promised to admit 17,000 Iraqi refugees next year, up from 12,000 this year. (This figure pales in comparison to the burden shouldered by Syria, Jordan, and other neighboring countries of Iraq, which have taken in 1.5 million Iraqis.) The Center for Immigration Studies reports that 1.6 million legal and illegal immigrants, many of whom are economic refugees, settle in the United States each year. The Center predicts that if immigration continues at current levels, the nation’s population will increase by 167 million (56 percent) by 2060, with immigrants and their descendants accounting for 63 percent of the increase. But immigration will not continue at current levels. Instead, as a result of climate change, it will most certainly increase as increasing refugee populations look for places to relocate.

What does it mean to be the host country of refugees? First there is an economic burden, as health care, education, and social service resources are increasingly tapped. Second there is the burden of social unrest caused when large numbers of desperate people suddenly pour into an area and begin to consume already scant resources.

Planet of Refugees?

Climate change will bring refugee status and the burden of refugee hosting to people in all parts of the world. The UN has warned that the numbers of refugees are again on the rise, and that climate change is creating a new type of refugee. Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees explains: “Climate change is today one of the main drivers of forced displacement, both directly through impact on environment—not allowing people to live any more in the areas where they were traditionally living—and as a trigger of extreme poverty and conflict.” The Christian Aid Agency predicts that there will be a total of one billion people displaced by climate change by 2050.

Where are all the displaced people going to go? You can be sure that refugees are coming to your neighborhood, if you remain lucky enough to still have one. And the refugees will not just be human. We will be seeing refugees of every species in search of hospitable places on earth, looking for food, looking for water, looking for shelter.

If climate change remains unchecked, we are all in danger of becoming refugees from Planet Earth. Except there is no other place to go.

Image by Tracy Hunter, Creative Commons license, 2007.

One Month Until Earth Hour

jplatt — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

One month from now, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their support in the fight against climate change.

The Earth Hour event takes place March 28th, and encourages everyone who signs up to turn off every light in their homes from 8:30-9:30 pm (local time).

Earth Hour started two years ago, when 2.2 million people participated. This year, sponsor WWF is trying to take it to the next level, with a goal of 1 billion participants in 1,000 cities.

The Earth Hour site goes beyond individual acts and encourages you to tell your friends and influence your community. Think you can get local stores and government offices to turn off their lights on March 28, too? Then go ahead and do it! There are also all kinds of downloads to help promote events on a corporate and community level.

So if you'd like to send a message about our impact on the planet and climate change, go ahead and sign up for this year's Earth Hour. You never know how much change you can create on your own until you try.

Share Your Ideas on the Environmental Defense Fund's Innovation Exchange

jplatt — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Does your company have a unique method of saving energy or acting in an eco-friendly manner? If you answered yes, then share your idea!

The Environmental Defense Fund has created a forum where you can do just that. The Innovation Exchange hosts a growing community where members can share their money- and climate-saving ideas, either by posting what has worked for them or asking questions from others who might have already solved the same problems.

The Innovation Exchange also hosts a treasure trove of information culled from the EDF's archives, including case studies, recommendations and online utilities, all sorted by environmental aspect (climate change, paper & packaging, etc.) or industry (such as healthcare or manufacturing).

Give the site a try. You may be surprised at what you find!

Fight Global Warming While You Surf the Web

jplatt — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

How many times do you search the Internet every day? Five? Ten? Twenty? Two hundred?

What if every time you searched, you could do a little bit of good for the environment? Does that sound like something you'd like to try?

Well then, download and install the free Environmental Defense Fund Toolbar (for Firefox or Internet Explorer). Once this toolbar is installed on your browser, use it to search the Web instead of first going to Google or Yahoo or another search page. Every time you use the toolbar search, a donation will be made to the Environmental Defense Fund, which will then use the money to help fight global warming and support its other environmental initiatives.

The searches are powered by Yahoo, so you know you're getting good results. You'll also have the ability to get EDF action alerts directly through the toolbar, and spread the news about EDF activities to your friends and colleagues.

At a few pennies a search, those donation dollars can add up pretty quickly -- especially if you do a few hundred searches every day like me!

Give it a try. After all, even the little things you do can help make a difference.

Green Your Phone with Renewable Energy Credits

jplatt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:15:04 -0500

Looking for a way to make your cell phone a little bit greener? Best Buy has an idea -- visit one of their stores to buy wind-power energy credits to offset your phone's electricity use.

The program, called Green Your Phone, offers $10 enewable energy cards that offset the electricity use of two cell phones for two years (the average lifespan of a phone). The cards are loaded with 500 kilowatt hours of certified renewable energy credits (RECs), and purchases support the development of wind power projects in Kansas, Idaho, Wyoming and Minnesota.

The RECs guarantee that a specified amount of electricity is added to the national power grid with wind power or other renewable energy sources.

The "Green Your Phone" cards also include two “Offset with Wind Power” decals, so you can attach them to your phones and show off what you're doing to help save the environment.

The Green Your Phone program was created by a company called Renewable Choice Energy, a supplier of RECs and carbon offsets to both organizations and individuals.

Green Your Phone cards are available now in 1,000 Best Buy stores around the country, and online at their web site. (I hope they just give you the credits instead of mailing you the card, though...)

Greenpeace Grades the Electronics Makers on Climate Leadership

jplatt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

For the tenth time in the last two years, Greenpeace has ranked electronics manufactuers according to their policies and manufacturing procedures to come up with a list of the "greenest" electronics makers, but also to point out that few manufacturers are "showing true climate leadership."

Says Greenpeace, "Despite many green claims, major companies like Dell, Microsoft, Lenovo, LG, Samsung and Apple are failing to support the necessary levels of global cuts in emissions and make the absolute cuts in their own emissions that are required to tackle climate change."

Of the 18 companies listed in this edition of the Guide to Greener Electronics, "only Sharp, Fujitsu Siemens and Philips show full support for the necessary cuts of 30 percent for industrial nations by 2020."

Previous editions of the Guide looked at e-waste and related criteria. This time around, they focused solely on climate leadership:

Taking into account all criteria in the Guide, Nokia remains top, Toshiba makes a big improvement to 3rd place and Sharp and Motorola make big jumps up the ranking. The big PC companies such as Dell, HP, Apple and Acer drop down. Dell continues to be overtaken by other companies, with an unchanged score of 4.7. Although Apple drops a place, it improves its overall score slightly to 4.3, with much better reporting on the carbon footprint of its products. Apple has also recently show leadership on removing the worst toxics substances with new iPods free of toxics brominated flame retardants and PVC. All Apple products should be free of these substances by the end of 2008, which will challenge other PC makers to follow their lead.