India Leads World In Green Power Growth For 2011

India’s remarkable growth in solar power, which TreeHugger has been following for some time, has gained the nation another superlative: According to new analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, India led the world in 2011 for green power growth.

Web + Sustainability = Future

Much as previous industries were built on materials like steel and concrete, the building material of the 21st century is code. The web, which is built on countless lines of code, is now connecting physical resources (from your mobile to your iPad to your TV) – it will play a crucial role in connecting consumption and activity data, unlocking environmental intelligence that helps us save money, be more efficient, and help us reach an environmentally sustainable future.

EU Climate Commissioner Wants to Double Renewable Energy Share by 2030

The Climate Commissioner for the European Union, Connie Hedegaard, told reporters today in New Delhi that she believes the European Union should pledge to double their renewable energy supply by 2030 and spoke of hopes that the rest of the world would follow suit. She was speaking in advance of this year’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which will be held in Rio this June (also called Rio+20), Hedegaard seemed to be opening up another moment for world leaders to agree to try to reduce emissions related to global warming before it is too late.

‘Smart paint’ warns you when stuff’s about to break, so you can fix it

Someday we’ll fix infrastructure and the environment in the same way that Arizona suburbanites fix their lawns: By slapping on a coat of paint. Science has already made great strides on carbon-eating paint, and the kind of paint that can make windows into solar panels. And now researchers at at Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde have developed paint that can detect underlying structural problems in bridges, mines, and turbines, allowing engineers to head disaster off at the pass.

Once, men abused slaves. Now we abuse fossil fuels

In 2005, while teaching history at a French university, I was struck by the general disbelief among students that rational and sensitive human beings could ever hold others in bondage. Slavery was so obviously evil that slave-holders could only have been barbarians. My students could not entertain the idea that some slave-owners could have been genuinely blind to the harm they were doing.

Antigua and Barbuda are two small islands in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, so small I had never actually heard of them until doing research for this article. Also might be because they don’t rank high in the news scales for shocking environmental effects such as some other countries do. According to Go Green – An Ekotribe Initiative, they were able to provide me with a bit of insight as to how these Caribbean islands actually compared to the rest of the world on the “green” scales. The following chart depicts some of the common areas of environmental interest one might look at to assess how well a country is doing.

~ Go Green – An Ekotribe Initiative (2012)

In being a person who has grown up in a country such as Canada where the landmass is so incredibly large, it is difficult to imagine having an issue with water management due to lack of resources. I am used to having environmentalists stress over the fresh water being polluted or climate change affecting the water levels in lakes and rivers. But to be a country so small that there just isn’t enough to go around – well, it becomes immediately understandable why there would be an environmental issue.

The paper by the European Commission sums it up quite well, “In a small country like Antigua and Barbuda, it is a major challenge to maintain a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability because of limited natural, technical and financial resources, and the urgency of expanding the economy to create productive employment opportunities.  Although this is common sustainable development challenge, being a Small Island Developing State, it has two added and very significant dimensions. With threats such as climate change and the realities of population growth, the common issue of sustainable resource management becomes a critical problem of basic survival” (2007). This is all further compounded when taking into consideration things such as deforestation. Essentially, “deforestation resulting from the nation’s energy demands, combined with agricultural development, contributes to soil erosion, as rainfall, which is concentrated in a short season, quickly runs off, compounding the water shortage problem on the islands. The nation’s main city, St. John’s, has developed a problem with waste disposal. Untreated sewage from resort hotels travels in open sewage lines across the land and empties into the sea” (Wikipedia, 2012).

So how does one such country solve such an issue that is not just tied into the environmental, but affects its people’s very survival? It simply relies on the government to develop a plan that is adequate to bring them through. Fortunately for Antigua and Barbuda, its government “supports a Historical, Conservation and Environmental Commission” (Wikipedia, 2012). As a result, plans are in place to help ensure that there are protected areas of land to cultivate a better fresh water supply for all to enjoy. Nothing worse than an exotic tropical island country going to ruins because the only thing flowing through the land is untreated sewage from resort hotels. Doesn’t exactly say “paradise.”

Besides – going green isn’t just about the large countries battling with CO2 emissions and acid rain. It’s about the small countries as well. Each and every person on this planet is able to live and breathe because our environment allows us to. For today anyway. Who knows what tomorrow brings if we don’t make change now.

RESOURCES:

Go Green – An Ekotribe Initiative, Global Environment Stats, Ecological Footprints of Countries Worldwide – Ecological Footprint of Antigua and Barbuda (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.go-green.ae/footprint/antigua-and-barbuda on January 31, 2012.

European Commission, 2007 Annual Operational Review Antigua and Barbuda (2007). Retrieved online from http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/jar06_ag_en.pdf on January 31, 2012.

Info Please, Antigua and Barbuda (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107284.html on January 31, 2012.

Wikipedia, Environmental Issues in Antigua and Barbuda (August, 2010). Retrieved online from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_Antigua_and_Barbuda on January 31, 2012.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with most, if not all, of the recent copyright laws that are popping up. How does this affect the green community? I am not an expert on any of these topics, far from it. Please consider this piece an opinion of a layman. Before we address the main issue of this discussion, let’s take a step back and look at the individual pieces of this massive puzzle. The first things we need to look at are the bills themselves. Let’s take a quick recap of what they are and what they do:

• SOPA is the “Stop Online Piracy Act”, which was sponsored in Congress by Rep. Lamar Smith.
• PIPA is the “Protect Intellectual Property Act”, which is basically the same as SOPA, but written for the Senate. It was sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy.
• ACTA is the “Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement” is a law that was drafted by multiple countries to supposedly stem the flow of “counterfeit” products. Duh.

So what do these guys do? Well, generally speaking, they force us to hand over the keys to the kingdom and the castle: we basically will NOT have freedom of speech. How, you ask? I won’t go into much detail, but by passing these bills into law, we hand over control of most information to private companies. Let’s give a simple example: I, JM Ruiz, am a member of the GreenJoyment team created an editiorial piece on why I hate the Twilight series and posted it on this website. The copyright holders of the Twilight series decide that we are a credible threat on their sparkly vampire empire, and they decide to set their fluffy hounds on us. But here’s where SOPA/PIPA/ACTA and any other laws like it might bite deep into real flesh: They won’t just take down the editorial piece, they’ll take down the entire site, regardless of whether or not we actually infringed on any rights. It is THAT LETHAL.

Now we’re done with the wide and broad measure of our legal recap, let’s move on to another piece of the puzzle. The propagation of the environmental movement thanks to leaps and bounds in technology.

Imagine if the internet never existed. Sustainability and green lifestyles would take a significantly longer period of time to spread. Important issues such as gross misuse of our resources might be easily covered up thanks to the bottleneck of information. The development of applied sciences has shrunk the world, where a person can converse with another person who is exactly on the other side of the planet instantly. Communications have been instrumental in the propagation and massive spread of the green movement. In the past, when a person stated they were pro-environment, the image that would immediately pop into a person’s head would be a hippy. A greenie would always be a hardcore person which was a part of a very selective niche which was very hard to penetrate due to various factors. Everything has changed thanks to the development in communications technology. A regular house-wife in the Great Mid-West would also have the access to the same information with that of a woman who lived in New York City.

What made the green movement blossom is being threatened by a system that is hard to fight. It’s like the quintessential David vs. Goliath fight. The technologies that support and ultimately spread the green movement depend on the free flow of information, ideas, and thoughts between people. People are more open to sharing their ideas and thoughts if they believe that they will not be punished and ridiculed for those same ideas especially if they are provided a mask of anonymity and/or privacy to hide behind. But these copyright laws are threatening that.

If these laws enter law, do you think all the independent websites (Such as GreenJoyment, and we’re very thankful for the visitors of the site. Thanks!) can compete with large conglomerates who hold billions of dollars worth of intellectual property? A single video uploaded to the site which has references a copyright then BAM! We’re gone. Off the air. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Food for worms. Total power would be given to the big corporations, where they can choke the flow of information then charge exorbitant amounts of money to use these royalties.

A possible picture of what the future might look like if these laws are passed could be like the Disney Pixar Film “Wall-E” wherein the Mega Corporations have taken hold and become the governments themselves, where profits dictate their actions, and the people kept blind, and ignorant, which has led to the earth becoming a barren wasteland where life is no longer possible. Perhaps this could be an exaggeration, but the slope is slippery and these laws are the first step in that grim direction.

SOPA/PIPA are AMERICAN laws which affect the ENTIRE world, and let me tell you, most of the biggest websites and servers are located in the United States. These two bills have been pulled from the Senate and Congress by their sponsors but ACTA still remains. We can’t also guarantee that they may be resubmitted during a more “appropriate” time when they have a larger chance to get passed. We also cannot bypass the benefits that these laws provide, but the benefits must be disregarded if they come at costs too high to bear.

I personally think that the environment is freedom incarnate, and anything that threatens freedom also threatens the environment. We let corporations and companies control us, but the information superhighway has emancipated us from these bonds. We have become empowered thanks to the ease in communication and the availability of information. We may have taken that for granted, but remember: Information and Knowledge is power. Don’t let them take away the power, which ultimately empowers us to be who we truly are: GREEN.

YouTube User web4deb has been awesome enough to make a bunch of videos showing how to build a geodesic greenhouse.

You have to be handy, or know someone who is, in order for this information to be useful for you.

However, the benefits of geodesic greenhouses simply are amazing.

Watch as web4deb details how to build a 33 foot tall, 900 square foot Geodesic greenhouse.

These videos were filmed during a one year construction of this greenhouse, which isn’t complete yet, but is getting close. It’s amazing to see the work and to be given the exact steps for building this kind of a structure!

The people who put this video together run a farm and know a lot about Aquaponics and shale. If you want to know more about what they do, or if you would like send them an email to say thanks for the incredible wealth of information they have shared via these videos, you can do so via the links below.
http://www.facebook.com/BigelowBrook
http://www.Bigelowbrook.com

Your question after watching these videos:

Will you build your own Geodesic Dome Greenhouse?

If yes, where/when?
If no, why not?

We have talked on Greenjoyment a great deal about the foods that we eat and serve to our families. We have discussed the dangers that are in many soft drinks. How many packaging materials that contain the food we eat and the drink is harmful and unhealthy. We have also talked about Monsanto and the upcoming release of a whole new food that is anything but “whole.”

GE doesn’t bring good things to life: Petition Walmart to reject genetically modified corn

Flames, Fertility and not so ‘Soft’ Soft Drinks

GMO Dangers, Bans and More

We have even talked about how growing your own food or growing organically has actually gotten some people in trouble.

SWAT-ting down Raw Milk at Rawesome Foods

Organic Gardening Could Grow A Jail Term For British Columbia Man

Not such a garden variety criminal: Woman faces criminal charges and jail time for garden

This eleven year old boy seems to be able to say in 3 minutes or less a message that some adults really need to listen to.  Did you write it himself? Probably not, but that doesn’t make the message about the dangers of the foods we eat, how they are packaged and how they are marketed to our children any less true.

Enjoy this video.

What do you think?  Did Birke call a “spade a spade.”

Twitter is the most popular Sustainability / CSR Social Media channel

Last week I conducted a poll aimed at identifying the most popular Social Media channel for your Sustainability / CSR topics. The result was unambiguous really.

In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels

Technology Review has an article about the developing world leap-frogging straight to solar power in the absence of reliable grids – In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels.

Larry Santoya Will Convert Your Lawn Into An Edible Garden, For Free!

Lawns in the U.S. cover more than 50,000 square miles of soil and consume more chemicals than all those used in U.S. food related agriculture combined. Maintaining lawns involves mowing, watering, and often fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides, that contribute to the watershed pollution.

Handmade Coffee Tables from Reclaimed Wood Come with Built-In Gardens

I’m a big fan of using design to work greenery into home furnishings, and these two coffee tables are great examples. Designed by Mike Carpenter’s MDC Interiors, the Balance and Maka models each have a center section that’s filled with green moss and river rocks. Best of all, both tables are handmade, mostly from reclaimed materials.

Three Lessons for Fulfilling on a Green Brand Promise

When it comes to the environment, consumer behavior can be inconsistent or even a bit hypocritical. Two-car families will buy a hybrid and a gas guzzling SUV. Parents will teach their kids to turn off the water while brushing, but take a few extra minutes in the shower to enjoy the peace and quiet. Somehow, we tend to overlook our own inconsistencies, while holding others accountable for their actions.

Passive House Retreat in Rhode Island

It turn out the New England Passive House, or Little Compton Retreat, received LEED Gold certification from the USGBC in recent months. The background is this is a home by ZeroEnergy Design, who performed mechanical and architecture services, and Aedi Construction, who built the home.

Rodrigo Alonso’s N+ew Seats Are Cool Electronic Time Capsules Full of E-Waste

Technology’s fast pace has left in its path mountains of electronic waste, but it has also given way to a new medium for eco-designers to work with. Made from unloved CDs, qwerty keyboards, multi-colored cables and motherboards suspended in an admittedly not-so-eco epoxy resin environment, these trashy looking seats by Chilean Rodrigo Alonso. turn all that e-waste into technology’s time capsule. Dubbed N+ew — which stands for No More Electronic Waste — these limited edition seats stand out in a big way.

Plastic-free Toys from Dress Me Up Organic Give-Away

I took a quick look at the site and was blown away by how cute the toys are–I love the designs–but at the time, I was scrambling to get my book edits done, didn’t have time to do a review, and don’t have kids to test the products on anyway. So I asked Jen if she would write up her story, how she became interested in environmental issues, especially plastic, and why she decided to start her own company.
Here’s Jen’s story in her own words. Read through to the end to find out about the give-away.

Hey, Beltway Pundits, Nobody Cares About Solyndra Anymore

Politico, the king of horse-race political punditry, has a three-page story today about how amazingly bold Obama must be to continue pushing for clean energy-friendly policies after *gasp* one solar company went belly up and Republicans yelled about it a lot.

High school culinary students eat their own classroom pets

Students in the culinary program at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, Canada (yes, Canada apparently has culinary programs in high school) probably think farm-to-table restaurants are a pretty cute idea. Oh, you have a farm on your roof? You must be so proud. We have a farm ON OUR ACTUAL TABLE.

Finding the zone: The Zen of urban cycling

I am a mountain biker and mountain bike racing is a big part of my love for cycling. There’s only one problem: I live in the city. To get to the hills, I have to put my bike on the car and drive an hour out of town. Luckily for me, there are many aspects of urban riding that fulfill a similar sensory experience to the high I find on the trail.

Angola has unique wealth of biodiversity and scientists agree that the country’s biodiversity is one of the most important on the African continent, accounting for 1,260 endemic plants of the estimated 5,000 plant species in Africa and making it the second richest country in Africa in endemic plants. The diversity of mammals is also one of the richest on the continent. Forests occupy about 35% of the country’s territory while the coastline of over 1,600 km is rich in various fish species. The country is also rich in oil and mineral resources including diamonds. The recent trend of environmental degradation poses a threat to fish resources, over-exploitation of plant species, soil erosion, and pollution of soils, water and the atmosphere as well as climate change vulnerability raises concerns about the inherent risks to environmental sustainability.

(Loans & Grants, 2012)

In researching green development for Angola, there was one company that continued to pop up as being a strong support and believer in African countries rising above poverty while aiming for enviornmental sustainability. That company? None other than the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. It’s mission is simple – “help reduce poverty, improve living conditions for Africans and mobilize resources for the continents economic and social development” (About Us, 2012).

Angola, being “more than three times the size of California, extends more than 1000 mi (1609 km) along the South Atlantic in southwest Africa” (Info Please, 2012) currently “faces a variety of environmental problems resulting from a legacy of extended civil war, which gave rise to widespread poverty, unsustainable use of natural resources and the unregulated exploitation of oil, diamonds and other mineral resources. The institutional capacity in the environment sector is very low. This has resulted in lack of comprehensive environmental legislation and the absence of robust enforcement of existing laws. Reliable environmental information, necessary for decision makers to make informed decisions are hard to come by” (Angola, 2012). It’s not just the super cities of the westernized world that are affecting the environment. Environmental issues can (and do) start right down at the grassroots level. If we’re not careful there may come a day when there are no more grass roots left (literally) for the next generations to enjoy.

Fortunately, this story doesn’t end there. AfDB Group stepped up in March 2009 to offer their support to Angola, providing it with a loan “equivalent to US$ 17.6 million” (Loans & Grants, 2012). Dubbed the Environmental Sector Support Project (ESSP), the loan is provided with a purpose. The project goal has been ongoing, the objectives to “address poverty reduction through improvement of environment through which all life subsists by a) production of a comprehensive environmental legislation and harmonization of all existing environmental legislation by removing overlap and contradiction, and by filling the gaps by enacting new necessary legislation … [and] b) development of the necessary institutional structures with the capacity to generate, process and disseminate quality quantitative and qualitative information accessible to decision makers” (Loans & Grants, 2012).

For those that the legal talk goes a bit over their head (myself included), I’ll break it down a bit further. Quite simply, with the help that the AfDB Group is giving Angola’s government, one can expect that overtime the ESSP will help to improve environmental governance, ensure food security for the entire population and have an effect on overall poverty reduction. Essentially, AfDB Group is single-handedly helping to make this world a better place. I wonder if the rest of us can say the same.

Oh – and just a little side note. AfDB Group is not alone. As of July 20, 2011, WWF has come together with AfDB Group to “work closely on green economy and development issues in Africa” (WWF Global, 2011). Focusing on Africa’s most urgent sustainability issues, I reckon Angola won’t be the only one with new environmental plans aimed to tackle both poverty, growth and environmental sustainability.

RESOURCES

WWF Global, AfDB and WWF team up for the environment in Africa (2011). Retrieved online from http://wwf.panda.org/?uNewsID=201078 on January 30, 2012

Info Please, Angola (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107280.html on January 30, 2012

African Development Bank Group, Angola (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/southern-africa/angola/ on January 30, 2012

African Development Bank Group, Loans & Grants (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/loans-grants/environment/ on January 30, 2012

African Development Bank Group, About Us (2012). Retrieved online from http://www.afdb.org/en/about-us/ on January 30, 2012

The loss of life and missing persons due to the Costa Concordia cruise accident may not be the only resulting tragedy. Sinking in a protected marine area this ship still contains over half a million gallons of oil, as well as other waste products, chemicals and trash.  Could this be the next ecological disaster of BP proportions?

As the search continues for several missing persons, the Costa Concodia is sitting on its side just off the coast of Isola del Giglio, which is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, which is the largest marine protected area in Italy.

Did you know that this protected area is home to several plants and wildlife including some rare frogs, while the seas support coral, cetaceans and the occasional Mediterranean monk seal which is considered a highly endangered species?  The area is also home to coral, dolphins, sponges and many other rare creatures.

But the National Park is not the only area at risk. Between waves and winds the many environmental dangers of an accident of this proportion not only threaten the direct coastline but many others in the area.   The Natural Park of Maremma is just north of the cruise ship, and is the only Italian habitat for rare form of dune dwelling plant life as well as a stopover point for migratory birds and a safe place for the reintroduction of osprey to the area.   Laguna di Orbetello, is just to the east and is an important bird reserve.

At this time, there doesn’t appear to be any leaking oil or other chemicals, and a boom has been erected around the ship in an effort to protect the outlying areas in case of a “spill” or leak.  Salvage efforts are in place to not only raise the ship out of the water but to pump the fuel tanks as well.

Here are some facts about cruise ships that may surprise you:

•             The average cruise ship with 3,000 passengers and crew generates and air pollutants equivalent to 12,000 automobiles every day

•             The average cruise ship with 3,000 passengers and crew generates about 30,000 gallons of human waste and 255,000 gallons of non-sewage gray water every day. (Source EU Oceana.org)

So far so good, is the only answer available to those worried about the environmental impact of this  cruise ship accident. Some believe that cruise ships are essentially an environmental problem.

According to the Huffington Post:

“Alessandra Motola Molfino, president of Italy’s national conservation group, told Reuters, These monstrous floating cities pollute the scenery with their very presence and the rivers, seas and cities where they stop with the refuse that they produce.”

“In the past, Greenpeace has warned against Mediterranean ship congestion and, according to CNN, “a lack of management of the sanctuary” where the ship lies.”

While others would argue that cruise travel is an amazing way to be able to see and enjoy the environment around you in ways you may not have a chance to otherwise.

But there is no doubt about the fact that waste and grey water are mass produced. It takes millions of gallons of fuel to power a cruise ship.  Once one is involved in an accident you know how chemicals from the electronic controls, everyone’s personal items, the waste collected, the fuel and all of the other dangerous environmental elements involved that you would imagine a floating city to have.

At this time “No news is good news” when it comes to the fuel leakage and spilling, but the answers to “What if” are frightening.

According to Agence France-Presse

A representative from US-based Titan Salvage said the [Smit] contract could run into the millions of euros.

“It’s very close to the edge of much deeper water,” said the man, explaining that the waves could push it off its resting place and it could sink entirely.

[Italy's] environment Minister Corrado Clini meanwhile said that the environmental risk has been “our nightmare.”

“The vessel has reservoirs full of fuel, it is a heavy diesel which could sink down to the seabed, that would be a disaster,” he said.

In a worst-case scenario, the fuel could “leak into the sea, contaminating an exceptional coastline and affecting marine and bird life,” he warned.

“We are ready to intervene if there is a spill,” Clini said.

I hope so, because the results of a spill could be catastrophic to this are that is needed to protect many endangered species and the habitat in which they live.

See this Video from Al Jazeera about environmental fears for more information and updated information.

Sources:

The World.org

Will Crowdsourced Website Document Entire Food System?

Real Time Farms is a site that, it says, is aiming to “document the entire food system”. Already featuring 4,800 farms, 32,000 photos and 11,000 menu items, it is definitely an ambitious project. Cited by Food Inc as their “favorite new website”, this crowd sourced resource on understanding the food system looks set for big things.

Dancing Bottle Cap Sculpture Shows Exactly What Happens With Too Much Ocean Trash

Artist Fred George created his “Plastic Ocean” installation in Saarbrücken, Germany, to help illustrate the increasing threat non-biodegradable plastic particles in the ocean pose to fish and other sea creatures. Comprised of seven water-filled columns, one for each of the world’s seas, the piece is completed by recycled bottle caps collected by local schoolchildren.

One Simple Way to Conserve Water at Home: Take a Navy Shower!

There are many great and pleasantly simple ways to conserve water usage at home. Want to save an extra 50+ gallons of water each and every day? Here’s one way you may not have considered before: take a navy shower! No, you don’t need to shout “yes, drill sergeant” or drop and do fifty push-ups at any point in this process.

Ex-employee says BP fired him for trying to clean up oil

In November 2011, BP fired an employee named August Walter, who had been working on clean-up of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Now, Wilson says the company fired him because he wouldn’t help gloss over its clean-up shortcuts. He’s suing BP in federal court.

Eco Friendly Wood Bikes Around The World

Who would have thought there were so many wood bikes around? Would you believe that Leonardo D’Vinci or one of his students is credited with designing the first bike? In the beginning the first bikes were actually made from wood. We have blogged on where to recycle bikes and how to re-purpose bicycles, and Bamboo Bikes but for some reason haven’t done a wood Bike post.

How two guys turned recycled coffee grounds into a gourmet mushroom empire

Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez were recent grads who were supposed to go into investment banking, but they became obsessed with the idea that mushrooms could be grown in old coffee grounds, reports Sarah Stankorb at GOOD. Faster than you can say “triple bottom line” they’d interested their local Whole Foods in their first batch of mushrooms — grown in a bucket in the basement of Velez’s fraternity.