the family blog

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JAN

The 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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Reduce the amount of the Earth’s resources that we use.
Reuse Don’t just trash can it, could someone else make use of it?
Recycle Can the materials be made into something new?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : Learn how reducing, reusing, and recycling can help you, your community, and the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. Recycling programs are managed at the state and local level—find information on recycling in your community.

The first green strategy any family can easily implement is to prepare a waste management program. All it takes is a little knowledge to understand the importance of waste reduction to the environment. So critical is this that reducing waste has been of paramount importance to the EPA due to the increased burden on our waste disposal sites. The environmental havoc created by landfills not only jeopardizes ecosystems but also increases the amount of deadly toxic gases released to the atmosphere, as well as polluting our freshwater supplies. As the population in the U.S. grows, more land will be required to handle the increased amount of waste being generated. The best way to accomplish waste reduction is to reduce waste by reusing and recycling waste. This can be done in many ways and the EPA website has plenty of information regarding waste reduction and resource conservation.

Reusing products and materials we generally send to the waste stream is being made easier today. Reuse and recycling centers are sprouting up all over the country to take in articles such as building materials, clothing, appliances, batteries and just about any material or product that someone else may have a use for. The Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries are prime examples of reuse centers, and private enterprise is recognizing the financial rewards associated with collecting and reselling. The benefits of this green strategy are enormous. Most importantly, waste management extends the life cycle of the material or product, thereby reducing the product’s embodied energy. Embodied energy is the amount of energy required to extract, harvest, manufacture and deliver the product to market. Instead of being a cradle-to-grave (takes, makes, wastes) product, it becomes a cradle-to-cradle product. Think about this the next time you summarily discard an article of clothing or something that is no longer of value to you. How much of our natural resources were required to produce that article? Is there someone less fortunate who could put this to good use? Or was someone looking to buy something very similar to that which you no longer need, yet this material still has some useful life remaining. It may save a tree, a few gallons of water, a few tons of fossil fuel or the home to a nest of birds or squirrels, somewhere.

There are two types of recycled materials. Preconsumer recycled content material and postconsumer recycled content material.

Preconsumer content is that which is scrap material generated at the source or manufacturer and has never reached the consumer. Typical items such as metal shavings, wood chips, carpet materials, denim fabric, paper mill products, or any off-fall or scrap material the manufacturer does not reuse for the same purpose. A landscaper may pick up wood chips from a lumber mill to use for mulching landscape beds. Those scraps of denim fabric can be reused for building insulation.

Postconsumer content, on the other hand, are materials which have been manufactured and delivered to the consumer market, used and no longer serve a useful purpose to the consumer. A remodeled kitchen may find the old cabinets set out curbside for someone to pick up and recycle. Many products manufactured today consist of a combination of preconsumer and postconsumer recycled content. Recycle centers are widely available today that separate waste into specific groups that can be reused or remanufactured. It cannot be overstated how critical it is to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Again, remember that your discarded items caused a reduction to one or more of our natural resources as well as wreaking havoc extracting the materials, used natural resources in manufacturing and delivering the product while also releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

According to the EPA, yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That’s a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead.

Here is an interesting list of facts about recycling, according to DOSOMETHING.ORG:

The average American uses 650 pounds of paper each year – 100 million tons of wood could be saved each year if all that paper was recycled.

Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

A typical family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That’s a lot of containers that can all be recycled!

About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is only 28%.

Every month Americans throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper (think: Empire State Building), but all of these jars are recyclable!

Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures a year! Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It’s twice the size of Texas and is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. It’s also 80 percent plastic, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons.

Recycling one ton (about 2,000 pounds) of paper saves 17 trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of pollution.

The 17 trees saved by recycling one ton of paper can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air each year.

If all of our newspapers were recycled, we could save about 250 million trees each year! If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save about 25 million trees each year.

More than 20 million Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of aluminum foil. Believe it not, ALL that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it so most it goes in the trash!

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. In spite of this, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months!

Granted, reducing the amount of waste we generate offers us little, if any, financial benefit. But when you fully understand the positive results it has to our environment with little effort or cost, it should be everyone’s first step toward responsible environmental stewardship. Even those who have no interest in green lifestyles should find little argument for not supporting waste management.




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JAN

Water Conservation for the Homeowner

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It has been said that due to the projected increase in population and demands on our fresh water supplies, water may become the next natural resource to be as coveted, guarded and fought over as oil. Water is vital to the survival of everything on the planet and is limited in supply. The earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact less than 1 percent is available for human use. The rest is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for use.

While the population and the demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply remains constant. Just imagine, in the U.S., 340 billion gallons of fresh water is withdrawn from rivers and reservoirs each day to support residential, non-residential, agricultural and recreational activities. And on an annual basis, we extract more than 3,700 billion gallons of water than we return to the natural water system to recharge aquifers and other water sources, and it is estimated that 35 states will deplete their fresh water reserves by 2015. Shockingly, 20% of the water we consume annually is used for irrigation. If all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year!

Also, when we use water more efficiently, we reduce the need for costly water supply infrastructure investments and new wastewater treatment facilities. It takes a considerable amount of energy to deliver and treat the water you use every day. American public water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year—enough electricity to power more than 5 million homes for an entire year. For example, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours.

For many, our yards are our outdoor homes that are beautiful and great spaces for relaxing and by taking care of our lawns and gardens properly, we can save money, time, and help protect the environment. The EPA’s GreenScapes program encompasses a set of landscaping practices that can improve the health and appearance of your lawn and garden while protecting and preserving natural resources. Save money by eliminating unnecessary water and chemical use. Save time by landscaping with plants that require less care.

Protect the environment by conserving water supplies, using chemicals properly and only when necessary and reducing yard waste by recycling yard trimmings into free fertilizer and mulch. Did you know that watering too much or too little is the cause of many common plant problems? You can have healthier plants, save money on water bills and conserve precious water resources by learning to give your lawn and garden just what they need, and no more.

Have your landscaper group plants according to their water needs. Specify plants, shrubs and grasses that are indigenous to your climate. These types of plants have acclimated to the regional climate and require less, if any, irrigation or pesticides. Rebuying means rethinking your purchasing habits. Look for products that meet your needs but have a better environmental profile than your current product purchases. Consider biobased, recycled content, water efficiency, energy efficiency, and other environmentally preferable aspects in your purchasing decisions. A few examples include water and energy efficient products, organic pesticides and fertilizers, manual or electric yard equipment, and solar landscape lighting.

Rebuying is key to sustaining recycling markets and it aids in the development of technology that conserves resources and prevents waste. Another strategy is using rain barrels to collect water runoff from the roof. A roof area of only 1,000 square feet can provide about 600 gallons of water during a 1 inch rainfall. Check with your local stormwater utility, as many are now providing rain barrels free, or at little cost.

Remember to work with nature in your yard by starting with these five easy steps:

1 — Build and maintain healthy soil

2 — Plant right for your site

3 — Practice smart watering

4 — Adopt a holistic approach to pest management

5 — Practice natural lawn care

On the inside of our homes, there are also easy and inexpensive ways to reduce our water consumption. To begin, it would be helpful to understand the EPA’s partnership program – WaterSense. Since the program’s inception in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save a cumulative 46 billion gallons of water and $343 million in water and sewer bills, reductions of 4.9 billion kwh of electricity and 1.75 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through the use of WaterSense labeled products. If you are building a new home, your plumbing supplier or contractor can provide advice for selecting WaterSense products for your faucets, showerheads and toilets. If you are remodeling or need to replace a broken or tired fixture, use a WaterSense fixture at little additional cost.

For new construction, a properly designed, efficient water heating system should be incorporated into the new home. If you do anything to reduce the amount of heated water you use, you have also reduced the amount of energy consumed. It takes energy to heat water, so you get bonus points here that should be considered in your decision making process.

Here are a few tips on saving water inside your home:

Toilets — Consider installing a WaterSense labeled toilet, which uses 20 percent less water while offering equal or superior performance. Compared to older, inefficient models, WaterSense labeled toilets could save a family of four more than $90 annually on its water utility bill, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilets. Check for toilet leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 15 minutes.

Faucets — Installing a WaterSense labeled aerator is one of the most cost-effective ways to save water. Also consider replacing the entire faucet with a WaterSense labeled model. Either way, you can increase the faucet’s efficiency by 30 percent without sacrificing performance. Repair dripping faucets and showerheads. A drip rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.

Tub vs Shower — A full bathtub can require up to 70 gallons of water, while taking a 5-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons. Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth can save 8 gallons per day.

Washing Dishes and Clothes — Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes or lower the water settings for smaller loads. Replace your old washing machine with a high-efficiency, ENERGY STAR® labeled model, which uses up to 50 percent less water and electricity.

Eartheasy | 45+ Ways to Conserve Water in the Home and Yard: Eartheasy provides solutions for sustainable living in the form of eco-friendly products, comprehensive guides, and informative articles. Eartheasy also contains lots of free guides on gardening, composting, energy efficiency, and independent living.




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JAN

Energy Conservation for the Homeowner

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Lighting Choices to Save you Money : Learn why turning your lights on and off affects the life cycle of the lamp. Did you know that with the standard incandescent lamp, only 10%-15% of the energy consumed provides light? The rest is turned into heat. Consider alternative solutions such as the compact fluorescent lamp, or CFL. Perhaps the installation of a skylight or two can reduce the amount of artificial light needed, while also adding to the comfort of your family.

Appliances and Electronics: If you live in a typical U.S. home, your appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20% of your energy bills. These appliances and electronics include the following: clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, water heaters, televisions and dvd players, home audio equipment, computers. Consider using ENERGY STAR rated equipment.

Windows, Doors and Skylights : Windows, doors and skylights protect you from the elements just like a winter coat. But like a winter coat, you should pick the windows, doors and skylights that make the most sense for your climate. While some windows, doors and skylights are better at keeping you warm, others excel at keeping you cool.

Insulation and Air Sealing : Reducing the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home is a cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs, improve durability, increase comfort, and create a healthier indoor environment. Caulking and weather stripping are two simple and effective air-sealing techniques that offer quick returns on investment, often one year or less. Caulk is generally used for cracks and openings between stationary house components such as around door and window frames, and weather stripping is used to seal components that move, such as doors and operable windows.

Landscaping For Energy-Efficient Homes: A well-designed landscape not only can add beauty to your home but also can reduce your heating and cooling costs. A well-placed tree, shrub, or vine can deliver effective shade, act as a windbreak, and reduce your energy bills. Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses.

GREEN HOME GUIDE: A useful resource for sustainable new construction or remodeling to US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED standards. Green Home Checklist; Green Home 101; Articles; Find a Pro.




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JAN

Indoor Air Pollution and Health

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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): The quality of air indoors is among the top five environmental health risks. Americans spend on average 90% of their time indoors, where levels of pollutants can run up to 100 times higher than outdoors. With these pollutants affecting the health of 17 million Americans who suffer from asthma and 40 million who have allergies, millions of days of school and work are missed annually. The health costs alone can be staggering, not to mention lost wages and production. Indoor air quality becomes an even more important issue when there are children to consider. EPA websites have a great deal of information on describing the importance of improving the quality of the air inside and how to best manage indoor pollutants.

Three basic strategies to reduce pollutant concentrations in indoor air are source control, ventilation, and air cleaning.

Source control eliminates individual sources of pollutants or reduces their emissions and is usually the most effective strategy for reducing pollutants. There are many sources of pollutants in the home that can be controlled or removed, such as carbon monoxide, radon, formaldehyde, mold, dirt and dust. Today, low or no emission volatile organic chemical (VOC) products are readily available such as paints, carpets and furniture that reduce or eliminate the off-gassing of toxic chemicals. The odors you smell whenever you walk into a freshly painted or carpeted room are caused by the off-gassing of volatile chemicals. Another strategy for source control is to provide some type of walk off matt at the location of the primary entrances to your home, such as the main entry and the door from the garage to the house.

Ventilation is also a strategy for decreasing indoor air pollutant concentrations. It exchanges air between the inside and outside of a building. The introduction of outdoor air is important for good air quality. In a process known as infiltration, outdoor air flows into the house through openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around windows and doors. Natural ventilation describes air movement through open windows and doors. Most residential forced air-heating systems and air-conditioning systems do not bring outdoor air into the house mechanically. Two primary ventilation methods can be used in most homes: general ventilation and local ventilation. Advanced designs for new homes are starting to add a mechanical feature that brings outdoor air into the home through the HVAC system. Some of these designs include energy efficient heat recovery ventilators to mitigate the cost of cooling and heating this air during the summer and winter. Individual exhaust equipment should always be used at point sources such as bathrooms and cooking appliances.

Air cleaning may be useful when used along with source control and ventilation, but it is not a substitute for either method. The use of air cleaners alone cannot ensure adequate air quality, particularly where significant sources are present and ventilation is insufficient. While air cleaning may help control the levels of airborne particles including those associated with allergens and, in some cases, gaseous pollutants in a home, air cleaning may not decrease adverse health effects from indoor air pollutants. However, in all cases, consideration should be given for installing high efficiency air filters in your heating and air conditioning systems.




1
JAN

A Final Word for the Family

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If you are just beginning to explore the world of green lifestyles, whether it entails a simple one-step-at-a-time approach in lifestyle adjustment, or something more committed like remodeling your existing home, or perhaps building a new green home, the ordeal can be daunting, confusing and frustrating. There are plenty of websites available today that offer advice and product selection for living green lifestyles or remodeling a room in your home.

However, if you are planning on adding a major addition to your home or building new, you would be well advised to seek advice and assistance from qualified professionals who have the knowledge and experience designing and building green homes. Even if you are not interested in a home certified by one of the green building rating systems, you should consider the fact that a professional can offer guidance and services that will protect your environmental commitment as well as your financial investment. This is much more complex than merely understanding that more insulation is better, or water efficient fixtures save money.

Look into the local resources available in your area for experienced designers, architects, home remodelers and builders. Check to see if there is a local Home Builders Association or regional USGBC chapter, or other professionals who have reputable green building credentials. Visit several websites, if for no other reason than just being familiar with the technologies and strategies offered today that address what is important to you. If and when you do meet with a professional, you will be better prepared to ask questions or understand some of the dialog. And please don’t be shy about posting questions on the family section of this website, or send us an e-mail at [email protected].

You may have noticed the absence of content with regard to transportation. The adverse environmental effects from transportation are well documented, but short and long term solutions are in dispute. Electric cars have fallen off the radar, ethanol certainly has been proven to be a bust, for several reasons, and the jury is still out on the immediate contributions, both positive and negative, from hybrid vehicles. Just drive responsibility and manage the amount of miles you drive, with whichever vehicle you feel comfortable owning.




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JAN

Green Websites and Blogs for the Family

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The list of reference websites and blogs included at this level grew to be much longer than originally intended, and for good reason. The sites located at the top of the list were selected for their content focusing on environmental issues that need to be addressed if we are to adopt responsibly sustainable lifestyles - reducing waste generation, energy and water conservation, and indoor air quality. The remaining sites offer additional consumer oriented information, strategies, products and commentary.

Green Building: EPA’s Green Building Web site is a “portal” site designed to give users one convenient gateway from which to access numerous EPA programs and topics related to environmentally friendly building

Reduce the Environmental Impact of Your Energy Use : ENERGY STAR and energy efficiency. Simply put, energy efficiency is about using less energy to get the same job done - and in the process, avoiding high energy bills and unnecessary pollution.

Climate Change | What You Can Do At Home: Making a few small changes in your home and yard can reduce greenhouse gases and save you money. Explore the list of 10 simple steps you can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Change five lights; Look for ENERGY STAR; Heat and cool smartly; Seal and insulate your home; Reduce, reuse, recycle; Use water efficiently; Be green in your yard; Purchase green power; Calculate your household’s carbon footprint; Spread the word. NOTE: This is an EPA website that has extensive links and ideas. Some of the more important links are also listed below.

ENERGY STAR | The Simple Choice for Energy Efficiency: EPA and U.S. Department of Energy joint program; like the Energy Savers site, another good place to start learning about energy conservation

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: EPA website to learn how reducing, reusing, and recycling can help you, your community, and the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. Recycling programs are managed at the state and local level—find information on recycling in your community.

WaterSense: EPA joint program on water conservation, products and resources; a good place to start learning about water conservation

GreenScaping – The easy way to a Greener, Healthier Yard: EPA website for water conserving landscaping strategies including information on maintaining healthier soils with compost and mulch

Energy Saver: U.S. Department of Energy site with energy saving tips and products for your home, vehicle and workplace; a good place to start learning about energy conservation

Qualified New Homes: EPA’s ENERGYSTAR website for new homes

Home Improvement: EPA’s ENERGYSTAR website for home improvement projects

Indoor Air Quality: EPA website addressing the quality of air inside the home; room-by-room tour of the IAQ home, addresses mold, asthma, radon, carbon monoxide and more

Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home: EPA webpage for valuable information regarding indoor air quality in the home; it’s important to know there is more to air filters than what aisle they are located in at your local hardware store

Green Home Guide: USGBC site with reviews and advice for green remodeling and living; articles, directories of recommended products and green building professionals and retailers

REGREEN Program: USGBC site focused on home remodeling projects; plenty of useful information on bathroom, kitchen and basement remodels as well as additions, energy retrofits, weatherization and green products

Forest Stewardship Council: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests

Sustainable Forestry Initiative: like the Forest Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) label is a sign you are buying wood and paper products from a responsible source, backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit

Cradle to Cradle: The Institute prescribes a set of design principles, based on the laws of nature, to help businesses create products that are safe for people and the environment.

DOSOMETHING: 110 facts about Recycling

The Green Guide: National Geographic source for greening your life; includes tips on saving energy and water as well as sections on parenting, food and travel and a buying guide

Alternative Energy News: Alternative energy news, and information about renewable energy technologies.

H2ouse: Water Conservation; Appliances; Heating; Cooling; Exterior; Homesteading. If you’re building your own home, renovating an area of your home, or even just swapping out the carpet in…

David Suzuki Foundation: Small steps make a big difference on the path to living more sustainably and The David Suzuki Foundation will show you how to transform your home, office and community into a healthy and sustainable one; from everyday green living tips to helpful resources on fighting climate change, this site can help you make informed decisions to reduce your environmental footprint

Inhabitat: Dedicated to greener living through greener designs – from architecture to salt and pepper shakers; there is also a section devoted to green fashion and art

Treehugger: The mother of all environmental blogs covering general environmental news, events and products. Full of tips and tricks about how to “improve your world” – which also happens to be their motto; includes a “Family” section for tips on how to get kids involved

Lighter Footstep: Part of the Mother Nature Network, Lighter Footsteps is all about sustainable living and leaving less of an imprint by making greener living choices

Care2: As mentioned in the Beginners Level, this is a great site for all ages, as witnessed by the 14 million members

Charity Guide: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire and facilitate flexible volunteerism with a Volunteering on Demand approach; how you can make a difference in 15 minutes, in a few hours or while on vacation, for a variety of concerns including children’s issues, animal welfare, health and safety, community development, poverty and environmental protection; however, the relevancy here is the information offered in the sections addressing the environmental education of children and consumers; many common sense tips on how consumers can be environmentally responsible and save money

National Center for Healthy Housing: Create healthy and safe homes for children through practical and proven steps

Best Green Home Tips: The usual selection of topics but also adds tips for homebuilding and remodeling

PlanetPals: A community dedicated to making environmental education fun – for kids and parents

Healthy Child: Has five easy steps to making your home more safe for babies and children with natural solutions to common problems that usually send people to toxic solutions

Mindful Momma: There are a lot of blogs out there about green parenting - it’s an entire niche unto itself - and Mindful Momma is one of the best

Green and Clean Mom: Her site proudly boasts how being green can be sassy, sexy and fun!

Pays to Live Green: Not only features green living ideas and advice, but shows how living green ultimately pays off in saving money – and the environment

Green Living Tips: A blog very well done at explaining issues, with stories and tips, related to building, cleaning, clothing, energy, family, food, health, home, pets, water and other topics.

The Green Guy: The Green Guy writes about “ethical living” and about how to go green without making drastic, life-altering changes to your routine

Got2BeGreen: A blog focused on all sorts of cool green technology; one of the top rated blogs of any category

The Chic Ecologist: eco chic sustainable green living

Architect Magazine: AIA magazine on green products + technology

ecoFabulous: Reviews of great green stuff for the house, home, and body

Saving the Planet, One Bag at a Time: Recycled, reusable canvas bags; they’re everywhere, you can customize them, and now they have a planet-saving blog

Plastic Pollution Solution: 10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution. Help keep our marine life from eating and swimming in garbage.

Eco Friend: EcoFriend is a blog about all those sexy, environmentally aware products you want but can’t afford

Happy Hippy: An Earth friendly Eco-Business directory

Sustainable Style: You can have your cake and eat it too, or in the case of Sustainable Style look good and do well for the environment

EcoGeek: Kinda says it all - writes about gadgets that are earth friendly

ecoStreet: A well-written and actively updated general environmental news and commentary blog

SelfSufficientish: A blog about how to live more sustainably in an urban environment; no access to a rooftop garden, or a compost bin in your tiny apartment? this is the blog for you

Green TV: Green TV is a media company telling and propelling sustainability stories: connecting people with purpose

WebEcoist: One of the most popular green websites in the world, WebEcoist is a global source for sensational, educational and inspirational green design and sustainable technology as well as environmental science and natural wonders

SourceWatch: Greenwashing site giving rules-of-thumb ideas for detecting greenwashing

TerraChoice: The Sins of Greenwashing. Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. There are more green products than ever before, and our Sins of Greenwashing tips can help you sort out the truly green products from the not-so-green ones.

GREENWASHING INDEX: Another greenwashing alert site

World Environmental Organization: If you haven’t seen enough already, here is a categorized selection of 1,000 environmental websites

If you discover any broken links, or have sites you recommend be included, please post here or contact us ( [email protected] ) . Thank you.




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