Last week I was watching BBC News and I came across an amazing story about a city in Germany that saves energy and money in a clever way: using cell phones.
In the city of Doerentrup all of the outside street lights turn off at 9pm as a way to cut down energy costs. So what if you want to go outside to take your dog for a walk or to run to the local supermarket?
A German engineer came up with way for residents to use their cell phones to turn on the street lights for 15 minute intervals. Here’s what they have to do:
Register for free online.
Dial the number for the neighborhood lights.
Punch in the code for the street that you want lit up.
It’s really that easy! And it has done wonders for the energy consumption of the city of Doerentrup.
Did you ever think that a tree could survive in the hot Sahara Desert for a few months on its own?
It’s not very likely since there is little or no rainfall to keep it alive, but a new Dutch invention that looks like a bucket from outer space might just make plant survival in any type of condition possible.
It’s called the WaterBoxx (not to be confused with Outkast’s album Speakerboxxx), and it provides water to plants by collecting condensation and rainfall and slowly distributing it to the roots. The protective outer layer protects the roots from animals, the sun and other weather conditions, allowing the plant to germinate and grow.
We’ve always been a society that is fascinated with criminals and the crimes that they commit. Whether it’s the absurdity of Cops or the intensity of America’s Most Wanted we love to see the bad guy get caught.
That’s why the FBI list of most-wanted criminals for environmental crimes is so amazing! Those of us who care about crimes committed against the environment get to see the mugshots of these criminals and read about what they did. Then we can do our part to get them apprehended.
Every day more people in our nation are learning about “the green movement” thanks to a newly elected President who pushes for environmental education and an old President who ruined many people’s environments.
But this learning is not just happening in the US: it’s also happening to our neighbors in Canada. Scientists at the University of Manatoba in Winnipeg have figured out how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by cows every day…by up to 200 litres!
Last May an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale killed more than 70,000 people in the Sichuan province of China. The terrible tragedy left many people homeless , and they are still homeless 8 months later.
To help the victims of the earthquake Chinese authorities shipped old subway trains that were used for the Olympics to Sichuan to be used as homeless shelters.
Altogether 10 trains that have six subway cars will accommodate up to 1,200 people.
Everyone knows that soon-to-be President Barack Obama is looking to add a puppy to his family. The puppy might just add a little ray of sunshine to the gloomy job of economic restoration that Obama faces in the next 4 years to come.
Watch Obama endorse pet adoption:
The only drawback of puppy adoption for Obama is that he thinks dogs from shelters might not be the best bet for his daughter’s allergies.
Do you care enough about the Mediterranean bluefin tuna to boycott it completely? That means not eating it, selling it or cooking it?
Well, about 16,000 citizens from 149 countries have decided to do just that.
WWF has created a petition, which was signed by 15,941people, to present to the Contracting Parties of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
They hope that the Commission will make sure that the fish is no longer sold in restaurants or markets so that it will have time to repopulate and properly breed in fisheres. This will save the species from going completely extinct.
Atlantic City may be famous for casino gambling, but it’s soon going to be known for something else green…and I dont’ mean money.
With over 13,321 solar panels capable of generating 2.36 megawatts of electricity, the Atlantic City Convention Center will be the largest single-roof photovoltaic system in the entire U.S.
The panels will be operated by Pepco Energy Services for a 20-year deal, and each year the panels will prevent 2,349 tons of carbon dioxide from polluting the air.
I’ve always been a fan of British humor, so I decided to see what the British think about global warming and climate change.
Here’s a video taped in London 2007 on the National Day of Action, which is December 8. See the funny reasons why some Britains are protesting for the environment:
I try to buy recycled or eco-friendly products whenever possible because it’s good for the environment and it makes me feel better about all the waste I threw away when I was younger.
As I try new things I’d like to give my review of both good and bad products. Here are a few I like:
1. Pure & Natural Renewing Grapefruit and Pomegranate Bar Soap - This bar soap not only smells great, but it’s also made from real grapefruit and pomegranate, which leaves your skin feeling soft.
2. Tom’s Natural Toothpaste - I switched to this a few months ago and it’s definitely a better alternative to Colgate or Crest. The ingredients are all-natural, it tastes great and it’s cruelty-free towards animals.
I’ve lived in Baltimore for about 3 years now, and it’s a pretty decent city. It’s definitely not one of the greenest cities in America, like Portland, but it’s slowly making positive changes to push forward with Obama’s soon-to-be “green revolution.”
Now, instead of sewage polluting the beautiful Port of Baltimore, it will be used for something else:electricity.
The mayor, Sheila Dixon, just cut the ribbon on the Back River Sewage Plant, which is a co-generation plant that takes methane gas from underground pipes, eliminates all of the bad elements in it and then uses the energy to run an internal combustion engine.
So what if you want to go outside to take your dog for a walk or to run to the local supermarket?
