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LazyEnvironmentalist.com is a resource for people who want to easily and enjoyably green their lives. We recognize that one thing almost of us do everyday is shop. Consuming products is intrinsically tied to the very fabric of our lifestyles. Reducing the impact of our consumption on the planet while still maintaining the quality of our lives is where The Lazy Environmenalist comes in. Our website features informative articles, videos, and specific green product recommendations intended to help really busy people figure out which green choices to make. It’s also the online home of environmental author and television and radio host Josh Dorfman whose new TV series – The Lazy Environmentalist – airs on Sundance Channel beginning in June.
Recycled old folk this way (I like to think this is Martin Parr(ish), originally uploaded by Tony Worrall Foto.
A free iPhone app called iRecycle makes it easy to find recycling locations anywhere in the U.S. Find places to drop-off your old cell phone (or water bottle or motor oil or… well, you get the idea), get directions and find out what else they accept. You can get iRecycle at the iTunes store.
Hat tip: earth911.com
Engineer James Peret’s Vegawatt is the first all-in-one device that processes grease to continuously provide a building with electricity and hot water. The Vegawatt can process about 80 gallons of grease a week (standard for large restaurants) and produces five kilowatts of energy an hour, which could translate to monthly savings of $1,000. Last December, after a year of 80-hour weeks on the development, Peret, 33, installed the first Vegawatt at Finz, a restaurant in Dedham, Massachusetts, that specializes in fried seafood.
Hat Tip: popsci.com and more about the Vegawatt at vegawatt.com.
Hat Tip: Thanks, Dawn.
Hat Tip: nmoe.org/
For information and inspiration, visit: veteransgreenjobs.org/
Since the age of 10, Tayler McGillis has collected and recycled more than 23,000 pounds of aluminum from roadside trash, old homes and other sources. The Toluca, Illinois resident has thus been able to raise more than $18,000 for local charities including Habitat for Humanity. Tayler has also turned an abandoned coal mine into a wildlife preserve and designed and built a project to stop lake erosion. What’s more, he and a team of volunteers have walked and cleaned up more than 400 miles of local highways.
Hat Tip: epa.state.il.us
unisex toilet, originally uploaded by Illuminated.
American actress Cameron Diaz recently revealed on the Tonight Show that she’s doing her part in helping the environment by not flushing the toilet. “I do follow the rule: If it’s yellow, keep it mellow and if it is brown, flush it down,” she told host Jay Leno.
Kids vs Global Warming is a non profit organization founded and led by Alec Loorz, who is now 14 years old. “We are a group of kids that educate other kids about the science of global warming and empower them to take action. Through educational presentations, community activism projects, action teams, and hands on demonstrations, we teach youth that they have a voice, and that they can do something about global warming.”
SHURE headphones – EnviroCrime™, originally uploaded by BombDog.
The problem with over-packaging is twofold: it wastes raw materials, and most of it ends up in our already overburdened landfill systems. A lot of packaging is made of plastic, too, meaning it will be around forever.
What can do to fight over-packaging? Start by voting with your purchases. Tell companies what you think. Recycle your packaging. Buy in bulk. And when possible, buy used. For more information on the subject, click here.
Colin Carlson directs a climate change organization called the Cool Coventry Club, a service project to educate people about global warming and encourage energy conservation at individual, business and governmental levels. He also works with businesses to develop “energy action plans.” He is a Nestle Very Best In Youth winner and a recent winner of a Do Something Plum Grant, which he is using to produce climate change information booklets he created for Coventry’s second grade public school students. Born on Harry Potter’s birthday, twelve year-old Colin is currently a student at the University of Connecticut.
Hat Tip: nytimes & photographer Shana Sureck
Poo Bags, originally uploaded by sand dragon.
Without further a-doo, meet the BioBag, the world’s largest brand of 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable bags and films made from the material, Mater-Bi. The company’s environmentally friendly, petroleum-free bags are made from GMO free certified corn. Making bags from crops instead of polyethylene is a major advance in environmental technology. You can purchase BioBags at Amazon.com, Whole Foods, and a variety of other retailers.
Hat Tip: Pauline for the link to earth911.com
Summer Oakes, who is known as “the world’s first eco-model, is a tireless advocate for environmental issues, and she is unapologetic about using her assets “to make a difference.” She has a degree in environmental science and entomology from Cornell University, is a Udall environmental scholar, and has just published a book, Style, Naturally, the Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty. “Everything I work on in modeling is about partnering with environmentally sound companies,” said Oakes, who was named a “Global Citizen” by Vanity Fair in 2007.
Hat tip: vancouversun.com
Red trash, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.
Plastic is a problem but so is paper:
1. Plastic bags require 40% less energy to produce than paper bags.
2. Paper bags produce 80% more solid waste than plastic and due to modern landfill techniques, don’t biodegrade much faster than their polyethylene counterparts.
3. It takes less energy to recycle a plastic bag than paper.
4. Plastic bags weigh less and take up less landfill space than their paper counterparts.
5. Paper bag manufacturing creates more air and water pollution than plastic bags.
Solution? Purchase reusable cloth bags and use them.
Hat Tip to http://www.greendaily.com
Robert Fleming, originally uploaded by cstm-mstc pgc-mpc.
Warner Bros. Entertainment has become the first major Hollywood studio to build a “green” sound stage. “Stage 23 incorporates numerous sustainable elements, such as local and environmentally preferred construction materials—including Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber, which is harvested from responsibly managed forests; recycled steel and metals; non-toxic paint and adhesives; and concrete foundations with 35 percent recycled fly ash. The Stage is surrounded by a perimeter of pervious asphalt, which allows rain water to percolate into the ground instead of running off into the Los Angeles River; contains energy efficient lighting; and incorporates Ice Bear® cooling technology in the stage’s tech rooms, using off-peak electricity for daytime cooling. The Stage is also designed to include a 100-kilowatt solar electrical system that will generate clean renewable energy.”
Hat Tip to www.designtaxi.com/
Hugging the Earth, originally uploaded by Curly-Q.
Green Grocery Shopping Bag, originally uploaded by Dizzy Design.
The Big Green Purse is encouraging a million women to shift at least $1,000 of money they already spend for an initial $1 billion Big Green Purse impact. Want to join? Click here.
NOTE: Big Green Purse is the brainchild of Diane MacEachern who is believes that “the fastest, easiest, most direct route to a clean and healthy environment is tyo shift our spending to environmentally-safe, socially responsible products and services.”
The Bostonist calls The Greening of Southie, “a balanced but incisive look at a complex issue that affects us all. “ The film, which will premier on the Sundance Channel on April 22nd (9:30pm, Eastern and Pacific), is a feature documentary about Boston’s first residential green building and the skeptical workers who are asked to build it. The doc – and the website devoted to it – are both worth a look.
In towns throughout Appalachia, unregulated mining prior to 1977 created a huge environmental problem called Acid Mine Drainage.
In 1994, a group called Team SPLASH (Sustainable Partnership of Landscape Architects, Scientists, and Historians) made up of artists, scientists, and humanists came together with the town of Vintondale, Pennsylvania, to explore the opportunities for innovative AMD treatment.
The result is a passive treatment park with public art pieces that lend historical perspective and an air of celebration to sustainable community development.
For more information, visit http://www.amdandart.org/
