March 2011
1 post
3 tags
The mind, it boggles
Here’s an interesting (and disturbing) juxtaposition to start your morning: take a look at these two news items and see if you can spot the flaw in logic.
Canada ‘in position to be listened to’ in secretive world food-aid talks
Canadian budget includes 59-per-cent reduction in spending for “climate change and clean air” and a 51-per-cent cut to substances and waste management - Day
If you...
February 2011
1 post
January 2011
4 posts
Koch Industries: The biggest, scariest company...
constantflux:
The Koch brothers are the primary funders of the Tea Party.
This weekend in Palm Springs, the Koch brothers are holding a secret, closed-door meeting with elite donors and supporters of the oil industry, the Tea Party and an ultra-conservative, anti-environment agenda.
They will be planning how to block clean energy and regulations that protect our health in 2011. We need to send...
L.A. Liberty: "There oughta be a law!" →
mohandasgandhi:
alexanderclarence:
laliberty:
mohandasgandhi:
My new number 1 goal in life is to make excessive paper use as illegal as possible. It’s time we properly embrace technology already. This is beyond ridiculous. No one should need a warehouse just for half of their files.
I’m printing this out and sharing it with all my…
^—What he said.
Also, harvesting trees for paper is...
A stunning year in climate science reveals that... →
mohandasgandhi:
The first anniversary of ‘Climategate’, Part 1: The media blows the story of the century
This week marks the one-year anniversary of what the anti-science crowd successfully labeled ‘Climategate’. The media will be doing countless retrospectives, most of which will be wasted ink, like the Guardian’s piece — focusing on climate scientists at the expense of climate ...
Easy Solar Energy Projects For Kids
onegreenplanet:
Original Article
December 2010
1 post
The Idea (all rights reserved, etc, etc)
Short version
I want to combine the power of social media (read, Tumblr, obviously) with the vision and clout of social business to address real, current problems.
Namely, I want to create a Tumblr-user funded social business to further the dissemination and implementation of cell phones as information access tools in the developing world.
Longer version
Social business
For a pretty detailed...
November 2010
9 posts
startwearinggreen:
This makes me think of a recent article in PCWorld - 5 Reasons Why You Don’t Need an E-Reader. Relevant part quoted below:
4. E-books Are Not More Eco-friendly Than Paper Books
A recent Cleantech report says that a traditional book has less of an impact on the environment than an e-reader. As long as the owner of a Kindle reads at least 23 books, he or she is out of the red...
Opinion Polls Underestimate Americans' Concern... →
When pollsters ask Americans to name the most important problem facing the country, fewer than 3 percent mention the environment. But when asked to name the most serious problem facing the planet if left unchecked, the environment and global warming rise to the top, according to a May 2010 study by Woods Institute Senior Fellow Jon Krosnick. Krosnick and colleagues from Stanford and the...
UN International Day for Preventing the...
startwearinggreen:
Three days ago, the United Nations marked the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. This day has been in place since 2001 and it aims to “consider that damage to the environment in times of armed conflict impairs ecosystems and natural resources long after the period of conflict, often extending beyond the limits of...
Climate scientists plan campaign against global... →
Faced with rising political attacks, hundreds of climate scientists are joining a broad campaign to push back against congressional conservatives who have threatened prominent researchers with investigations and vowed to kill regulations to rein in man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
The still-evolving efforts reveal a shift among climate scientists, many of whom have traditionally stayed out of...
“Environmentalism is not just about replacing one set of technologies with...”
– George Monbiot
“But I also recognise this: that if governments had met in Japan to try to save...”
– George Monbiot
October 2010
6 posts
Loss of ecosystems perceived by banks and... →
mohandasgandhi:
The financial risks posed by the loss of species and ecosystems have risen sharply and are becoming a greater concern for businesses than international terrorism, according to a United Nations report released today.
From over-depletion of fish stocks and soil degradation caused by agricultural chemicals to water shortages and mining pollution, the paper – commissioned by...
Public Park Converts Dog Poo to Energy →
abcsoupdot:
From Inhabitat:
A new project in Cambridge, MA dubbed the “Park Spark” has dogs powering the street lights in their own dog parks. Designed by Matthew Mazzotta, a visual artist with a degree from MIT, the project uses dog poop from the park to produce methane, which is then burned to light the park at night. The project was funded through the Massachusetts Institute for Technology...
September 2010
1 post
August 2010
10 posts
Thorium
electricpower:
mikerickson:
Nuclear Dash for Thorium?
Dr Rubbia says a tonne of the silvery metal – named after the Norse god of thunder, who also gave us Thor’s day or Thursday - produces as much energy as 200 tonnes of uranium, or 3,500,000 tonnes of coal. A mere fistful would light London for a week.
Thorium eats its own hazardous waste. It can even scavenge the plutonium left ...
In Weather Chaos, a Case for Global Warming →
haileywojcik:
so glad someone wrote this piece… i feel like every time i turn on the radio lately it’s a different weather calamity. or of course another oil spill.
I don’t understand how ANYONE can look at recent weather extremes, between the disasters all year, the records highs in temperature and precipitation, the millions of people displaced and property destroyed, and say that...
Living near public transport can lead to longer,... →
thelittlemermaid:
bobulate:
A new study for the The American Public Transportation Association finds that people who live in communities with high-quality public transportation generally live longer, healthier lives:
People who live or work in communities with high quality public transportation tend to drive significantly less and rely more on alternative modes (walking, cycling and public...
“And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand...”
– Howard Zinn. (via shitworthreading) (via jonathan-cunningham) (via newfilosofee) (via skirtonfire) (via novazembla)
Just curious
I have nearly 600 followers on this green little patch of Tumblr … but are any of you real people? Drop me a line and tell me why you follow We Are The Earth … why does the environment or sustainability motivate or interest you? Maybe you think climate change is a sham; tell me why! I’d love to get a little honest discussion and debate going on here so it isn’t just me...
July 2010
5 posts
Greening' of Canada not working →
abcsoupdot:
From the Montreal Gazette:
More than three out of four leading Canadian bureaucrats, scientists and industry leaders believe the Harper government is missing the boat on “greening” the economy and adopting the wrong policies to address climate change, according to a new international study.
The survey of 5,109 senior stakeholders from key sectors in government, industry and...
Renewables see 'resilient growth' in 2009 →
The building of new renewable energy sources continued to outstrip new fossil fuel power plants in Europe and the US during 2009, a report has shown.
The UN-backed study said renewables accounted for 60% of new electricity generation capacity in Europe.
And in the US, green electricity accounted for more than half of the generation capacity built last year.
The authors added that renewables...
Debunking the Top 10 Energy Myths | Popular... →
electricpower:
dmdhashw:
Very interesting article. Particularly on the nuclear and solar myths.
On nuclear’s safety risks:
Power sources such as coal and petroleum might seem safer than nuclear, but statistically they’re a lot deadlier. Coal mining kills several hundred people annually—mainly from heart damage and black lung disease, but also through devastating accidents like the April...
June 2010
13 posts
20-minute neighborhoods →
davidgalestudios:
Fast Company interview with Portland mayor Sam Adams, on working to make every section of Portland a complete 20-minute neighborhood to strengthen the local economy.
Excerpt from the article:
We’re also working to make every section of Portland a complete 20-minute neighborhood to strengthen our local economy. Two-thirds of all trips in Portland and in most American...
Progress out of crisis - humanity's greatest asset
This oil leak, while catastrophic, is NOTHING compared to the eventual implications if we continue business as usual. This is a chance for the world to galvanize. This is an opportunity. Universally, this leak has become more of a unifying symbol for environmental crisis than climate change itself, less divisive, more immediate, more visible. This leak accomplishes - with its scale and its...
Barack Obama calls for clean energy push →
Earlier, in a statement aimed both at paid-up Democratic Party members and at millions of individuals who backed his 2008 presidential bid online, the president asked his network to lend their name to a campaign to change the way America produces and consumes its energy.
“Beyond the risks inherent in drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, our dependence on oil means that we...
Meat Free Monday →
secrets0ciety:
If you’ve come here today it’s because you care about what you eat and about what’s happening to our climate. We do too. That’s why we started Meat Free Monday. Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. Many people are unaware that livestock production is responsible for 18% of global...
Forget Shorter Showers : Why personal change does... →
inthefade:
Or let’s talk energy. Kirkpatrick Sale summarized it well: “For the past 15 years the story has been the same every year: individual consumption—residential, by private car, and so on—is never more than about a quarter of all consumption; the vast majority is commercial, industrial, corporate, by agribusiness and government [he forgot military]. So, even if we all took up...
The Thoughtfulness Challenge
Here’s the challenge. No matter who you are, where you are, whether privileged or underprivileged - when you’re making a decision, ANY decision, take ten seconds and think about what the impact might be 5, 10, 50 years down the road. Think about what the effect might be on your children. On your grandchildren. Think about WHO you’re affecting, aside from yourself. Be thorough. Often this exercise...