There’s a lot of dire green news out there. Species dying. Glaciers shrinking. Fish better off snorkeling than breathing their own water.

So, when a book comes along that paints a sunrise on the smog-choked horizon, it merits a look.  Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Humes brings us Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet. In a nod to the Rockefeller and Carnegie-type Robber Barons who drove the Industrial Revolution, “eco barons” refers to the band of visionaries who are using their wealth, energy and celebrity to …

Tags: book review , Eco Barons , Edward Humes , environmentalism

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Ah, Earth Day!

A time when the world joins hands to celebrate the rise of eco-awareness and spread the message across the globe!

Or – a time for folk to switch off the lights for a bit, plant a tree and smugly pat themselves on the back that they’ve fixed the planet for another year! (Global warming is still going on? Must be all those slackers who left their lights burning).

So, which of these is the Earth Day we know? Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, the latter is more and …

Tags: Earth Day , Earth Hour , environmentalism , sustainability , tips

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A couple of days ago I revisited my childhood and caught up with my old friends Dr. Seuss and the Lorax. It was the least I could do, seeing that it was Dr. Suess’s 105th birthday. Of course, he is no longer with us, but The Lorax lives on and should be required reading for anyone aged from 1 to 101 or more.

You do remember the Lorax, don’t you? If not, let me remind you about this character created by Dr. Seuss in 1971. A strange gopher-like creature with …

Tags: conservation , Dr. Seuss , environmentalism , forest , parenting , The Lorax , trees

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Last month, Mike introduced us all to the Ditty Bops and their fabulous Grammy-nominated popup album. The Ditties have a deceptively innocent sound that combines gorgeous harmonies with a fierce environmental message. Their live shows are part kids’ variety show and part musical circus, mixing in genres as diverse as acoustic folk, bluegrass, and jazz. They’re both absolutely beautiful and hip, but devoid of any annoying hipster ennui. They have an inherent sweetness that makes them approachable. The shows are highly interactive pieces of art with puppets, story …

Tags: art , celebrity , environmentalism , interview , music , musicians , The Ditty Bops

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A nearly $800 billion stimulus package passed by our lawmakers contains incentives for we the people not just to follow our hearts, but also good common sense in preparing for the future that awaits us.

The thinking is reducing energy waste and investing in alternative fuels go hand-in-hand with reviving our anemic economy.

The package goes a long way to target energy waste in federal buildings and homes across the country. $5 billion is set aside to help low-income families weatherize their living spaces with energy saving windows and improved insulation.

Another …

Tags: energy , environmentalism , government , lifestyle , reduce , stimulus package , sustainability , transportation

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Geoengineering. Now there’s a word to make you shiver.

We’ve had an unhappy history of manipulating our environment for our own benefit – or rather, successful for us in the short term. The shift from shortsighted plundering of natural resources to informed scientific trials – the exciting new field of applied ecology – has been a painful one, littered with devastating blunders that are still going on. But will it allow us to correct those mistakes?

This week a report from the England’s University of …

Tags: conservation , ecology , environment , environmentalism , science , technology

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School children across America, like the this group from Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco, gathered to sing songs like This Land is your Land and watch a historic moment in our history. Cheering, high-fiving and hugging, they celebrated not only the inauguration but a victory they badly need as a generation that has inherited a planet in peril and debt from sea to shining sea. The reiterated message has been clear: If someone with Barack Obama’s beginnings can end up as president, we can accomplish anything.

“When I grew …

Tags: Barak Obama , eco , environment , environmentalism , news , politics , reduce , resource , reuse

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As the eco-friendly movement matures and embeds into mainstream culture, the power of green iconography diminishes ““ and the greenwashers will move on. It’s already happening. The Law of Diminishing Returns tells us that the more companies try to Green up their act, the less unique it becomes as a sales pitch. Increasingly, being environmentally friendly isn’t a luxury ““ it’s a requirement.

That’s bad news for advertisers dealing in promoting the uniqueness of their products, notes Rebecca Swift for the BBC’s Green Room. And the …

Tags: certification , consumers , environmentalism , greenwash , shopping

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