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The Great Backyard Bird Count is losing feathers due to climate change.

by LudieVosper Posted on February 17, 2017

In December, when Musk got stuck in traffic, instead of leaning on the horn or flipping off the other drivers, he decided to build a new transportation system. An hour later, Max Chafkin writes in Bloomberg Businessweek, “the project had a name and a marketing platform. ‘It shall be called The Boring Company,’” Musk wrote.

Musk told employees to grab some heavy machinery and they began digging a hole in the SpaceX parking lot. He bought one of those machines that bores out tunnels and lays down concrete walls as it goes. It’s named Nannie.

Musk is the grown-up version of the kid who decides to dig to China: He doesn’t pause to plan or ask what’s possible, he just grabs a stick and starts shoveling. Maybe that’s the approach we need. As Chafkin points out, “Tunnel technology is older than rockets, and boring speeds are pretty much what they were 50 years ago.” And Bent Flyvbjerg, an academic who studies why big projects cost so much, says that the tunneling industry is ripe for someone with new ideas to shake things up.

Musk is a technical genius. But the things that make tunnels expensive tend to be political — they have to do with endless hearings before local government councils and concessions to satisfy concerned neighbors and politicians. For that stultifying process, at least, Musk’s new company is aptly named. If Musk figures out how disrupt local land-use politics, it would mean he’s smarter than anyone thinks.

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The Great Backyard Bird Count is losing feathers due to climate change.

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Tesla’s New Solar Roof Is Pretty, But Is It Practical?

by LoisCraine Posted on November 7, 2016

Last week, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors spoke before a crowd at the set of the TV show Desperate Housewives. “The interesting thing is that the houses you see around you are all solar houses,” said Musk. “Did you notice?” This news shocked the audience, as there wasn’t a solar panel in sight. Instead, the surrounding solar cells were camouflaged in glass roof tiles with styles like Tuscan and slate.

This is part of Musk’s vision to revolutionize clean energy generation. He unveiled plans by Tesla to produce solar roof tiles in a variety of colors and textures. His goal is to make solar roofs that look better than the typical roof, have an installed cost that is lower than a new roof plus the cost of electricity, last longer, and provide better insulation.

If he can pull this off, rooftops as we know them will not be the same. Could this be the leap necessary to make solar more appealing and widespread?

Although Musk shows that going solar can be more aesthetically pleasing, pricing information on the solar tiles has not yet been released. The cost of solar energy, however, has plummeted in recent years and is already cost competitive with fossil fuel-based grid power in 10 U.S. states. Musk’s goal seems both realistic and viable if Tesla can work out the details.

You’d be hard-pressed to guess these slate glass tiles are actually solar tiles. Photo credit: Tesla

The Problem with Asphalt Shingles

Certainly, this common roofing system could use an overhaul. Asphalt roofs are not impressive from an environmental standpoint. They have low recycling rates (due to the potentially hazardous materials they contain), a mere 20-year lifespan and they absorb too much heat. By using a petroleum-based product, asphalt shingles increase our reliance on fossil fuels. When solar panels are mounted on asphalt roofs, the panels typically outlive the roof. This means that roofers have to work around the solar system or else temporarily remove the array.

In addition, an aluminum racking system is used to mount the solar panels. Although this is a relatively modest cost when considering the total system cost, solar tiles do not require such hardware because the tile and the solar cells are integrated. Combining solar cells with roofing materials could reduce total installation costs when compared to installing both a new roof and solar panels.

Why Is a Car Company Making Solar Roof Tiles?

From a lifestyle perspective, a solar roof and a car powered by solar energy go well together. Photo credit: Tesla

Tesla is dedicated to the world’s transition to clean energy. This vision includes renewable electricity generation, energy storage and clean transportation. Musk is the chairman and the largest investor in both Tesla and SolarCity, which makes solar power systems for homes and businesses. There is a $2.6 billion merger with SolarCity on the table, which will come to a shareholder vote on Nov. 17. Musk says SolarCity has 300,000 solar customers and Tesla has 180,000 car owners, and he sees great cross-selling opportunities. Introducing a sleek new solar product is likely to appeal to electric vehicle owners, who can use solar power to recharge.

Given that Tesla has proven itself with disruptive technology in recent years, revolutionizing both rooftops and clean power generation seems well within their means.

Related: We Could Power America with Relatively Few Solar Panels, So Why Aren’t We?

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Sarah Lozanova

Sarah Lozanova is a renewable energy and sustainability journalist and communications professional with an MBA in sustainable management. She is a regular contributor to environmental and energy publications and websites, including Mother Earth Living, Earth911, Home Power, Triple Pundit, CleanTechnica, The Ecologist, GreenBiz, Renewable Energy World and Windpower Engineering. Lozanova also works with several corporate clients as a public relations writer to gain visibility for renewable energy and sustainability achievements.

Latest posts by Sarah Lozanova (see all)

Tesla’s New Solar Roof Is Pretty, But Is It Practical? – November 7, 2016
3 DIY Compost Bin Designs You Can Make This Weekend – November 3, 2016
The Best Ways To Heat Your Home: Separating Myth From Fact – October 21, 2016

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Tesla’s New Solar Roof Is Pretty, But Is It Practical?

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How To Take Eco-Friendly Living To The Next Level

by Melodee5461 Posted on October 25, 2016

You know when you buy a product that you really love and you end up raving about it to anyone who will listen? That’s kind of how going green feels. Once you do all the work it takes to minimize your carbon footprint, you find yourself eager to help others do the same. Unfortunately, it can be hard to push people toward eco-friendly living without coming across as preachy.

If you’re looking for a few simple, nonconfrontational ways to encourage friends, family and neighbors to join the earth-friendly movement, consider the following avenues.

Your Local School

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

If you have children, set aside some time to work with their schools. (Even if you don’t have kids, you can still volunteer in a nearby school to start an eco-friendly program.) You might begin by offering to help out with events and joining the PTA. Then, get a group of like-minded parents and teachers together and start putting forward some green activities and initiatives. You can engage the whole school community by:

Coordinating an International Walk to School Day. Walking to school not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, it helps reduce air pollution!
Encouraging the school to go digital where possible. Newsletters, field trip information, PTA meeting updates, volunteer requests, etc., can be sent home via email rather than being printed out and copied for each student.
Establishing a recycling club. Place recycling bins in classrooms, offices, the gym, music room, art room, cafeteria and copy room. Have student members of the recycling club collect and empty the bins during lunch and recess or after school.
Starting a compost pile. Kids will learn how food waste can be recycled into nutrient-rich fertilizer for their gardens.

Kids love to learn, and you’ll find so much joy in helping them look at the world in a new way. After all, the earlier we start educating children about how our lifestyles affect the environment, the easier it is for them to adapt to healthier ways of living on our planet.

Your Workplace

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

Does life in the office make you feel like you’re taking two steps back? There’s paper everywhere, recyclable items going in the trash, and enough waste to drive a person crazy. It’s time to step up and institute a change!

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Effecting change from the bottom up is often easier than heading directly to the CEO. Mobilize fellow eco-warrior team members and managers to help set in motion the following changes:

Standby power is a huge energy expense. Set computers to energy-saving settings and shut them down at the end of the day
Use natural light wherever possible.
Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) in fixtures. They cost 75 percent less to operate and last 10 times longer.
Turn off lights in spaces that are unoccupied.
Arrange an office carpool or encourage use of a car-sharing service like Flexcar or Zipcar.
Extol the virtues of working from home — and see if you can’t convince your higher-ups to let you do it more often. Not only are employees just as productive when working from home, the environmental effects of commuting are reduced.
Start an office recycling program. Cut back on the number of trash cans around the office while simultaneously adding more recycling bins.
Since paper use can’t be entirely avoided, ask your company to invest in recycled paper and envelopes that have been processed and colored using eco-friendly methods.

While these measures may not seem like much, each small step adds up to big energy and resource savings. Your co-workers are bound to feel good about doing their part to help the environment, and management is likely to see overhead costs go down dramatically. That’s a win-win!

Your Community

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

Inspiring a change in your community takes a bit of legwork, but it’s well worth it. Start by establishing yourself as an engaged member of the community. Chat with your neighbors and get an idea of what’s going on around you, as well as what’s missing. Then, take your place as an eco-leader by organizing community lectures, roundtable discussions and book clubs related to green initiatives.

Coordinate environmental cleanups at neighborhood parks, rivers and beaches. Take part in the community garden — and if you don’t have one, get one going! Start a “buy local” initiative. Shopping locally conserves energy, reduces greenhouse gases emitted during transportation and keeps resources circulating in the community. And last but not least, organize an Earth Day celebration and plant some trees!

It’s also important to talk to your local government officials. Ask whether they have environmental efforts in place, and offer to volunteer your time to ensure change is actually taking place.

The time and effort you put into effecting green change is not only vital for the health of your community, it’s also incredibly valuable. If environmental conservation is your passion, consider making it a career path. The nonprofit sector is awash with employment opportunities, having grown 25 percent in just 10 years and currently employing 10 percent of the U.S. workforce. By working for a nonprofit, you can impact policy and procedures more significantly than you may have ever imagined.

Eco-friendly living at home is just the first step to a more eco-conscious world. To really move forward, we need to take it upon ourselves to get involved in our communities and be a force for change. So get out there and get moving — the environment needs your voice!

Ready to take your eco-friendly living up a notch? Get inspiration from the amazing women we featured in “Sustainable Living: 6 People Proving Plastic-Free Possible.”

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Liz Greene

Liz Greene is an animal-loving, history-studying, pop culture geek from the beautiful City of Trees, aka Boise, Idaho. You can catch her latest misadventures on her blog,

Instant Lo

.

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How To Take Eco-Friendly Living To The Next Level – October 25, 2016
What I Learned My First Year Of Container Gardening – October 13, 2016
What Green Makeup Means To Me – July 20, 2016

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5 Freaky Ways To Have A Green Halloween

by EdmundoGutierre Posted on October 24, 2016

It can be quite challenging to maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle during holiday seasons, particularly Christmas and Halloween. It requires walking a fine line between successfully maintaining your environmentally conscious values and becoming a grouchy grinch who forbids fun in the name of the greater good.

Over the past few years, I think I’ve successfully refined my approach to major holidays, managing to navigate a happy balance between conscious consumption and celebration. With All Hallows’ Eve approaching, I’ve put together five ways to help you have a green Halloween.

1. Spookily Secondhand

Swapping your kids’ costumes can be a great way to save money and reduce waste. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

It seems like Halloween costume stores pop up in every empty storefront as soon as the first leaf falls from the tree in September, but despite the allure of these one-stop shops, secondhand stores are actually the best place to shop for a costume — either one you put together yourself or one you choose from a rack of store-bought options that were someone else’s creepy or cute aliases a year before.

These costumes will be a fraction of the price compared with buying new, and reusing a costume means you’ll not only save money, you’ll prevent that wicked witch or swashbuckling pirate from haunting a landfill somewhere.

This tip works especially well for kids’ costumes — often worn for just a few hours before being discarded, they’re usually in great shape and kids will enjoy choosing their own secondhand costume without price limitations.

2. Boo-tiful Reusable Decor

Halloween decor like these wooden blocks can be reused from year to year. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

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This year, eschew disposable decorations like police tape and spray-on cobwebs and opt for well-made decorations that can be used year after year instead (these can be found secondhand, too!). Choosing items made from sturdy materials like wood or cloth instead of plastic or Styrofoam means that they’ll last for years and be less likely to get damaged in storage.

Saving spooktacular decorations from one year to the next also means you can refine your sinister tableaus with each passing year instead of having to reinvent it from scratch each time.

3. Tricky Treats

Organic chocolates wrapped in foil are preferable to candy in plastic packaging. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

This one is perhaps the most challenging obstacle to overcoming a wasteful or polluting Halloween. Those teeny-tiny chocolate bars and fruit snacks are called “fun sized,” but the environmental impact of all those plastic candy wrappers is anything but — especially when you consider that we buy $2.2 billion in candy each Halloween season. All of those tiny wrappers add up, but handing out a box of raisins is sure to get your house egged — what’s a green ghoul to do?

Thankfully, there is an easy solution that can also help provide a happy Halloween for children with food sensitivities, too. Handing out a non-candy item like Halloween pencils or natural rubber pumpkin erasers allows you to sidestep the individually wrapped treats, but foil-wrapped organic chocolates are a great option, too.

If budget or tradition prohibits either of these options, don’t beat yourself up. It’s one day a year. Give in to the fun of the holiday and purchase normal Halloween candy, but buy a bit less of it (we all know that you end up eating a third of it anyway) and give out one piece per trick-or-treater.

4. Monstrous (in Moderation)

Limiting the number of houses your kids trick-or-treat at can cut down on waste (and sugar overload!). Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

Your kids are going to hate me for this one. (Please apologize to them on my behalf.) But limiting the number of houses your kids collect candy from while trick-or-treating will do a lot to decrease the amount of trash — not to mention nutritional damage — done by all of those chocolate bars and bags of chips.

Again, the goal isn’t to strip any shred of fun from the holiday, so don’t be stingy about it, but do set a limit — either a length of time or a number of street blocks. Parents can make this decision for kids under 5; kids older than 5 can work with you to find a limit that’s acceptable to you both. And rather than an exercise in deprivation, use it as a chance to talk to your kids about moderation, being happy with having “enough” and the effects — environmental and physical — of so much junk food.

5. Eco-Bash

Opt for real plates and utensils at your Halloween party instead of wasteful disposable items. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

If you’re brave enough to host a Halloween party, remember to avoid one-time-use serving items like plastic utensils and plates, plastic cups, and paper napkins. Investing in a set of inexpensive secondhand dishware and cloth napkins hugely reduces the amount of waste generated by parties and can be stored and reused for any special occasion, meaning you can avoid a truly frightening amount of trash.

From everyone here at Earth911, we wish you a happy, green Halloween!

Stumped on what to do with that jack-o’-lantern? Watch our video “What to Do with That Halloween Pumpkin” for great tips!

Feature image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Madeleine Somerville

Madeleine Somerville is the author of

All You Need Is Less: An Eco-Friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity

. She is a writer, wannabe hippie and lover of soft cheeses. She lives in Edmonton, Canada, with her daughter. You can also find Madeleine at her blog,

Sweet Madeleine

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Latest posts by Madeleine Somerville (see all)

5 Freaky Ways To Have A Green Halloween – October 24, 2016
4 Brands Doing Clothes Recycling Right – October 18, 2016
Does Being An Environmentalist Require A Certain Look? – September 21, 2016

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5 Freaky Ways To Have A Green Halloween

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Nearly every country in the world has agreed to cut back on a potent greenhouse gas.

by azulurwok Posted on October 17, 2016

Ravaging crops, drowning goats, and wrecking fishing boats, the Category 4 storm devastated the financial mainstays of an already impoverished people, the Miami Herald reports.

While experts struggle to calculate Matthew’s long-term economic toll, Haitian farmers can see their losses in front of them, in fields littered with rotting fruit and fallen palms. Half the livestock and almost all crops in the nation’s fertile Grand-Anse region were destroyed. Although vegetables can be replanted, it will take years for new trees to bear fruit again. “This was our livelihood,” Marie-Lucienne Duvert told the Herald, of her coconut and breadfuit plantation. “Now it’s all gone, destroyed.”

The farmers, who have yet to receive any relief, are facing threats from famine and contaminated water. Matthew has already caused at least 200 cases of cholera, which could mark the beginning of an outbreak like the one following 2010’s crippling earthquake that claimed 316,000 lives and left 1.5 million homeless.

The death toll from the storm is over 1,000 in the Caribbean, a number that will likely continue to rise as Haitians struggle to find food.

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Nearly every country in the world has agreed to cut back on a potent greenhouse gas.

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Brexit could have serious repercussions for the climate

by WillaAbercrombi Posted on June 24, 2016

Brexit Stage Right

Brexit could have serious repercussions for the climate

By on Jun 24, 2016 10:41 amShare

Britain has voted to leave the European Union by a 52–48 margin. Environmentalists and climate hawks are worried about what that might mean.

Many green leaders had called on voters to oppose a British exit from the EU — or Brexit — arguing that the EU has raised environmental standards in the U.K. and the rest of Europe. They noted that environmental problems are international in nature, so international cooperation is necessary to fight them effectively.

Outgoing United Nations climate head Christiana Figueres also warned against Brexit, saying earlier this week that the U.K. increased the ambition of European climate negotiators before and during the Paris climate talks last December.

So now what happens?

With respect to the climate, the short-term effects of Britain’s decision could potentially be positive. Economists have predicted a Brexit-driven, economy-wide slowdown, which almost certainly implies a drop in Britain’s carbon emissions. During the 2008 recession, for example, global emissions fell by about 1.5 percent. Already today the British pound fell to its lowest level since 1985, and global financial markets have taken a big tumble.

It’s unclear how Brexit will affect energy markets. Oil prices plummeted on Friday. Businesses and investors planning new energy developments in the U.K. — renewable energy projects and fracking projects alike — may postpone them, Politico notes. In the EU emissions trading system (ETS), carbon prices have already fallen more than 15 percent.

Another big unknown is how this will affect the Paris climate agreement. Britain’s climate-action pledge was included in the EU’s pledge. “From the point of view of the Paris agreement, the U.K. is part of the EU and has put in its effort as part of the EU, so anything that would change that would require then a recalibration,” said Figueres. As it sorts out what to do without the U.K., the EU will likely see a slow-down in its ratification process.

Climate hawks are also concerned that a new government in Britain could be less committed to climate action. Prime Minister David Cameron pushed for the Paris Agreement, but he won’t be around for much longer. He had led the failed “Remain” campaign, and on Friday morning, after the results of the referendum came in, he announced his intention to resign in October. At that point, another member of the Conservative Party will become prime minister. Many of the conservatives who had campaigned for Brexit are also climate deniers, and they will likely have more power in a new government.

The impact could go beyond the climate. Farming minister George Eustice, a notable Brexiteer, previously announced his desire to get rid of EU environmental directives that protect birds and habitats. He and other campaigners have advocated for a new, more flexible approach to environmental protection, but opponents of the Vote Leave campaign are skeptical that such an approach will be equally effective.

“Don’t tell me that a new Brexit-led British government is going to put environmental regulations at top of its pile on June 24,” Stanley Johnson, co-chair of Environmentalists for Europe, told the Guardian late last month. “It is not going to happen.”

Other energy experts, though, point to Britain’s leadership on clean energy and climate action and argue that the vote will ultimately be good news for the climate. Michael Liebreich, founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, called the referendum a “historic opportunity to loosen the ties that bind” Britain to Europe’s “anti-innovation bias.”

Britain’s exit from the EU won’t be immediate; first comes a two-year exit negotiation process. As the U.K. cuts and restitches ties to Europe, the world will be watching to see if the nation emerges as a climate leader.

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Former Cop Who Shot and Killed Walter Scott Now Faces Federal Charges

by Melvina67K Posted on May 11, 2016

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

The former police officer who was filmed fatally shooting Walter Scott, an unarmed black man in South Carolina last year, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three new charges. The federal indictment, which was filed on Tuesday, accuses Michael Slager of violating Scott’s civil rights, obstruction of justice, and the unlawful use of a weapon, the New York Times reports.

Last April, a bystander recorded Slager fatally shooting Scott in the back as he attempted to flee a routine traffic stop, directly challenging Slager’s initial claim that Scott had stolen his police taser and tried to use it against him. The new charges this week accuse Slager of purposely misleading authorities.

According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, if convicted, Slager could face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the civil rights violation.

Slager is already facing a possible sentence of 30 years to life for the shooting death, after a South Carolina jury indicted him on murder charges last June.

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Former Cop Who Shot and Killed Walter Scott Now Faces Federal Charges

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Emma Watson’s Met Gala outfit was trash

by CassieO74ss Posted on May 3, 2016

Trashy to Classy

Emma Watson’s Met Gala outfit was trash

By on May 3, 2016Share

Scrolling through Met Gala photos is like going through a bag of jelly beans — full of surprises and questions! Are cyborgs and werewolves coming for us all? Are these the end times? Is that a pile of garbage on top of Emma Watson?

Yes, it is, and it actually looked cute. Watson’s dress — a collaboration by Calvin Klein and Eco Age — is made from recycled plastic bottles. Since we’re on track to have more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050, thank goodness someone had the ingenuity and presence of mind to toss some of that on one of Hollywood’s more celebrated starlets.

I know what you’re thinking: “That’s not sustainable! When is she going to wear that again?” A valid question, as Americans wear a given garment seven times on average before throwing it away. Surprise, again: That’s not a dress — those are pants. In fact, it’s a multi-piece, mix-and-matchable outfit.

Watson explains how it all works on her Facebook page: “It is my intention to repurpose elements of the gown for future use. The trousers can be worn on their own, as can the bustier, the train can be used for a future red carpet look … I’m looking forward to experimenting with this. Truly beautiful things should be worn again and again and again.”

Specifically, she’s planning to wear the outfit 30 times.

On the topic of ocean awareness: Did Taylor Swift skin a fish for a dress that wouldn’t look out of place on a bottle waitress at the most elite club in Canton, Ohio? Don’t get me wrong — that’s a high compliment.

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Emma Watson’s Met Gala outfit was trash

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Everything You Need to Know About Pot’s Environmental Impact

by Myrna Posted on April 19, 2016

Lots of energy. Lots of water. Amelia Bates/Grist Americans smoke a lot of weed. It’s a little tricky to get a handle on the actual numbers — there’s that whole “illegal” thing in a lot of places — but we can say there are at least 20 million users in the country. Colorado alone had nearly $1 billion in recreational and medicinal marijuana sales in 2015, enough to rake in more than $130 million in taxes and fees. Weed’s becoming a hefty industry, and like any other, it’s going to have a hefty environmental footprint. So as decriminalization makes its THC-laden way across the United States, Grist is here to show you just how big that footprint is. Read the rest at Grist. Original source:   Everything You Need to Know About Pot’s Environmental Impact ; ; ;

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Everything You Need to Know About Pot’s Environmental Impact

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Science Has Found a Brilliant New Use for Your Kitchen Scraps

by Myrna Posted on March 9, 2016

Turns out, dumping compost on grasslands can do a surprising amount for the planet. Steve Russell/The Toronto Star/ZUMA When John Wick and his wife, Peggy Rathmann, bought their 540-acre ranch in 1998, it was in bad shape. Located in California’s Marin County, a windswept region northwest of San Francisco Bay, the land had been worn down by overgrazing; the grass was gone and the soil was degraded. Neither Wick nor Rathmann knew how to fix it because the couple didn’t have any ranching experience—Wick worked in construction management, and Rathmann wrote children’s classics like 10 Minutes till Bedtime and Good Night, Gorilla. So Wick consulted his friend Jeffrey Creque, a rangeland ecology expert. Creque helped Wick repair the soil by bringing back some grass—which gave the two an idea: They knew that in addition to enriching the soil, healthy grass, through photosynthesis, could remove carbon from the atmosphere. So was there a way, they wondered, to grow more grass on Wick’s land and slow global warming at the same time? The theory made sense: Carbon that is absorbed by grass can be stored for hundreds of years in the grass’ roots and surrounding soil—a much better spot for it than in the air, where it warms the planet in the form of carbon dioxide. Carbon-enriched soil, in turn, feeds grass so it can grow taller and suck down even more carbon. In rangelands, this cycle takes place on a massive scale: Between the grass and the soil, a third of the world’s carbon is stored in these expanses. But tilling and overgrazing unleash that carbon. These practices also cause topsoil erosion, which compounds the problem by making it hard for grass to grow. To make matters worse, rangelands are often home to cows, and manure releases methane and nitrous oxide gases into the atmosphere. In fact, livestock are responsible for nearly one-fifth of the globe’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Read the rest at Mother Jones. Originally posted here –  Science Has Found a Brilliant New Use for Your Kitchen Scraps ; ; ;

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Science Has Found a Brilliant New Use for Your Kitchen Scraps

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